The Internet Home Of The Mighty Bronco!

Thank You, Veterans!!     We will NEVER forget.   WHAT IS A VET? Some veterans bear visible signs of their service... a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of diversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking. What is a vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but he has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb of The Unknowns, who presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes who's valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU" (Author unknown.)

Welcome to the Philippine Wing of the OBA! Not only has the new German Wing joined OBA with two nearly-flyable OV-10Bs (one should fly by year's end), now the Philippine Wing (aka the 16th Attack Squadron of the Philippine AF, which is the primary unit for internal security operations of the PAF) is on board! This active-duty unit has flown AT-28Ds from 1974 to 1992 and OV-10A's from 1992 to present. Welcome all!!

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WELCOME to OV-10Bronco.Net

...the Internet home of the Mighty OV-10 Bronco. You're cleared to take off and proceed directly into the Area of Operations. You may seek any targets of interest. Return often since the situation in this AO changes frequently.

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Latest OBA Update: November 6
It's coming!! Bronco Fest III has been scheduled. Dates and other info are available in this official announcement.

Latest OBA German Wing Update: September 12
We almost took off, first flight will be soon!!!

Latest OBA Philippine Wing Update: October 1
The PAF 16th Attack Squadron becomes the second international wing of the OBA!!

• OBA Welcomes the Philippine Wing on board!!
  The 16th Attack Squadron of the Philippine Air Force has officially joined us as the Philippine Wing of the OV-10 Bronco Association, or PWOBA for short. They have a long history with OV-10s and are in fact currently in combat against rebels who have taken many innocent hostages in the Jolo islands of the Philippines. We wish them all safety and success. See the new PWOBA section of this site for more info. (10/03/00)

• New OBA Site Design!!
  The OV-10 Bronco Association has a new, standalone web area. This is the initial piece of a major site reorganization that has been a very long time in coming. The new area should be better organized and lend itself much better to future expansion as we add more wings and info. Hope you enjoy it. (10/03/00)

• Our bird stretches its wings to fly!!!!
  The OBA German Wing got 99+26's nosewheel off the ground during high-speed taxi tests recently. First flight can't be too far away now, which means that the number of flyable non-government-owned OV-10s in the world will double to two. The other GWOBA plane (99+32) is planned to follow 99+26 into the air ASAP... which, so far as we can tell, will make the GWOBA the only private operator of OV-10s with more than a single example flying anywhere in the world. We are very proud of the rapid progress made by our contingent across the big pond!! (09/12/00)

• A note about the future of this site
  This is a good time for a quick note about OV-10Bronco.Net. Recently we have been a bit slower than we'd like as far as getting new info posted on this site, especially new picture archive entries. The reason is that, plain and simple, we've grown - a lot. In order to continue down the path we have followed - including an ever-expanding Internet presence, which has done much to bring us to where we are now - we must grow and that includes evolving the website to function in new ways. We have moved well beyond simple static webpages that are manually edited with each new picture or news item. We still do that to a great extent, but that's changing fast. Already, the picture archives have been converted to a database-driven system, and this will lead to a much greater turnaround time for posting new entries (once we finish it!) as well as the ability to search the archives in various ways. We will also be putting the museum's collection of memorabilia online, as well as improving our ability to rapidly update things (things like OBA updates, alerts about Broncos in the Media and Bronco events, and some other features we don't have online yet at all.) The upshot to all this is that changes are coming as fast as we can make them happen. Nobody gets paid for this stuff, and so we have to work these efforts in amongst the rest of the things going on in our busy lives. Fortunately, the positive comments we get constantly remind us all why we do it!! All of us at the OV-10 Bronco Association would like to again thank our many friends worldwide who have supported, guided, and encouraged us in our efforts to bring you these things... more cool stuff is in store! (08/13/00)

• Desert Storm Vets Take Note!
  Let's help show the world the OV-10's part in the Gulf War! The following notice will run in the next 3 issues of Air Force Magazine. The AFA has requested help in getting the word out. The Gulf War Scrapbook is intended for the January issue, so there is no slack in the due date.

  Scrapbook for Gulf War Veterans

  They're among Air Force Magazine's most popular features - the "World War II Scrapbook" (September 1995), the "Korean War Scrapbook" (July 1996), and the "Vietnam War Scrapbook" (October 1996).

  Now, we're gearing up for the "Gulf War Scrapbook," a candid look back at that conflict of a decade ago.

  As with those earlier scrapbooks, the magazine seeks personal snapshots (not official photos) from current AFA members who are veterans of the Gulf War. We will cheerfully accept pictures from all members - you must be a current AFA member to qualify - but we're especially interested in those of enlisted personnel and junior officers. The pictures will be copied and originals returned promptly.

  Please mail photos and detailed descriptions by Nov. 15 to Air Force Magazine, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Include a telephone number where we can reach you. Envelopes should be clearly marked, "Gulf War Scrapbook."

  (courtesy J. Kent Eckles, via Jim Hodgson) (08/10/00)

• Have you visited the OBA PX lately??
  Jim's really outdone himself this time by tracking down some really cool stuff for all you die-hard OV-10 nuts out there. We also have a new Bronco Bucks program, where your purchases give you credits towards future purchases!!! As always, proceeds from the OBA PX help us carry out the OBA mission of education and preservation. (07/09/00)

• OV-10Bronco.Net hits major milestone!!
  In May 2000, we are proud to announce that we hit a milestone... we're now getting over 10,000 viewers a month!! That's a lot of folks out there looking for Bronco-type things. We think we have a unique site... most of the content comes from the users, and we work with key players in the Bronco community the world over. There are a million things we'd like to do still... revamp the site look and feel, new features, and just catch up on the backlog of submissions. We're working on it as fast as we can! A sincere thank you to all of our friends for making this endeavor the success it is. We look forward to continuing to grow with you all. (06/02/00)

•  Return With Honor (PBS, 11/13/00 9:00PM EST)
  On Nov 13 at 2100 hours, East Coast, PBS will air this outstanding documentary of American pilots shot down in Vietnam and held as POWs. Those who have seen the pre-broadcast video say this is an incredible show. Don't miss it! (Submitted via FACNET by Gibber Gibbs)

•  Aircraft Illustrated, . (November 2000)
  Page 80 of this UK magazine has the following blurb: "Bucking Broncos - Two former Luftwaffe North American OV-10B Broncos have been registered in the UK as G-BZGK and G-BZGL, previously 99+32/D-9561 and 99+26/D-9555 respectively. They have been purchased by Tony DeBruyn's Eureka Aviation, part of a newly formed German Wing of the OV-10 Bronco Association that is actually based in Belgium. They are expected in the UK for restoration to display standard and should appear at air events across Europe next year." (Thanks to OBA-er Brendan Searle for this!)

•  Plane & Pilot (November 2000)
  P&P has a nice article about the most excellent Cessna Bird Dog fly-in held last July in Wichita by our fine feathered (or would it be furry?) friends over at the International Bird Dog Association. I'm sure most Bronco lovers out there also have an attachment to the Bird Dog as well...

•  Yahoo News (Sunday, September 17, 2000)
  Yahoo published a Reuter's picture of Philippine Air Force OV-10s being readied for attacks against guerillas who have been holding civilian hostages for quite some time. The planes have been used recently in air attacks upon rebel positions. You can view the picture here.

•  Suicide Missions - Forward Air Controllers
  This show was made with assistance from the OBA, and aired earlier this month on The History Channel cable network. There is lots of OV-10 footage. This is available as a video, which we are working on offering via the OBA PX so you can earn (or use) your Bronco Bucks while supporting the OBA.

•  Flying Black Ponies: The Navy's Close Air Support Squadron in Vietnam
  This book by Kit Lavell (with a foreword by Stephen Coonts) looks to possibly become the definitive account of life with the Black Ponies (VAL-4), and will be published October 1. It will be offered through the OBA PX. Check out the OV-10 Books page for more info!

•  The Bronco Flyer (Summer 2000)
  The latest OBA Newsletter has been sent out (free!) to OBA members, and contains an article on the Yankee Air Museum's immaculate and unusual YOV-10A restoration, a report on the CDF Broncos, and information about the Venezuelan Bronco symposium. Want to get this? Join OBA!! :)

• FAC Reunion
  Ft. Walton Beach, FL - Sept. 2000
  The Ft. Walton FAC reunion has come and gone. Despite a direct hit by a tropical storm, this was a wonderful event that made FAC history, and we dedicated a great new memorial that's been a long time coming. There will likely never be another FAC event quite this large! Kudos to all involved in making it happen, you pulled it off splendedly! We will have after-action reports posted soon in the new OBA section. See also the Rustics Website. (10/03/00)
  

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