Port Arthur Viet Nam Memorial - Possible Rita Victim

[Jeff Funk]

Near the Rainbow Bridge (I believe that is the name of the Hwy 87 Bridge over the Neches River between Port Arthur and Bridge City) is a nice Viet Nam War Memorial that features a F-4, Huey, M-60 Tank, and a few other items. As it is on the edge of the marsh near the Neches River, these items may have gotten wet or worse. Let's hope they stayed dry and weathered the wind.

By the way, does anyone the ID of the Phantom II? All it has on the plane it TX 924. I'm don't know anything about Phantom Air Guard paint schemes, but it doesn't look authentic to me.

[mrhenniger]

By the way, does anyone the ID of the Phantom II? All it has on the plane it TX 924. I'm don't know anything about Phantom Air Guard paint schemes, but it doesn't look authentic to me.

From the markings alone it could be either...

TAIL: 64-0882 ... 64-0928
McDonnell F-4C-25-MC Phantom
0924 to Spain in 1971 (EdA C.12-22)

TAIL: 65-0902 ... 65-0932
McDonnell RF-4C-27-MC Phantom
0924 to AMARC as FP0689 Jun 6, 1991.

I would guess 65-924, but then the markings may not be correct. Google hasn't help much in this case. The above info from Joe Baugher's sites.

Mike

[Tony Edmonds]

This is F-4D 66-8788 which was last in service with the 704TFS/AFRes code TX and she was retired to Davis Monthan prior to being allocated to VFW post 4820 in June 1996

Hope this helps

Tony

[RickH]

Certainly nonstandard local paint job. I think a Bergstrom bird, hence the TX tailcode, probably copied from her last scheme.

[Jeff Funk]

Mike, Tony and Rick,


Thanks for the info. I'm partial to these old workhorse jets since I lived about 4 miles from their birthplace when I was a teenager. I got to see them most days as they landed after their initial test flights.

Jeff

[Tim Landers]

Here is a crop of the Vietnam War Memorial taken from an aerial survey. Looks like the Phantom was knocked off her pedestal and the choppers survived. A friend lives in Bridge City and we are driving there today to check on his house. If they let us through I'll get some pics




Tim Landers

[Jeff Funk]

Tim,



As long as you're visiting the Golden Triangle tomorrow, you might try and check on the F-101 at the Babe Diedrickson Zaharias (sp???)Memorial in Beaumont. As you probably know, it's right on I-10.

Jeff

[RickH]

I got a call the other day from some folks associated with the F-4 in this thread. Apparently they lost the canopies during Rita.