Its nickname, "Patches," derives from the metal patches
that cover many of its battle scars. It is also decorated with seven
Purple Hearts earned by crewmen wounded in the aircraft.
Fairchild C-123K
Provider
The aircraft on display entered service in 1957 as a C-123B. In 1961-72, it served in Vietnam (first as a UC-123B, then as a UC-123K) and flew low-level defoliant and insecticide spray missions. During that time it received over 1,000 bullet and shrapnel hits.