Video by former Blue Angels pilot on their last display with the mighty F-4J in July 1973.
He was USMC and did 200 combat missions in Vietnam before joining the Blue Angels - then graduated from "Top Gun" and went on to command VFMA-122 in the F-4J era. He retired as a Lt Col and went on to be mayor of Pensacola for 15 years.
The video covers the 2-aircraft accident at NAS Lakehurst and the following investigation by Congress into the value to recruiting of both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. Recruiting at venues on the display program went "off the charts" after the mighty F-4 performances and were deemed to be value for money. Both were upgraded from "team" to "squadron" status which attracted certain benefits such as having a "Flight Surgeon" on the assigned strength.
However, with the fuel crisis now on, and civilians having trouble sourcing gas (petrol) with consequent media questioning about the fuel used at displays (10,000 lb per aircraft per display), both teams were forced to use a more fuel-efficient aircraft - the "Blue Angels" downgraded to the A-4F and the Thunderbirds to the T-38A.