Vietnam ace visits 505th CCW Published Nov. 4, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Andrea Posey 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Charles DeBellevue, a retired Air Force weapons system officer, visited Hurlburt Field to speak with Airmen as part of the 505th Command and Control Wing Warrior Call. The 505th hosted this event to focus on the historical tie the wing has with those who have served in North Vietnam as they teach command and control in their unit, according to Lt. Col. David Armitage, Air Combatant Command director deputy. DeBellevue was born in New Orleans Aug. 15, 1945 and grew up in Louisiana. He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1968 and commissioned as a 2nd Lt. through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He was accepted into the undergraduate navigator training at Mather Air Force Base, Calif., in July 1969. He completed F-4 combat crew training at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and was assigned to the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N. C., as a McDonnell Douglas F-4D weapon systems officer. DeBellevue shared how he became one of only five Americans to achieve "flying ace" status during the Vietnam War. In October 1971, DeBellevue was sent to the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron or "Triple Nickel", of the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. He flew in an F-4D with pilot, Capt. Steve Ritchie. DeBellevue and Ritchie scored the first of four Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 kills they achieved together. Both men, along with Capt. Jeffrey Feinstein of the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, would become the only USAF aces during the Vietnam War. During his combat tour, DeBellevue logged 550 combat hours while flying 220 combat missions, 96 of which were over North Vietnam. His skill as a weapon systems officer was recognized when he and two other Air Force aces, Ritchie and Feinstein, received the 1972 Mackay Trophy. "When you talk about courage and sacrifice or the core value of service before self, these guys were living that," said Col. Dan Orcott, 505th CCW commander. "They knew a lot of them may not be coming home when they stepped out to the jets." Courage, sacrifice and the core values allowed DeBellevue to achieve great successes during Vietnam and these same values allow the 505th CCW to accomplish its mission today.