Eight Air Force Museum Association hosts guest speaker

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mike Andriacco
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The Eighth Air Force Museum Association will host a Vietnam ace pilot as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series at 7 p.m., May 12 at the Eldorado Resort and Casino in Shreveport, La.

Retired Col. Charles "Chuck" DeBellevue will speak at the event, with proceeds going to support the Eighth Air Force Museum at Barksdale.

Tickets are $40 per person and the dress is business casual. There will be a silent auction beginning at 6 p.m.

DeBellevue has the distinction of being the last fighter ace on active duty until his retirement in 1998. His last command was the Reserve Officer's Training Corps detachment at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

At 10 a.m., the day before the speaking event, DeBellevue will perform a ceremonial swearing in of Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps cadets at Parkway High School.

The association's speaker series and the ceremony are part of a larger education program aimed at teaching students about aviation and military history.

"One of the Eighth Air Force Museum Association's goals is to further history education for the youth and adults in our area," said Terry Snook, association president. "We are especially thrilled that our next speaker is someone who exemplifies the traits so many of us find important: character, integrity, dedication and sacrifice."

DeBellevue is the third speaker in the series. The first two were Maj. Gen Steven Wilson, 8th Air Force commander, and retired Maj. Gen. James Graves, a member of the 8 AF Museum Association Board of Advisors, respectively.

DeBellevue became America's top "MiG Killer" when he and his pilot, Capt. John Madden, downed two MiGs, giving him six kills in total, the most earned during the Vietnam War.

DeBellevue was born in New Orleans and grew up in Louisiana. Commissioned through ROTC in 1968, he completed undergraduate navigator training at Mather Air Force Base, Calif., in July 1969. He began F-4 combat crew training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., en route to an assignment with the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

In October 1971, he was sent to the 555th TFS at Udorn Royal Thai Air Base. As a weapons system officer with the "Triple Nickel," DeBellevue scored his first four aerial victories while crewed with Capt. Steve Ritchie, who became the first USAF Vietnam War ace. DeBellevue became the second when he downed two MiGs on Sept. 9, 1972 while flying with Madden on a four-ship air patrol.

During his tour, DeBellevue logged 550 hours while flying 220 combat missions. His skill as a weapons system officer was recognized when he and the other two U.S. Air Force aces, Ritchie and Capt. Jeff Feinstein, received the 1972 Mackay Trophy, the Veterans of Foreign Wars' Armed Forces Award and the Eugene M. Zuckert Achievement Award.

DeBellevue retired with numerous awards and decorations, including the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross, among others.