Naval aviators flying the Douglas A-1 Skyraider utilize rockets to hammer Vietcong positions in historic footage recorded in an unknown location.

Sometimes with historic combat footage, all we have to go off of is what we can see. This video shows a single-seat naval aviation asset called the Douglas A-1 Skyraider flying combat operations over Vietnam. They then swoop in low and fast to provide close air support for troops in contact on the ground.

While it's spectacular to see, it's important to remember that no conflict can be won without the troops on the deck having the full support they need to accomplish their mission objectives. This is a lesson we failed to learn in Vietnam, and repeated in both Iraq and Afghanistan.