As it lifted off the runway at Pleiku in South Viet Nam's Central Highlands last week, the Air Force C-130 Hercules transport acted almost like a frisky jet fighter. With Air Force Major General Burl McLaughlin pushing it along at full power, the craft climbed rapidly to 12,500 ft. before leveling off for the hour-long return flight to Saigon. McLaughlin's desire to gain altitude quickly, a routine precaution among pilots in Viet Nam, was heightened in this case both by the Viet Cong's post-Tef offensive and by the unusual payload that he was...
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