Col Whitcomb served three tours in Southeast Asia (1970 - 1974):

   1.  As a C-7 Caribou pilot at Phu Cat Air Base, Republic of Vietnam

   2.  ‘Nail’ forward air controller in the OV-10 Bronco at NKP Thailand with
    missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail and Cambodia and in the battles of the
    Easter Offensive.

   3.  ‘Raven’ FAC in the O-1 Birddog at Long Tieng CIA base, Laos.

   He was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross w/ Oak Leaf
   Cluster, Air Medal w/ 16 OLCs, and numerous campaign ribbons.

   Col Whitcomb left active duty in 1977 and joined Delta Airlines. He also
   transferred to the Air Force Reserve and flew the A-37 Dragonfly and A-10
   Warthog with the 926th Fighter Wing and the 442nd Fighter Wing.

   He later served tours in fighter plans on the Air Staff and in mobilization
   plans on the Joint Staff, and attended the Army Command and General Staff
   College, and the National War College.

   He then served on the faculty at Air Command and Staff College and as the mobilization assistant to the commander of the Air
   Force Doctrine Center at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, retiring as a Colonel in 1999. He retired as an international captain from Delta
   Airlines in 2003.

   In 2004, Mr. Whitcomb recently completed a tour as a contract C3I pilot supporting combat operations in Iraq.

   Whitcomb has written numerous articles for magazines and periodicals and has published two books:

   The Rescue of Bat 21 in 1998

   Combat Search and Rescue in Desert Storm in 2006

   He periodically works as a consultant to the Department of Defense, working on the history of Combat Search and Rescue
   (CSAR).

   He recently completed a book chronicling the history of US Army “Dust-Off” Medical Evacuation helicopters in the post-Vietnam
   time period.

   Col Whitcomb has actively served as an officer/member of numerous Vietnam War heritage associations, is an accomplished
   public speaker and has made guest appearances as a subject-matter-expert on the History & Military Cable TV Channels.