Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 241 slides donated to the archive by Edwin D. Gunter, Jr. documenting his service in Southeast Asia from February 1969 to February 1970. He served in Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) with the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron (19th TASS), and then in Laos in a classified secret assignment as FAC and strike pilot.

Biographical / Historical

Edwin Gunter was born in 1946 at Randolph Air Field in San Antonio, Texas. In 1963 he volunteered for the United States Air Force, and was commissioned in 1967, beginning his military career that continued for over thirty (30) years. Before retiring in 1994 as a full colonel, he worked as a flight instructor at the United States Air Force Academy.

Edwin was in Vietnam from February-July 1969, holding the rank of 1st Lieutenant with an MOS of Pilot and Forward Air Controller (FAC). In Vietnam he was assigned to the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron (19th TASS), stationed at Xuan Loc, Ba Ria, Ham Tan and Vung Tau. From July 1969 to February 1970 he was in Laos serving as FAC and strike pilot, classified secret and above and wearing civilian clothes, with his records kept with Det 1, 56th Special Operations Wing (56th SOW).

Following his retirement from military service, Edwin worked as a private flight instructor, a State Park Manager and as a consultant to the Boeing Aircraft company. Edwin is a long-time member, also serving as president in 2020, of EAPLS (Edgar Allan Poe Literary Society, Inc.) and The Ravens, 501-C19 organizations for FACs who flew in support of Laotian forces.