Fast movers : America's jet pilots and the Vietnam experience / John Darrell Sherwood.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sherwood, John Darrell, 1966-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Aerial operations, American.

Air pilots, Military--United States--Biography.

Air pilots, Military.

United States.

United States. Air Force--History--Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

United States. Air Force.

History.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xix, 268 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Free Press, [1999]

Summary:

The war in the skies above Vietnam still stands as the longest our nation has ever fought. For fourteen years American pilots dropped bombs on the Southeast Asian countryside--eventually more than eight million tons of them. In doing so, they lost over 8,588 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. They did not win the war.

Ironically, Vietnam, though one of our least popular wars, produced one of the most effective groups of warriors our nation has ever seen--men of dedication, professionalism, and courage. In Fast Movers, official navy historian John Sherwood offers an authoritative social history of the air war, focused around fourteen of these aviators--from legends like Robin Olds, Steve Ritchie, and John Nichols to lesser-known but equally heroic fighters like Roger Lerseth and Ted Sienecki.

Contents:

Prologue: The Only War We Had xi

Chapter 1 Old Lionheart: Robin Olds and the Eighth Tactical Fighter Wing, 1966-1967 1

Chapter 2 100 Missions North: Ed Rasimus and the F-105 Experience 38

Chapter 3 Vulture Flight: The Odyssey of Marine Squadron VMA (AW)-224 62

Chapter 4 Bagged: The POW Experience 100

Chapter 5 A Tough Evolution: John Nichols and the F-8 Crusader Experience 147

Chapter 6 Oyster Flight: The Air Force Top Guns of 1972 182

Conclusion: We Few, We Happy Few 217.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-257) and index.

ISBN:

0684847841

OCLC:

41606221