Title:
Interview with John Hodgin (by: Richard Burks Verrone, PhD) - February 3, 2003
Interview Date:
03 February 2003
Collection:
John Hodgin Collection
Media Type:
Oral History (Digital)
Length:
03 24:48 hr/min/sec
Description:
(USAF) John K. Hodgin, originally from Greensboro, North Carolina served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959 until 1981. Departing from Pope AFB (NC) as a member of the 347th Tactical Air Squadron, John first went to Vietnam on the first Operation RANCH HAND mission in January 1962 as a Navigator in the C-123. He continued to rotate back to South Vietnam over the next years to perform various missions. Between February and July 1963, John took part in Operation MULE TRAIN and completed another RANCH HAND mission between November 1963 and April 1964 as a member of the 778th Squadron, both as a C-123 Navigator. In November 1965, he was sent to Nha Trang with the 5th Air Commando Squadron and flew various missions as a C-47 navigator performing leaflet drops, loudspeaker flights, and cargo flights. In December 1966, John was sent to Kadena, Japan, as part of 315th Tactical Air Squadron and flew more cargo missions in South Vietnam in the C-130 for the next three years. He flew more missions in South Vietnam helping evacuate American assets from the country from January 1975 until the fall of the country in April 1975. John eventually retired from the USAF in 1981.
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