Entitled "Pardo's Push" (of course), the painting shown in the middle of the video is a commissioned piece the three healthy guys had done to raise money for the fourth guy's medical expenses, long after VN.
They're numbered, this one is #914/1000 signed by Houghton, Pardo, and Wayne. Was a gift many years ago. Pardo's signature says, "Nathan, Best Wishes, v6, Bob."
(Substitute a check mark for the "v" above.)
Text on the painting says:
"On 10 March 1967, as the last element of the 8th TFW, 433rd TFS, was bombing the Thai Nguygen steel mills near Hanoi, North Viet Nam, Captain Earl Aman's F-4 was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire. It was certain the aircraft would run out of fuel and Aman's and his backseater would eject over North Viet Nam. Squadron buddy, Captain Bob Pardo did not accept that fate, and after critically analyzing their options, he gambled: He would push Aman's damaged Phantom, by its tailhook, into Laos. Pardo's F-4 had also been hit, and it too ran out of fuel, two minutes after watching Aman and his backseater eject. All four airmen parachuted into the jungle and were later rescued."
The glare from the windows behind me make a photo pretty awful of it. It's a very large painting.
This one cracked during our move and I need to replace the glass. It's title is "Wheel In The Middle Of The Air".
Text as follows:
"On May 20, 1967 during an F-105 escort mission to Hanoi, Maj. Bob Pardo in his "Satan's Angels" 433rd Tactical Fighter Wing F-4C pounced on a legion of gleaming silver MIG 17s. The ensuing dogfight twisted down to the deck and into a shallow valley where the MIGs formed into a counter-clockwise Lufberry Circle, or wheel in the middle of the air. Pardo continued his relentless attack, opposing more than two dozen cannon-armed MIGs. Throughout successive missile firing passes, Pardo kept the enemy at bay until the last Thud escaped the target area. This engagement of sustained maneuvering lasted a full 14 minutes... one of the longest dogfights of the Vietnam War by a single jet fighter."
This painting is marked AC/433. Whatever that means. It also has a signature line for Bob showing he retired as a Lt. Col. Same signature style, same words. S.W. Ferguson also signed it.
Another awful photo. Sorry. The detail in person is excellently done, one can count the individual MIGs in the valley, etc. This one is much smaller than the other one.
Again they commissioned the paintings to help their buddy pay medical expenses.
Mari has flown with Bob. I've never met him.
