Rolling Thunder was an effort to break the will and ability of the Communists in the North and bring a negotiated end to the aggression against the non-Communist South. And, sometimes… Chiefs of Staff would send us five days in a row.” – John Piowaty, USAF The enemy would move out and set up somewhere else, ready to hit us on our way in and out. “We have since learned that our target list was shared through Switzerland with the enemy to ensure no civilians were harmed. Their stories were many and, as one might imagine, incredible. Then, one day, he went to a Thud pilot reunion in San Antonio, took their portraits, and listened to their stories - the revelation of the war from their perspective rendered him speechless. What he knew about it came from movies and documentaries.

Martin was just seven years old when the Vietnam War ended. Photographer Cade Martin set out to document and preserve the memories and images of the men who flew those dangerous missions. The United States Air Force had just launched Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign over North Vietnam that lasted more than three years.

They then learned why the F-105 Thunderchief earned the nickname “Thud” as 5,000 pounds of bombs from each of the passing planes hit the Earth around them. 2, 1965, North Vietnamese guards at an ammunition storage area near Xom Bang heard the telltale sounds of massed aircraft overhead.

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