It is a much improved, more versatile, and even more deadly beast than those I saw in operation in Vietnam all those years ago. Spooky is still one of the most intimidating weapons in the Air Force arsenal today. I was sure glad that he was on our side, not theirs. I could only imagine what it would be like to be the target of something that intense and fierce. One of the Marines told me that he had heard that “Puff” could put a bullet into every square inch of a football field in a couple of seconds. You couldn’t see him up there in the dark sky, but you sure could see his fiery breath and hear his strange and menacing growl. Spooky (“Puff”) was spitting hellfire and damnation at the enemy out there in the dark. I turned toward that sound and saw a straight line of red tracer bullets coming down out of the blackness toward a target on the ground maybe a mile away from us. It was well after dark when I suddenly heard the strangest sound. 3rd Recon Bn, 3rd Marine Division, which was then up at the Marine base at Khe Sanh with the 26th Marines.

I was in Dong Ha, preparing to head up to my new unit, Bravo Co. It was my first week in Vietnam and about two weeks before the beginning of the Tet Offensive. The first time I saw it in action was in early January of 1968. When you see Spooky, or as we called it in Vietnam, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” in action, especially at night, it really sends a chill down your spine. Spooky is the nickname for the AC-130 gunship, the fiercest and, yes, spookiest weapon in the American arsenal.

C130 gunship puff magic dragon