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While F-106's primarily operated in
the defense of the North American continent, flying from the continental US,
Alaska, Canada, and Iceland, they were deployed temporarily on occasions to
Germany and South Korea.
Several F-106 FIS units had the distinction of flying across
the Pacific ocean for deployments to sit Alert at Osan AB, South Korea as part
of the Korean buildup stemming from the USS Pueblo crisis where North Korea
seized a US Navy ship on 23 Jan 1968. Also the Sixes flew shotgun for the
EC-121 Constellation's after one got shot down by North Korea on 15 Apr 1969.
The first F-106's deployed from the 318th FIS
McChord AFB in February 1968 and conducted in flight refueling en route, the
first such refueling of F-106's. The last unit to serve in Korea was the
95th FIS in 1970.
Apparently all the engine shop work was done at Kadena AB,
Okinawa Japan. Here is an exerp of a message from
Frank Fawcett on
http://oldkunnel.net/hgr18018.html "I was later sent over to Okinawa with
the 95th from Dover when it was their [deployment to Korea] turn. The planes
were in Korea and we did the shop work on the engines at Kadena."
Operation Red Fox
On 23 January 1968 North Korean patrol boats seized the
USS Pueblo, a US Navy intelligence-gathering vessel, in the international waters
of the East Sea off Wonsan. One USS Pueblo crewmember was killed in the boarding
and 82 were taken POW and held captive. The seizure, which took place a mere two
days after a commando intrusion into Seoul, shocked the whole world, and there
arose strong public demand in the United States for firm retaliatory action
against North Korea. North Korea made the utmost use of the Pueblo incident in
its crafty propaganda, believing that the United States, deeply involved in the
Vietnam War then, would not be able to use the force of arms on the Korean
Peninsula.
Between 26-31 January 1968 several 9th Air Force active units deployed to the
Pacific in response to North Korea?s seizure of USS Pueblo: the 4TFW sent 72
F-4Ds, the 354TFW sent 18 F-100s, and the 363TRW sent six RB-66s. In
addition, several 9AF-gained ARC units were recalled to active duty: the 113TFW
and 107th, 113th, 121st and 177TFGs. The 334th and 335th Fighter Squadrons,
equiped with F-4 Phantom II fighters, rushed to Korea to support operations
during the Pueblo incident. The squadrons returned to Seymour Johnson in June
1968. F-106 fighters were briefly deployed to Osan AFB in Korea in March
of 1968 to provide air defense during the Pueblo incident.
The 347th Tactical Fighter Wing was activated at Yokota Air Base, Japan on 15
January 1968 . The mission was to provide air defense for the islands of Japan.
Units assigned were the 34th, the 35th, and the 36th Tactical Fighter Squadrons
(TFS); and the 556th and the 6091st Reconnaissance Squadrons. Aircraft assigned
were the F-105 Thunderchief, the F-4C Phantom II, the EB-57 Canberra, and the
C-130 Hercules. Between 23 Ocobert 1968 and 05 February 1969 all of the 347th
Tactical Fighter Wing's F-4Cs were deployed to bases in South Korea to
participate in the US response to North Korea's abduction of the USS Pueblo.
Six Air Force Reserve units were mobilized in the wake of the Pueblo Incident.
The 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Colorado Air National Guard was ordered
into active Federal service as a result of the Pueblo incident, along with three
other F-100 tactical fighter squadrons: 136th Tactical Fighter Squadron, New
York, 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Iowa, 188th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
New Mexico. The 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron entered combat in Vietnam on 5
May 1968, two days after its arrival, and completed its 1,000th mission 51 days
later. During the Air National Guard's eleven months of service in Vietnam, the
four F-100 squadrons flew 24,124 combat sorties and accumulated 38,614 combat
flying hours.
The 445th Military Airlift Wing was activated after the Pueblo was seized, on
January 26, 1968. The activation of the 445th found many support personnel
stationed at eight different stateside bases and aircrews flying more missions
to Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia. The Wing remained
activated in support of the Pueblo incident for seventeen months until released
from active military service on June 2, 1969. For superior performance and
dedication during the Pueblo incident, the 445th Military Airlift Wing received
its first Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
Eleven months after the seizure North Korea repatriated 82 Pueblo crewmen and
one set of remains to the United States through P'anmunjom. Upon signature of
the US admitting to espionage in the coastal waters of the Sea of Japan, the 82
POWs were freed. Upon their return on 28 December, 1968, the crew was treated
poorly by the public and the military and only in 1990 did they receive the POW
ribbons to which they were entitled. The ship remains in Wonson Harbor, North
Korea.
Source:
http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=597&page=1
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Osan AB, Republic of Korea
