Extended
Reviews
A
Certain Brotherhood by Jimmy H. Buttler. A Certain Brotherhood
blends fiction among real-world missions flown in Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs
and Cessna O-2 Super Skymasters over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Central Laos.
The novel has received extensive praise for its authenticity from men who
were there. New York Times bestselling author Stephen Coonts said: "Jimmie
Butler focused on the bond between fighting men during the Vietnam
War, and may have said something profound about all warriors, everywhere.
This is a damn good book. I highly recommend A Certain Brotherhood."
A group of veterans who served in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia formed because
of the pride restored through reading A Certain Brotherhood. Check
in with the TLC Brotherhood at http://www.tlc-brotherhood.org.
A Certain Brotherhood is now distributed by Stealth
Press. (BACK)
Black Canyon
by Tom Wilson. Lincoln Anderson, Persian Gulf war vet, manages clandestine
operations of a large foundation. His closest friend's (who is also his
boss) daughter goes on ski trip to Steamboat Springs, protected by a sexy
FBI agent. A group of highly organized terrorists attempt to murder the
girl, and the adventure begins. Wilson's books always contain flying scenes
and a few wild scenarios that just might come true. (BACK)
Six
albums of warrior and fighter pilot songs by Dick Jonas. The six
album set includes songs from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.
Available at Air Force exchanges in the U. S. and overseas and via mail
order; see website. Song book also available with song words and war stories.
Titles include "Ballad of Robin Olds," "Blue Four," "I've Been Everywhere,"
"The MiG-21," Thanh Hoa Bridge," "Raggedy-Ass Militia," "Throw a Nickel
on the Grass," "Itazuke Tower," and "Strike Eagle." (BACK)
The
Red-Blooded All-American Boy by Dick Jonas
-- RBAAB: The Red-Blooded
All-American Boy is a collection of war stories — from WWI, WWII, Korea,
Vietnam, and Desert Storm. If you are an American warrior, you'll get the
most out of this book if it's three o'clock on Saturday morning after a
Friday night happy hour which got slightly out of hand in the stag bar.
It helps if there are others present with whom you've shared the extremely
gratifying experience of having been shot at and missed. Be sure the stereo
is playing the Dick Jonas six-CD war song collection. Here's a quote from
the book:
". . .Before the evening is concluded and they
at last have located the center of their individual souls, in a rare silence
someone will raise a glass and for a brief moment they will all be one
again, the here and now reunited with there and then. Listen carefully;
you may hear names whispered which, though now written in stone, once blazed
heroic trails of glory across a war-torn sky. . ." (BACK)
Thud Ridge
and Going Downtown by Jack
Broughton -- "Going Downtown" was the pilot's term for air raids
against Hanoi, and "Thud Ridge" was their name for the range of
low mountains that pointed like a long finger towards their targets and
the fiercest defenses in the history of aerial warfare. Colonel Jack Broughton,
an ex-leader of the Thunderbirds, led his F-105 "Thud" pilots on repeated
strikes against Hanoi during the Rolling Thunder Campaign.
These two books are Broughton's story of those
missions, of encounters with Mig fighters, of split-second maneuvering
to dodge Sam missiles, of struggling to avoid radar-guided anti-aircraft
fire, and of having to cope with the worst flying weather in the world.
It is also a bitter and disturbing story of young fighter pilots sacrificed
in a war controlled by politicians ten thousand miles away.
Politically motivated restrictions prevented Broughton's
men from shooting at enemy planes until they had left the ground. Attacking
enemy guns or missile sites was made difficult by a maze of imaginary lines
and forbidden zones drawn in Washington. Missions were planned by non-flying
bureaucrats using the same attack routes day after day, and as a result
many lives were lost unnecessarily. Broughton warns us sharply against
woeful blindness to the capabilities of our enemies that may cost us dearly
in future conflicts.
Broughton's involvement in the war came to an end
with the Turkestan incident in which two of his pilots, in the heat of
battle, were accused of firing on a Soviet ship docked in Cam Pha harbor.
The ritual court martial that followed, detailed here with savage irony,
convinced Broughton that his men were being asked to do the impossible
in a world not of military necessity but of political gamesmanship, and
a true American hero ended his military career on a sour note.
Going Downtown and Thud Ridge are thrilling accounts
of air combat and a fierce indictment of our Vietnam-era political leadership.
Anyone who wants to know the true story of the air war over Vietnam needs
to read both of these books. (BACK)
C.M.A.C., Saga
of a Saigon Warrior -- Radios, Rockets and
Radar greatly influenced the life of Lieutenant James. A. Callaghan during
his U.S. Government sponsored stay in Viet Nam. The 'Conflict,' prior to
his arrival in country, had spawned what was known to the world as the
'Tet Offensive,' an extensive and well coordinated action launched by the
Viet Cong on the Republic of Viet Nam. During the mayhem caused by the
advance of the 14 regular regiments from the north it became obvious that
there was a need for a coordinating command to insure the protection of
Saigon. This was the birth of the Capital Military Assistance Command,
C.M.A.C. The command was hastily setup in an old French Foreign Legion
compound and was soon home for the new Radio Officer, Lieutenant James
Callaghan. C.M.A.C. highlights his adventures. (BACK)
Highest Traditions -- Highest Traditions is a memoir of a helicopter door gunner’s experiences in the Vietnam War. This was a high risk position with a life expectancy of 20-30 seconds in combat. The author lived through over 250 missions as a door gunner, firing his M-60 machine gun at enemy soldiers during deadly combat assaults, providing cover for the infantry soldiers they were taxiing into harm’s way. This personal account of his 21-month tour of duty and how this impacted on the rest of his life is hair-raising and touching at the same time.
The author brings the realities of his tour of duty onto the pages of this book, which in turn, leap off into the reader’s mind and understanding. A vividly written yet tasteful account of a nightmare experience, this is leavened by the author’s pride of accomplishment in the difference he made in those lives he protected and saved.
Misty
-- In 1967, a group of young, combat-experienced fighter pilot volunteers
were brought together in South Viet Nam to form a top secret squadron with
a now-famous callsign -- MISTY. They were stationed first at Phu
Cat Air Base, then in 1969, they moved to Tuy Hoa Air Base. Their
mission was to fly fast and low over enemy territory, armed with only their
cannons and marking rockets... so low that they could see the targets...
SAMs, AAA sites, trucks, bridges, boats, bulldozers... whatever.
Their goal was straight forward: disrupt the transfer of enemy supplies
and equipment down the Ho Chi Minh trail. When a Misty located one
or more of these targets, he directed Air Force and Navy fighter strikes
against them.
Mistys flew the two-seat version of the F-100, the F-100F,
and although they flew fast (350 to 550 MPH), and they continually jinked
(i.e., changed direction) to spoil the enemy's prediction of where to aim,
still, 28% of the Misty pilots were shot down. Their first commander,
Colonel Bud Day, was one of those shot down, and he became a POW in the
Hanoi Hilton.
Those who survived went on to important positions, including
two Air Force Chiefs of Staff, six general officers, and the first man
to fly around the world (unrefueled) in a light aircraft. There was
also one Medal of Honor winner, a winner of the Collier Trophy, the Louis
Bleriot Medal, and the Presidential Citizen's Medal of Honor. By
any measure this was an unusual group of men. These are fighter-pilot stories,
told personally by the Misty pilots. (BACK)
Prayer
at Rumayla -- Prayer at Rumayla is a blistering novel of the Gulf
War which is receiving rave reviews from readers and critics alike. Thomas2000
on the Desert-Storm.com web board wrote: "From the time that I began reading,
there was no way I was able to put it down. I could relate with many things
that Chet went through, and it was like reliving the war all over again
as I read. There are many parts of the war that I try not to remember,
but the book opened my eyes to the fact that we did what we had to do,
when we had to do it, and from that point on, those memories will be with
us for life." (BACK)
A
Tribute to the Brave -- Prayers, poems, essays all dedicated to
American Veterans. Poetry and diary. The author, Dr. Kelly Roberts, is
the wife of a Marine Veteran. Some proceeds are donated to military charities
and a military college student fund. (BACK)
When
Thunder Rolled -- Here are some comments and reviews by some very
qualified authors and reviewers in themselves. Such include Jack Broughton
(Thud Ridge), John Sherwood (Fast Movers) and Mark Berent (Rolling Thunder,
et. al.).
-- "Author Ed Rasimus has done the flying, historical
and patriot communities a signal service in writing When Thunder Rolled,
for it is an authentic tale told from an intensely personal viewpoint of
flying the toughest missions of the Vietnam War. I suspect they will make
a film from this book, and they should!"
-- "When Thunder Rolled mixes stark authenticity
with humor, personal failings, bravery under fire and thrilling flying
missions to become one of the best books about the air war in Vietnam.
Author Ed Rasimus is a master of his subject, and presents a gripping,
technically accurate portrayal of the courageous men who flew the F-105."
-- "When Thunder Rolled is a thrilling book to
read, for it reeks of authenticity and authority. The F-105s war in Vietnam
was the most demanding of flying skills and bravery, and the men who flew
against a determined enemy knew that their chances of survival were small.
Author Ed Rasimus does a superb job of telling it exactly as it was, with
no punches pulled." (BACK)
One
Desert Jet Turner -- (Reader Review) From
the AeroKnow.com, February, 2003, online review: "...I say the story of
Earl Heron is the "meat;" the eloquent and superdetailed description of
the USAF's way of doing business is the "gravy..." "...Heron draws the
reader into a seldom-shared inner sanctum where the mechanical and technical
aspects of these aircraft are shared matter-of-factly with no malice toward
machinery or personnel." "...Clearly the book seems to have been produced
for use in academia." (BACK)
Tattletale -- Since I tend to see humor in just about everything, this book tends to lean towards the absurd nature of fighting in Vietnam. I served two tours, the first as an RTO with the 9th Division in the Delta- the second as an Oscar in a LOH with the 1st Aviation Brigade. I joined up right out of high school, seeing the war as an adventure I could'nt pass up.I had always considered our soldiers as this country's most honorable citizens. I have to admit that I was proud to have served and the year I spent flying around in that little LOH was the most exciting year of my life. (BACK)
Click HERE to return
to the Pterodactyl Index