Hanoi Taxi Enshrined

I was a kid during the Vietnam war, but I have a lot of memories of the effects of the war on Fairborn from a kid's viewpoint. I remember driving out Central past the base by Skateland and seeing the SAC planes, the camoflaged B-52s, parked near the road. I remember the sonic booms when they would take off and reach Mach 1. I remember seeing peace activists and war protesters at the gates with their hippie clothes and love beads, who my parents told me were from Antioch College. I also remember neighbors serving, a friend whose dad was an MIA, and the day my 5th grade teacher at East Elementary found out that her son had been killed in action.

Today and tomorrow, the Hanoi Taxi is going to be enshrined at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The C-141 Starlifter that brought the first POWs home from Hanoi during Operation Homecoming was renamed the Hanoi Taxi. In 2002, the plane was repainted to its Hanoi Taxi colors, and in 2004, it flew its last flight to Vietnam to retrieve two American servicemembers killed in action, flown by Maj. Gen. Edward J. Mechenbier.

The 445th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve Command will be assisted by more than 120 POWs and their families. It should be quite a celebration. The Dayton Daily News has all of the event details.