Ghost Riders.

This is coolbert:

"Ghost Riders in the Sky"

"Their brands were still on fire and
Their hooves were made of steel,
Their horns were black and shiny and
Their hot breath he could feel" - - Stan Jones.

In response to the comment about the AC-130 gunship being deployed right now in Iraq:

The Air Force squadron deploying those gunships is called the "Ghost Riders".

See this blog entry on the C-130. The AC-130 is morphed from the cargo version of the Hercules.

Also see this prior blog entry on the AC-130 gunship and it's predecessors.

"They went to shoot up trucks that were bringing supplies down from North Vietnam. He was able to watch on the TV screen as the plane just went down the line blowing up trucks."

This was the C-119 which was converted into a gunship JUST for the purpose of truck-busting along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We tend to think of the Vietnam war as being a battle of unequals. Poorly equipped and armed guerrillas against the U.S. military. NOT ALWAYS SO! By the late 1960's, the communists had a paved [?] road that accomodated A LOT of truck traffic ferrying all manner of supplies south from North Vietnam. This truck traffic was the target of the C-119 gunship. Using a 20 mm cannon with an abundance of ammo, that aircraft took a heavy toll on the communists. WAS FEARED BY THEM!!

"He says it is like having God watching over you."

If you look at the blog entry for the C-130, when they deploy flares in a combat situation, to ward off enemy heat seeking missiles, the smoke from the flares forms a shape that resembles AN ANGEL!! A lot of folks have commented on that phenomenon.

"I wonder if they are using the same planes from Viet Nam?"

The AC-47, upgraded and obviously improved, ARE being used by the Columbian government right now, as we speak.!!

coolbert.