F-8E Crusader #150328 VMF(AW)-235, Da Nang, 1966

Vought F8U-2NE (F-8E) Crusader BuNo 150328 / DB-8 or 150318 / DB-19 of U.S. Marine Corps all weather fighter squadron VMF(AW)-235 at Da Nang, South Vietnam, in April 1966.

VMF(AW)-235 arrived in Vietnam on 1 February 1966. The 'Death Angels' whose moto was Ride Nunc (Laugh Now) quickly became the most recognized Marine Crusader squadron during the war, sporting bright red noses with white stars. The only land-based F8E Crusader-equipped squadron in Vietnam in 1966, the squadron hammered the North Vietnamese heavily, flying over 6,000 sorties and encompassing over 7,000 flying hours.