January 24, 1968

Paragould (Greene County) native Paul Page Douglas Jr., who became an air force “ace,” assumed command of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand. A command pilot, he flew the F-105 Thunderchief in 101 missions over North Vietnam. His airplane was nicknamed the “Arkansas Traveler.” In February 1969, Douglas assumed command of the 836th Air Division at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Douglas retired as commander of the 836th in 1970. The tactics he developed for the P-47 Thunderbolt during World War II made that plane one of the most successful fighter planes of the war.