WEBVTT 00:02.339 --> 00:04.561 Air Force veteran John Degrote has been 00:04.561 --> 00:06.728 content to stay on his farm near Sioux 00:06.728 --> 00:08.617 Center , Iowa . Since leaving the 00:08.617 --> 00:10.840 military over 50 years ago , the 00:10.850 --> 00:12.739 situation was quite different for 00:12.739 --> 00:14.739 Degrote . In the early 19 sixties . 00:14.739 --> 00:16.906 When leaving home for military service 00:16.906 --> 00:19.079 was not optional , the United States 00:19.090 --> 00:21.257 was at war . And after talking to some 00:21.257 --> 00:23.423 friends , De Groat decided to join the 00:23.423 --> 00:25.423 Air National Guard in Sioux City in 00:25.423 --> 00:27.819 1964 we thought that sounded better 00:27.829 --> 00:30.280 than getting drafted . De Groat was 00:30.290 --> 00:32.790 assigned as an F 100 fighter jet crew 00:32.799 --> 00:34.840 chief where he says he is still not 00:34.849 --> 00:37.000 forgotten . His assigned tail number 00:37.009 --> 00:40.220 986 , even after 50 years 00:41.159 --> 00:43.479 and service number . You'll never 00:43.490 --> 00:45.759 forget that when North Korea seized the 00:45.770 --> 00:48.020 US Navy intelligence ship , the US S 00:48.029 --> 00:51.639 Pueblo on January 23 1968 the Groats 00:51.659 --> 00:53.700 Air Guard unit was activated within 00:53.709 --> 00:56.290 days . The 1 85th tactical fighter 00:56.299 --> 00:58.355 group was in formation in Sioux City 00:58.355 --> 01:00.243 listening to the activation order 01:00.243 --> 01:01.910 before the end of the month , 01:04.089 --> 01:06.089 Major General Junior F Miller , the 01:06.089 --> 01:07.200 admin General Viola 01:10.059 --> 01:12.680 as the Adjutant General of Iowa and on 01:12.690 --> 01:15.940 behalf of the more than 10,000 officers 01:15.949 --> 01:19.319 and men of the Iowa National Guard . I 01:19.330 --> 01:22.089 want to express each member of the 1 01:22.099 --> 01:24.989 85th , our pride in having you as a 01:25.000 --> 01:27.269 part of our national defense team . We 01:27.279 --> 01:29.446 look forward to the day when your unit 01:29.446 --> 01:31.668 reverts to inactive status as a part of 01:31.668 --> 01:35.000 the Iowa National Guard by May of 1968 . 01:35.010 --> 01:38.129 About 350 airmen from the unit's 1 74th 01:38.139 --> 01:40.400 fighter squadron arrived in Vietnam 01:40.470 --> 01:42.470 where they immediately began flying 01:42.470 --> 01:45.010 combat sorties . Slow days saw only a 01:45.019 --> 01:47.241 couple of sorties most days , however , 01:47.241 --> 01:49.900 saw a 3rd and 1/4 launch . Regular air 01:49.910 --> 01:52.077 force had a lot of 100 there too , you 01:52.077 --> 01:54.299 know , but they had a lot more problems 01:54.299 --> 01:56.521 than we did because yeah , ours were in 01:56.521 --> 01:58.632 pretty good shape when they went down 01:58.632 --> 02:00.688 there . Uh There's a lot of wear and 02:00.688 --> 02:02.854 tear over there . You know , after the 02:02.854 --> 02:05.021 year long deployment , Degroat decided 02:05.021 --> 02:07.243 not to reenlist instead choosing a much 02:07.243 --> 02:09.410 quieter life at his home on the farm . 02:09.460 --> 02:11.759 It turns out that Degroat old aircraft 02:11.770 --> 02:15.139 541986 has also been living a quiet 02:15.149 --> 02:17.205 life after it was transferred to the 02:17.205 --> 02:19.427 Air Force Armament Museum outside Eglin 02:19.427 --> 02:21.839 Air Force Base in Florida where it is 02:21.850 --> 02:24.649 still on display . The plaque by the 02:24.660 --> 02:26.827 display explains that the aircraft was 02:26.827 --> 02:29.049 painted with a different tail number in 02:29.049 --> 02:30.938 honor of the historic F 100 misty 02:30.938 --> 02:33.160 squadron . The aircraft's original tail 02:33.160 --> 02:35.104 number can still be seen below the 02:35.104 --> 02:37.216 horizontal stabilizer confirming that 02:37.216 --> 02:39.104 it is indeed the groat's old tail 02:39.104 --> 02:41.271 number . The plaque also explains that 02:41.271 --> 02:43.271 the pilot's name on the side of the 02:43.271 --> 02:45.271 aircraft is a fellow Northwest Iowa 02:45.271 --> 02:47.271 native and medal of honor recipient 02:47.271 --> 02:50.039 written simply as Major Bud Day , Misty 02:50.050 --> 02:52.690 one this Veterans day as de groat 02:52.699 --> 02:54.921 finishes another harvest . He's looking 02:54.921 --> 02:57.032 forward to another peaceful winter on 02:57.032 --> 02:59.449 the farm . 50 years after his service , 02:59.460 --> 03:01.682 he can also find some solace and that a 03:01.682 --> 03:03.849 piece of his military history is being 03:03.849 --> 03:05.516 well preserved and honoring a 03:05.516 --> 03:08.160 significant figure in air Force history 03:08.919 --> 03:10.960 in Sioux Center , Iowa . I'm Vince 03:11.309 --> 03:11.380 Degroat .