FIREFLY

A Skyraider’s Story About America’s Secret War Over Laos

“Once everything is set up, I roll in. Control stick hard left into a sharp left turn and let the nose drop quickly but smoothly to 40 degrees down. Down. My heart is pumping hard. I’m in a sharp dive. I have to do it right and fast. Line up the target in the sight. It’s getting bigger as I get closer to the ground. Airspeed is increasing! Quick! Right there! Pickle at 8,000 feet, only 2,000 feet from roll-in altitude. Not much time. NOW! Pull out! Pull hard, but don’t over G! All the remaining ordnance is trying to pull the airplane toward the ground. Smoothly pull to four Gs. Watch the artificial horizon. It’s the only visual reference I can count on.”

About Richard E. Diller

Richard (Dick) Diller was born and raised in Princeton, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in finance and received an officer’s commission in the United States Air Force through ROTC. He went to pilot training at Laughlin AFB, Texas, where he flew T‑37s and T‑38s and received an F‑102 assignment upon graduation. That assignment changed to F‑106s while in F‑102 training. When the air force needed pilots for the Vietnam War, Diller was assigned to fly A‑1 Skyraiders at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, where he flew 203 missions, mostly at night, over Laos.