“Braniff gives to our Veterans because they gave so much to all of us.”

Richard Ben Cass, Chairman, Braniff International

Braniff Airways Foundation has assisted over 120 Vietnam Veterans by providing them with Braniff Military Airlift Command  flight records to help prove their exposure to Agent Orange. Every Veteran that the Foundation has written to the Veterans Administration on their behalf has successfully received their Government mandated settlements and disability payments after only the initial request for benefits. 

The Foundation provides this service without charge and does not receive remuneration from the US Veterans Administration or any Veteran we assist. Braniff gives to our Veterans because they gave so much to all of us. If you feel you were exposed to Agent Orange during service in Vietnam and need assistance with proving your exposure, please use the form below to contact the Foundation for the letter of proof request.

BRANIFF A LEGACY OF SERVICE

Braniff has provided manpower, equipment and airline and cargo services to every major war beginning with World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During World War II, Braniff impressed half of its fleet of twin-engine airliners into military service, while the remainder of the fleet was used to transport military personnel and equipment within the United States. While passengers and mail were carried on these flights they were primarily used by the military.

Braniff operated flights from the US Mainland (Texas) to the Panama Canal known as The Banana Run. The route garnered this nickname because Braniff pilots offered to fly local plantation's banana crop to the United States because the war effort had blocked many of their shipping avenues. The US Navy had commandeered all of the fruit boat for additional tonnage, which caused shipping problems for the local banana plantations.

Braniff International entered into an agreement with the Military Airlift Transport Service or MATS on June 22, 1965, to provide military transport air carrier service from Texas to the Pacific region. The Dallas-based carrier would use its Boeing 707-327C Intercontinental Jets on the new MATS contracts. The four-engine long-range jets has been ordered in May 1965, and were scheduled for delivery beginning in mid-1966.

Braniff also offered its services to MATS on a global basis. Braniff's new President Harding L. Lawrence announced the new contract and said, "In this endeavor we will want to provide MATS with the finest service obtainable anywhere. We are confident the Braniff organization will provide the quality of service expected of our Company."

When Braniff began service for the military in 1966, the transport wing had been renamed Military Airlift Transport Command or MAC. On June 2, 1966, Braniff International inaugurated the carrier's first Pacific Military Airlift Command Charters. The charters, operated with brand new Boeing 707-327C four-engine airliners, were nicknamed PAC-MAC and operated out of Travis Air Force Base, California, which is 56 miles northeast east of San Francisco add 44 miles southwest of Sacramento.

Braniff's first big Boeing 707-327C long-range jet, registered as N7096 and painted in the 1965 Alexander Girard Lemon Yellow Solid Color Scheme, departed from Travis Air Force Base, located northeast of San Francisco, California, and headed nonstop to Honolulu and points west. The first flight operated on-time and departed in less than the allotted ground time.

The 707-327Cs were ordered in May 1965, and the first delivery began in May 1966, with the arrival of N7096 and then N7095. A total of three Series -327Cs were assigned to the PAC-MAC operation initially with the third aircraft, Ship N7097, delivered in mid-June. The three aircraft made 40 flights per month carrying both cargo and passengers.

The Braniff PAC-MAC charters operated over a route system of 8850 miles. Based at Travis Air Force Base, Braniff operated southeast to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and westbound to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, continuing to Andersen Air Force Base at Guam, then Clark Air Base at Luzon in the Philippines, and finally Tan Son Nhut Air Base at Saigon, South Vietnam. In less than a month of operation, Braniff recorded a remarkable 98-percent reliability rate on its PAC-MAC services operating from Travis AFB.

By the fall of 1967, Braniff had seven Boeing 707-327C's based at Travis Air Force Base and eight by 1968. PAC-MAC charters were decreased in conjunction with the deescalation of the Vietnam War, with the last flight being flown on March 28, 1973. The final flight was operated with Braniff's Boeing 747-127 N601BN, which brought home 356 remaining U.S. troops from Vietnam.

Braniff was awarded additional MAC contracts to the Canal Zone and into the North Atlantic region beginning in 1966. Service was commenced on July 5, 1966, using 105-passenger Boeing 727-27C Quick Change Trijets based out of Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, to Puerto Rico and Panama. On July 7, 1966, service was expanded from McGuire Air Force Base, near Trenton, New Jersey, to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, and Iceland.

On January 7, 1967, additional MAC service was expanded across the Atlantic from McGuire AFB to Frankfurt, Germany. Boeing 727-27C Quick Change Convertible Cargo/Passenger Trijets were also used on this new extension service. By February, additional service was added to Lajes Air Base Number 4 located in the Azores. Atlantic Military Airlift Command operations were discontinued on July 1, 1968, after a year and a half of reliable Braniff service.

Additional new contracts were awarded to Braniff during the Summer of 1968, to transport soldiers for the Vietnam War effort. Service at Okinawa and Kadena, was discontinued and Vietnam operations were moved from Bien Hoa to Cam Ranh Bay. Braniff flew thousands of soldiers from Vietnam back home to the United States, with the final flight operating on March 28, 1973.

Please remember, that for every product you purchase at www.BraniffBoutique.com a portion of the proceeds goes to support important Braniff courtesy programs such as the Vietnam Veteran Agent Orange Initiative. Your gracious support is greatly appreciated.