"See You in the Next War, Buddy"

For those who cared, which did not seem to be many, the epitaph to the U.S. bombing of Cambodia was audible over ordinary radios in Phnom-Penh. As the last curl of smoke disappeared and the final whine of the aircraft faded, a U.S. command plane could be heard talking with its spotter planes and jet fighter-bombers on a regular VHP frequency. "It's really been good working with you," a voice crackled. "Yeah," went the reply. "See you in the next war." Then came the muffled sound of a harmonica playing Turkey in the Straw, followed by silence as the planes headed back to their bases. The last two in action landed at Korat, one of seven U.S. bases in Thailand, where TIME Correspondent Gavin Scott was waiting on the tarmac. His report:

Two tiny specks trailing wispy black contrails streaked across the brilliant azure sky. "You guys are the last guys of the war!" exclaimed an excited voice from the squawk box in a truck parked at the edge of the runway. Within 30 seconds, the two A-7D Corsair fighter-bombers were touching down at this air-base set on a bucolic plateau of waving green grass some 140 miles northeast of Bangkok and 290 miles from Phnom-Penh. Skipping onto the concrete strip amid puffs of blue smoke, the planes taxied over to ground personnel for a routine "disarming" check. Then they roared to a halt at their stations on the flightline. Precisely 16 minutes before the deadline, the two A-7s of flight mission "Slam" had, in cold service jargon, expended the last American ordnance in Cambodia.

Major John Hoskins, 37, of Portsmouth, Ohio, triggered the last bomb, a 500-pounder, over Khmer insurgent bunkers 25 miles northeast of Phnom-Penh. Flying alongside him was Captain Lonnie Ratley III, 29, of Plant City, Fla., who moments later fired the last

U.S. shots during a 20-mm.-cannon strafing run on what he described as "trees and trails running into trees." As reporters gathered round the two pilots, a ground technician broke in to note that Ratley had expended all but 20 of the 1,500 rounds of ammunition he had carried. Did Ratley see any people in his target area? "No, sir, not directly," he replied.

Both men displayed little emotion about their footnote in history.

Shrugged Hoskins, who has flown 240 combat forays in Southeast Asia: "It was just another mission to me." Standing under an emblem ("Valor in Combat") emblazoned on the fuselage of his aircraft, Ratley agreed: "It was kind of uneventful, just like a regular sortie, like the 100 or so I've flown over here." Then Ratley added: "I guess I should be a little more excited, but I don't feel very enthusiastic. We've been involved so long, it almost seems like an institution."

The mood of the entire 5,000-man force at Korat was surprisingly calm and matter of fact. On the flightline, the only hint of festivity came when the ground crew presented the two pilots with brass loops from their bomb racks as souvenirs. Known as "golden rings," the loops were part of the device that armed the last of their "general purpose" bombs.

For the immediate future, the flyers will remain in Thailand. To pass their time, said a senior officer, they may begin practice bombings and strafings, possibly in Thailand.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.