I want to recommend a book. "Once a Fighter Pilot" Jerry W. Cook, Br. Gen., USAF Res. McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-012549-X
This is the story of Jerry Cook's flight training in the early 50's and his career through 1967. The first half covers years as a cadet and instructor, when the Air Force was convinced that small wars were not going to happen. And then came Viet-Nam... You wanna know what it was like to fly the F4 Phantom in a war it wasn't meant for? Here is the story of the early days, up to the time a certain "Curtis LeMay wanna be" took over Far East Air Force. I see General Cook shares the generally held "high opinion" of JFK's Secretary of Defense John Strange McNamara and his Harvard educated "whiz kids". More like whiz as in taking a whiz!! His story of a visit to the first Air Force Phantom Group while it was working up by a bunch of these jerks is a classic. Jerry cook was tour expired and gone by October 1 of 1966, 205 missions under his belt. About a third over South VN, a third over the North and a third over a country where "we officially were not flying". He ends about where Colonel Broughton's books take up. An excellent read!
Bill Shuey
I am not related to Gen. Cook not do I have any affiliation with McGraw-Hill.etc.