WARNER ROBINS, GA USA– One day a couple of years ago, a flat-bed truck rolled onto the Museum of Aviation grounds with a weathered old F-100 jet strapped to the back.
One man saluted as he fought back a wave of emotions.
That man was retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Rick Goddard, former commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. He flew the jet on 180 combat missions in Vietnam, including one in which he was awarded the Silver Star. It was the first time he had seen the plane since he left Vietnam in 1969.
Budget cuts have delayed restoration of the plane, but the museum expects to start on it full force early this year. The project will be a major effort for the museum’s restoration team and is expected to take about a year to complete. The plane will be displayed in Hangar One, which is dedicated to the Vietnam War.
“This airplane took me into combat and brought me home at times when I probably had abused it and it shouldn’t have brought me home,” Goddard said as he stood by the fuselage of the disassembled aircraft recently. “There is a special bond between a pilot and an airplane, especially in a combat role.”
About two years ago, Goddard was talking to a man who had painted a picture of the plane for him, and the painter asked if Goddard knew what became of the aircraft. Goddard didn’t know, but the painter gave him the phone number of a man who kept track of the location of every F-100.
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