Douglas Peterson Oral History

Douglas Peterson served aboard Intrepid as an attack aviator in VA-34, flying A-4 Skyhawks during Intrepid’s second deployment to Vietnam in 1967. Peterson began his interview by discussing his interest in airplanes and his desire to fly. He then continued, stating that he entered the Naval Academy in June of 1960, graduated in 1964, and immediately began flight training at Saufley Field in Pensacola, Florida, where he primarily flew T-34s. While discussing flight training, Peterson also spoke about his time at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida, where he learned to fly A-4s before being assigned to VA-34 aboard Intrepid. The interview then shifted to Intrepid’s deployment to Vietnam in 1967. Peterson began by describing the ship’s passage through the Suez Canal in the midst of the Six Day War. He also discussed his time at Subic Bay and being stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin. Peterson then described life aboard ship, daily interactions with personnel, and missions, including road reconnaissance missions and Alpha Strikes. He noted one instance during a bombing mission when his plane was struck with anti-aircraft fire and stated that he did not realize his plane was hit until he landed back aboard ship. As the interview continued, Peterson discussed several other topics including radar countermeasures, anti-war protests, and rescue ships. He also stated that after his time aboard Intrepid, he served as an instructor pilot. As the interview came to an end, Peterson noted that he left the Navy and worked for Wisconsin Power and Light. He also mentioned that he served aboard Saratoga while he was in the Navy and spoke in detail about his first of several visits to Intrepid after the ship became a museum.