The River Rats

Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association

We are proud to collaborate with the RRVA, river-rats.org, to provide support for military families.

“Many believe the war in Vietnam was a war without heroes. But that was not the case.”

-Richard Nixon

The Founders

Col. Lawrence “Larry” Pickett
USAF

Col. Robin Olds 8th TFW
Ubon Thailand, 1967

Col. Robin Olds 8th TFW
Ubon Thailand, 1967

World Record F-104 Team 1958
Gen. Jimmy Doolittle
MJ Scrappy Johnson
Capt. Walt Irwin
Hamilton AFB 83rd FIS

World Record F-104 Team
HAFB, 1958

Col. Howard “Scrappy” Johnson, USAF

“We had the freedom to pursue a dream, and that’s important,” Dick Rutan said at the ceremony. “And we should never forget, and those that guard our freedoms, that we should hang on to them very tenaciously and be very careful about some do-gooder that thinks that our safety is more important than our freedom. Because freedom is awfully difficult to obtain, and it’s even more difficult to regain it once it’s lost.”

- Lt.Col. Dick Rutan USAF [Ret.] SEA “Misty” 40 FastFAC
RIP 1st July 1938 - 3rd May 2024