The OV-10 Bronco Association Board of Directors is proud to announce that we have been awarded a real Bronco. Jim Hodgson, President, received a call yesterday, March 30, from the the General Services Adminiatration that the OV-10 that California Department of Forestry had released and designated for us would be transferred to OBA within the next couple of weeks.

Some of you may not be aware that our non-profit charter is to preserve and perpetuate the history of the OV-10 Bronco and the people who have and are serving with it throughout the world. We have now accomplished one of our primary stated missions of acquiring and preserving an OV-10.

The airframe we will be receiving is an OV-10A, 155426. This particular airframe is historically significant and the Bronco Association is honored to be its caretakers. Here is a little history on the aircraft.

OV-10A Bronco, Military Serial Number 155426, was the 66th Bronco manufactured and the 37th for the Marine Corps. It was delivered to the US Marine Corp for active service on June 28, 1968 to Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 267 at Camp Pendleton, California. At that time, the OV-10 had not yet seen combat in Vietnam. That would take place two weeks later on July 6, 1968 in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, where 426 arrived on August 8, 1968. It was assigned to Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2), Marine Air Group 16 (MAG-16) at MCALF Marble Mountain. In February 1970 VMO-2 moved to Marine Air Group 11 at Da Nang AB. During it's 32 month Vietnam tour it probably flew over 2500 hours on over 1000 missions.

In March of 1971 #426, as part of the VMO-2 stand down in Vietnam, was transferred to Marine Observation Squadron 6 (VMO-6) at Marine Corp Air Station Futema, Okinawa, Japan. In January of 1977, when VMO-6 was disestablished, it was transferred to the Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 36, also at MCAS Futema. It remained overseas until 1991 when it was returned to MCAS Camp Pendleton and reassigned for duty with Marine Observation Squadron 2 as aircraft #16. After a short stint in Marine Helicopter Training Squadron 301, it was assigned to civilian duty with the Bureau of Land Management in Boise, Idaho in 1993 and registered as N97LM. In December 1999 she was again transferred. This time 426 was assigned to the California Department of Forestry.

The OV-10 Bronco Association considers Bronco Number 155426 to be an honored war veteran and consider it a privilege and honor to restore her as a living memorial to the 61 pilots and crew who lost their lives in the Bronco from Vietnam to Desert Storm as well as the tens of thousands of others who served with these work horses.

The acquisition of our Bronco has been a long (7 years) process, but now another hurdle has to be crossed: dismantling, transportation and reassembly at the Bronco Association Museum in Fort Worth. The association estimates that it will cost in excess of $10,000 to deliver the aircraft to Fort Worth. We are a small museum and the treasury is already strained from the expense of acquiring the QF-4S "SCOOBY". Again we plan to do much of the work ourselves and with volunteers to reduce the costs.

Your donations will help bring 155426 to its new home. Remember that the OV-10 Bronco Association is an IRS registered 501c3 not for profit museum.

Chuck "IGOR" Burin
Chairman of the Board of Directors - OV-10 Bronco Association