Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:04 | When Don Cope was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War, he was elated to meet President Johnson during a visit to the air base. He was less than elated, however, with the restrictive policies that prevented US forces from actually defeating the enemy and he relates the story of a pilot who felt the same way.
Keywords : Don Cope aircraft maintenance Thailand Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Bangkok Post photograph (photo) Vietnam SAM Alley surface-to-air missile (SAM) Saigon Chinese Russians MiG
Don Cope loved everything about ROTC when he was in high school so it was natural that he join the service when his college ambitions were derailed. It was in the Air Force that he found his career calling in aircraft maintenance.
During the Tet Offensive, Don Cope had to fly into Da Nang from his base in Thailand to repair an aircraft. The part that was needed would take months to arrive. Undaunted, he made a makeshift part from a common household item.
When Don Cope returned from Vietnam, he was confronted by a group of anti-war protestors. He calmly told them what he would do if they didn't get out of his way. He was already bitter over the way the war had been fought.
In the years following the Vietnam era, Don Cope served in multiple places around the world for the Air Force, running aircraft maintenance operations and teaching. After he left the service, he continued doing the same in the private sector.
Don Cope loved the military life. It was a challenge but very rewarding. He only retired from the Air Force because his next assignment would have separated him from his family.
