Posted by Chuyen Van Nguyen on March 13, 2011:

Hi everybody, My name is Chuyen Van Nguyen, former A-1 Skyraider pilot of the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) during the Vietnam War. I escaped Vietnam to Utapao US Naval Base, Thailand on April 29th, 1975 as South VN collapsing under communist attack. I am very saddened to accidentally learn on the Internet the passing of Jim Ingalls, my former T-28A/B aircraft flight instructor, our "I" Flight Commander at Keesler AFB, MS in 1971. I was the student Flight Leader, so as a Flight Commander, Jim only had one student pilot (as 2 for others) to teach and I was that student. Jim taught me well, yelled at me well in the air and let it be known how disappointed he was after any checked ride that I did not get the "E"'s as in excellent as he ALWAYS wanted me to get. "You must get all E's, so you can go home and fly the A-1 Skyraider as I did when I served in your country"! He's never let me forget that. And sure enough, he pushed me to the limits and I ended up in Eglin AFB, FL for the A-1 Skyraider pilot training after Keesler AFB. In the first years living as a refugee in the Arlington, TX, I've tried very hard to locate Jim, but I did not know where to turn to for help searching and we'd never re-connected. I am so sorry. I still have several photos of Jim in my possesion. As a matter of fact, the 3rd photo on his eulogy that his son, Jim, Jr. submitted on this website showing Jim pinning the USAF wings on my lapel on our Graduation night at Keesler AFB. I also have that photo and many others with Jim. I am now retired and living in Southern California. I'd love to connect with Jim's siblings, just to recall some memories I had with Jim and to celebrate a small portion of his life that I had the honor to share with him when Jim and I were younger, connected by the war in my native country. Chuyen Van Nguyen 714-767-1647 (cell) chuyennguyen2003@yahoo.com

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