Because, he was precisely that, "legendary"... he was a figment of the American fighter pilots' imagination and ready room chatter. (In fairness to the Americans, "Col. Toon" may have been shorthand for any good Vietnamese pilot, like any solo nighttime nuisance bomber in WW2 was called "Washing Machine Charlie.") ↑ "Bio, Rudloff, Stephen A." www.pownetwork.org. Retrieved 1 May 2022. ↑ "Vietnam Air Losses Search Results". www.vietnamairlosses.com.