Vietnam Veteran Reunited With Beloved Jet 46 Years Later

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Forty-six years after flying his final mission in Vietnam, a retired Air Force colonel was reunited with the fighter jet he named after his daughter.

Newsday reports (http://nwsdy.li/2bzc5tQ ) Col. Fred Claussen was all smiles as he climbed into the cockpit of "Christie" on Sunday at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale.

With his family by his side, Claussen teared up as he reminisced about flying more than 100 combat missions in about 10 months in his cherished F-105 Thunderchief. The 74-year-old said he once considered the plane an extension of his own body.

Christie was one of more than 830 models of the aircraft that were built in the same hangar where the Airpower Museum now sits. The plane is on permanent loan from the U.S. Air Force Museum.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]