Thomas Gardner Derrickson

Thomas Gardner Derrickson II was a distinguished graduate of the USAFA Class of 1959 and a decorated Air Force Pilot. He was born on March 10, 1936, in Los Altos, CA, and graduated from Mountain View Union High School. Before attending the Air Force Academy, he studied at the University of California from 1954-1955 and was in Navy ROTC. As a USAFA cadet in Cadet Squadron 8, he was a Distinguished Graduate and was involved in the Ski Club and Soaring Club. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
• Pilot Training (1959 to 1960): Bartow Air Base / Reese Air Force Base, flying the T-33, T- 34, T-37.
• Pilot (1961 to 1965): 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, flying the F-100, F-105.
• Test Pilot Training (1965 to 1966): Student at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base, flying the B-57, F-104, T-33, T-38. Tom was one of the first to be trained for space flight as a test pilot, under the direction of Col. Chuck Yeager.
• Test Pilot (1966 to 1967): Air Proving Ground Command, Eglin Air Force Base.
• Vietnam Assignment (1967): His test pilot career was interrupted by an assignment to Vietnam. He served as a Pilot flying the F-4 with the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Cam Rahn Bay Airbase, South Vietnam.

MISSING IN ACTION AND LOSS
On October 12, 1967, Captain Thomas G. Derrickson II, serving as the pilot of an F-4C Phantom II with the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was shot down while on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. The aircraft, which he was flying with his Weapons System Operator, 1st Lt. John K. Hardy, was hit by hostile ground fire during a roll-in on a ground target approximately 15 miles south of Dong Hoi, North Vietnam. The wingman saw a flash of yellow light followed by fire and a cloud of black smoke.

Tom was initially listed as Missing in Action (MIA). His status was officially changed to Killed in Action (KIA) on December 12, 1979. His remains were not recovered. He was posthumously promoted to Colonel.

His military decorations include the Purple Heart. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial and on the USAFA War Memorial. There is an important story about the Derrickson family in the Vietnam War section of this site.