The Gunships That Owned the Night in Vietnam

📍On the night of the 24th of February 1969 a mortar round tore through the wing of Spooky 71 over Long Binh, and Airman First Class John Levitow, with more than forty fragment wounds, threw himself on a loose magnesium flare in a cabin full of ammunition and hurled it out of the cargo door. This documentary follows the side firing gunships of the Vietnam War, from a pylon turn first flown in Texas in the 1920s to the AC 47 Spooky, the AC 119 Shadow and Stinger and the AC 130 Spectre, and the forts, camps and towns they held through the night, from the Mekong Delta and Camp A Shau to Cambodia, Kontum and An Loc. Told from the Air Force's own gunship histories, after action reports and medal citations, it ends over Tan Son Nhut on the morning of the 29th of April 1975, with a South Vietnamese Stinger, Tinh Long 07, still fighting at first light. 0:00 Spooky 71 2:42 Building a Gunship 12:03 Puff the Magic Dragon 26:34 Shadow and Stinger 36:27 Spectre and the Easter Offensive - - 📚 Every story shared on TalesFromNam is told with profound respect for those who lived through the Vietnam War. The narration and archive footage are thoughtfully selected to honor the weight and atmosphere of each account. While rooted in the experiences of war, these stories are meant for reflection and emotional connection not as factual study or historical record. Thank you for engaging with these tales in the spirit they're offered. - - #VietnamWar #Gunship #AC47 #Spooky #PuffTheMagicDragon #AC119 #AC130 #Spectre #USAF #AirCommando #JohnLevitow #AnLoc #VietnamVeterans #MilitaryHistory #TalesFromNam