When the gulf of Tonkin incident happened, 13 of 31 of the navy squadrons, were equipped with the F-4B from the USS Constellation (CV-64) where they departed from to make their first combat sortie on the Vietnam War on 5th August 1964, escorting A-4 Skyhawks on the operation Pierce Arrow. In this context, the first aerial victory of a F-4B took place on 9th April 1965, when a F-4B from the VF-96 "Fighting Falcons" squadron manned by Lt. (JG) Terence M. Murphy and his RIO, Ensign Ronald Fegan, shot down a Chinese MiG-17, however, shortly after the F-4B was shot down too, by am AIM-7 Sparrow from one of their wingmen. There is controversy however, as if it's not completely clear if it was shot down by an Sparrow missile or by the guns of the MiG.
Anyway, later, on 17th June 1965 an F-4B piloted by Cdr. Louis Page and Lt. John C. Smith shot down the first North Vietnamese MiG of the war.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II#United_States_Navy
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
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