This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Derrickson, Thomas Gardner, II, Lt Col.
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Capt. Thomas G. Derrickson II and 1Lt. John K. Hardy Jr. comprised the crew of an F4C Phantom jet assigned an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam on October 12, 1967. Derrickson and Hardy were in the lead aircraft in a flight of two. Over Quang Binh Province, they sighted ground targets and radioed to their wingman that they were "rolling in." Shortly thereafter, the wingman saw a flash of yellow light followed by a fire and a cloud of black smoke. Attempts to contact Derrickson and Hardy were unsuccessful.
According to the Hardy family, many efforts were made to obtain information concerning what happened to Hardy and Derrickson that day with no success. It is known that their last known location was about 15 miles south of the city of Dong Hoi, some 25 miles north of the Demilitarized Zone in North Vietnam. Anti-aircraft resistance was heavy in this region. Both men were declared Missing in Action, and the U.S. believed the enemy probably knew their fates.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in The United States Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Aircraft/Missile Information
Model North American F-100D Super Sabre Length 49.51 ft | 15.09 m Width 38.75 ft | 11.81 m Height 16.24 ft | 4.95 m Engine(s) 1 x Pratt & Whitney J 57-P21 turbojet with afterburning generating 17,000lbs of thrust. Empty Weight 20,999 lbs | 9,525 kg MTOW 34,833 lbs | 15,800 kg Max Speed 864 mph | 1,390 km/h | 751 kts Max Range 1,995 miles | 3,210 km Ceiling 45,000 ft | 13,716 m | 8.5 miles Climb Rate 16,000 ft/min (4,877 m/min) Hardpoints 6 Armament 4 x 20mm cannons
External hardpoints for an additional 7,500lbs of ordnance including: Dumb Bombs, Drop Tanks and Rocket Pods. Accommodations 1
Major Variants * F-100A - Initial Production Model * F-100B - Proposed Mach 2 / nuclear-capable fighter-bomber; would go on to become the YF-107 prototype series. * F-100C - Fighter-Bomber Variant with improvements; inflight refueling capability; more powerful engine. * F-100D - Fighter-Bomber Variant with improvements; fitted with ECm equipment and low-altitude bombing system.
