There’s a rare silent video featuring two supremely confident pilots smoking cigarettes and smiling for the camera at an airfield in Toul, France. The smaller man has a great smile.

Lt. Col. Donald W. Downing, 33, of Columbus, Wisconsin, was assigned to the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force. On Sept. 5, 1967, he was piloting an F-4C ...