5 comments about Roger Ball!: The Odyssey of John Monroe "Hawk" Smith Navy Fighter Pilot.

1. Full disclosure reveals that I have read and submit this review of Roger Ball! as a non-aviator and a civilian who has no military service history. My perspective is outside the box of subject familiarity, but inside the envelope of passionate interest in naval aviation over many decades. I lived and worked in Peru and South Africa for a number of years at NASA-funded satellite tracking facilities. During those years I began a project to build a large model of USS Enterprise CVAN-65. The model and eighty-five embarked aircraft ended up at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, donated and set-up in 1982 (and maintained continuously thereafter) by me. I was a one-man show engaged in the complexity of a modern aircraft carrier. It's been done, but not by many.
   
   It was John Monroe Smith and Capt. C.C. Smith Jr. who gave me my first look during a full week visit in late February 1975 aboard Enterprise during the turbulent cruise which endured the 'thump-bang' mystery of F-14 engine breakup, and the heartbreaking loss of South Vietnam in April 1975. It was Hawk who escorted me to the LSO platform for the view of a lifetime. It was Hawk who engaged in small talk with a non-flier. It was Hawk who responded in 1980 after I saw him on ABC's 20/20 discussing the Black Lions and the continuing challenges of coaxing the F-14 to become the best it was designed to be. It was Hawk who compelled me to join Tailhook Association, of which I've been an associate member for nearly 28 years. And, it was Hawk who just recently recalled who I was after our first meeting in the South China Sea in 1975, 32 years later.
   
   I have a concept of heroism. A hero is one who has everything to lose, everyone to expose the pain of his loss, and yet goes about a dangerous profession, year in and year out, STICKS to his mission in the face of possible and sudden evisceration, held by a thread to life by skill, cunning, luck and dedication. That's a hero. Not the rock star, nor a politician, rarely a multi-billionaire. Heros are found within the level and vertical battlefields of wars mostly, and also among those with the dedication to improve the humanity of man in places where hostility lurks; in countries, boardrooms, firehouses, anywhere that character is essential and practiced, and bold actions are taken selflessly, persistently, at great personal risk.
   
   The world might have lost Hawk on many occasions, and we would have to subtract from our experiences all that he contributed during his fortunate long career and great influence as expressed by so many. Donald Auten faced the same level of risk across his own thousands of hours of Navy flying. We would lose the gripping story herein told had he not had the full benefit of a life longer lived.
   
   I enjoyed every line, every encapsulated story, the sum of which was a fabric of adventure and an honorable life well lived managing the incredible machinery, the fickle nature of human relations within the ranks, the meddling politicians -both the effective and the intrusive - with sticky noses, the humorous and the humorless, the endurance of Miss Jenny, all put together in a tale of high adventure and much about a very important survival component of our national security.
   
   >I dare not critique specifics about navy flying, for after all, my aviation experience is limited to taking the stick of my brother's 85 hp Luscombe over the eastern Colorado range and some of the mountain terrain - with my pilot-brother alongside. And yes, perhaps I know a little bit about airplanes and ships. Just permit me to say that this non-flier knows as well as he can the story herein told, even without the Wings of Gold proudly worn by those who know the story all too well.
   
   Well done, Duck. Well done, Hawk. It is an honor bestowed on me to be given a chance to see the little I've seen, and read as richly as experienced by those who have seen much. Thank you, gentlemen, all.
   
   And PS: You need a sequel, we want to read more. I know the material is there!
   
   Steve Henninger
   Tailhook Member #4875



2. Roger Ball is an interesting read, and brought back some memories of similar frustrations with inept or out of touch senior officers. I enjoyed reading the book and agree with the other reviewers that it is an excellent story about carrier aviation and the fighter community in particular. I can recall having the same frustrations with the de-emphasis and, in some cases, the outright ban on ACM. No one paid any attention to the ban, but we didn't receive any formal training either.
   
   I simply could not understand how a theoretical and untested defensive maneuver for which we were were not trained and did not practice would have been much use if I had been jumped by a MIG over North Vietnam in 1965 or 1966. A run in with a solo Vautour on a MED cruise in 1967 during an exercise with the French brought home to me as it did to Hawk that we had some very serious holes in our training.
   
   Auten's book is the best documentation that I have read about the changes that Vietnam War wrought upon the military. After years of lip service, innovative officers like Hawk and real world training programs like TOPGUN finally made "train like you fight and fight like you train" a reality in all front line unit tactical training for all of the military services.
   
   I was a bit disappointed with the book from time to time because it suffers from some factual errors, weak writing, and poor organization. There is no Lava Wharf in Subic Bay. There is, however, an Alava Pier on the Subic side and a Leyte Wharf on the Cubi Pt. side. While I do not believe that this book contains any intentional errors or distortions, little errors such as this can cause a knowledgeable reader a bit of pause in regards to the accuracy of a non-fiction book.
   
   In regards to the exposition, there are several places in the book that could be improved. For example:
   
   * Information is repeated unnecessarily in the space of just a few paragraphs.
   
   * The reader is assumed to know facts that are critical to understanding the narrative and/or appreciating its gravity, intensity, humor, etc.
   
   * Transitions between various topics are not as smooth as they could be.
   
   None of these detract from the book's relevance, its worth as a witness to a particular period of naval aviation, or reduce its value as the documentation and celebration of the capabilities, achievements, and contributions of a highly respected and dedicated officer who repeatedly demonstrated great ingenuity and personal integrity throughout his career. Nevertheless, a rewrite of the troublesome portions and/or a very sharp editor's pencil in those spots would not only make the book really sparkle but also make it more accessible and appealing to a wider audience than those with an narrow aviation or naval interest.
   
   The ending of the book also left me disappointed. If Hawk was the best CO in the wing, I wanted to know why in the world he was not selected for one or more bonus operational commands such as command of an air wing. Clearly he had been what was known as a "water walker" his entire career, but the book offered no explanation why his last flight was as the CO of an F-14 squadron. Additionally, Hawk's years as a senior CDR and CAPT were dismissed with a few paragraphs.



3. The story of Monroe "Hawk" Smith, wonderfully told by Donald Auten, is a classic tale of challenge, disappointment, and triumph, set against the action packed backdrop of carrier aviation.
   For one who had the great pleasure and privilege of serving with Hawk, it is particularly gratifying to hear his voice, intonation, enthusiasm and humor captured so well. You are there as he coaxes an F-14 Tomcat pilot into a successful crash landing aboard the carrier Enterprise. He takes you into the air as he duels some of the world's best pilots during the development of transitional weapon systems and tactics. Roger Ball captures the heart-pounding sweaty-palmed episodes and the resulting exhilaration of having "cheated death one more time" that all tailhook aviators have experienced. But this story is more than one of "turning and burning"; it is one of inspirational leadership, career changing confrontations, and ultimately one of love of family and country. It is the story of a man who literally and figuratively kept his eye on the ball throughout his career - with an unwavering pursuit of excellence and a twinkle in his steely eyes.
   
   Naval aviation is the better for all of Hawk's efforts. We who served with him and those who read his story are better for knowing such a unique man.
   
   Captain Rick Hauck, USN (Ret.)



4. What a great way to tell the story of carrier avaition, than by telling the story about the life of one pilot who excelled in a Navy flight career. Hawk embodies Naval Aviation. This book tells the whole story with the thrills, risks, and not so good features. It tells great fighter stories, about harrowing carrier missions, about a good officer leading and caring for his men, about the many sacrifices of sailors and families during long separation and about some not so good officers in command who drive good people from a Naval career with their poor leadership. Super book!!!



5. ROGER BALL! The Odyssey of John Monroe "Hawk" Smith, Navy Fighter Pilot by Donald E. Auten (Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2006)
   
   Reviewed by Captain Timothy E. "Spike" Prendergast, U.S. Navy (Retired)
   
   When I assumed command of a fighter squadron in 1989, part of my brief remarks was a promise to try and lead as I had been taught by three of my former COs. One of those was Monroe "Hawk" Smith, under whose command I had learned the truest meaning of the dictum "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right!"
   
   Don Auten's highly readable biography of "Hawk" is a most welcome and much needed addition to the personal "fighter pilot library" of anyone who served at Miramar in the 70's and 80's, ever flew the Tomcat, attended TOPGUN, or served with Hawk or under his command. Filled with the names of Miramar and Navy fighter "greats" known to us all, like Jack Ready, "Hoser" Satrapa, "Bad Fred" Lewis, "Cobra" Ruliffson, "Thunder Bud" Taylor, "Boomer" Wilson, and many others, just reading it took me back to the Fightertown flight line, the LSO platform, the TACTS trailer and the "WOXOF" bar at the Miramar O'Club.
   
   ROGER BALL details Hawk's many personal--and unique--contributions to the fleet introduction of the F-14 Tomcat, including OT&E, carrier suitability and first fleet CQ, and the initial thrills (and the initial disappointments...thump...bang!) of this now-legendary fighter aircraft. The story of his many key assignments at VX-4, as CAG LSO with the first F-14-equipped airwing, and during the AIMVAL/ACEVAL projects "fill in the details" of the early critical days of the aircraft and the community that would form around it. If others can lay just claim to being "the father of the Tomcat", Hawk surely can lay just claim to being one of the many "midwives" who made the birth and early formative years so successful.
   
   Similarly, as almost a follow-on to Scream of Eagles: The Creation of TOPGUN and the U.S. Air Victory in Vietnam (Robert K. Wilcox, New York, NY, John Wiley & Sons, 1990), Hawk's time as first the XO, then the CO of the Navy Fighter Weapons School at Miramar, is a rich tale of "the best of times and the worst of times" at Fightertown USA. Those of us who were there will never forget.
   
   For those many of us who served under Hawk's fleet command in the VF-213 "Black Lions", however, the book cries out for a sequel, as those years are relegated to almost footnote status. That critical tour, and all that it contained--firmly etched in our collective memories as almost nothing else--and Hawk's post-command and Major command assignments are all "rolled up" in only the last four pages of the book. We all eagerly await the much-needed second volume.
   
   ROGER BALL is unquestionably the "book of the 2006 summer" for those of us who never tire of reading about the Naval aviation greats who created a community, became a legend, and who molded us, for better or worse, in their own image. For my part, I can only hope that my own efforts during my times in command did "Hawk" the honor that was intended.

5 comments about God's Samurai: Lead Pilot at Pearl Harbor (The Warriors).

1. The Second World War completely changed its major participants and exacted some huge sacrifices from all involved. This and other books about the people who did the fighting shows how similar the attitudes were on all sides. The main character changes some of his thinking after the war, but his thoughts and actions during the war are really interesting, especially when compared to the thoughts and actions of the people on other sides.



2. If ever a book (other than the Bible) showed the divine hand and providence of God, this is it. I wish I could have met the man.



3. Excellent detailed story of Pearl Harbor's lead Navy pilot who through special circumstances wrought only by God found himself after the war travelling in the USA with Billy Graham and preaching the Gospel in Christian Crusades.



4. An awesome true story. Definitely one of the three best books I've read in the past decade. In a time like this of Osama bin Labens and shocking inter-civilizational conflict, Fuchida's life story shows how true reconciliation and inter-cultural brotherhood can be experienced. It gives hope in spite of the huge obstacles to inter-cultural understanding. A powerful human interest story. Don't miss it!



5. A friend of mine introduced me to this book in April of this year. He told me it was unlike any book about the Pacific war that he had ever read. Although skeptical at first, I sill went ahead and purchased the book. I left it on my book-shelve for several months and forgot all about it. As I began packing up in July to move I noticed this book again, so I picked it up and began reading it. I found the style of writing extremely fluid, and the chapters were concise. This well balanced account of Mitsuo Fuchida life traces it from his days as an Imperial naval aviator to Christian evangelist. 'God's Samurai' is a truly inspirational book filled with numerous accounts of honor, bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice - all the codes of a Samurai warrior. I have enjoyed this book tremendously, and I have just begun reading, 'Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan: The Japanese Navy's Story' by Mitsuo Fuchida, Roger Pineau (Editor),Masatake Okumiya(Contributor). Both 'God's Samurai' and 'Midway' are 'must-have' books for anyone who is truly interested in the Pacific war and naval battles!

No comments about Cumberland Blood: Champ Ferguson's Civil War.

5 comments about Memoirs: Ten Years And Twenty Days.

1. This has been one of a number of books in either biography or memoirs categories of the elite or main players from World War 2 that I have read and again this is excellent reading.
   The book gives details of his earlier career in the German Navy during World War 1, inter war years then through to World War 2 and his days as the last leader of the Third Reich - covers everything from torpedeo development / failures, submarine development or advancement to counteract Allied advances in anti submarine warfare, uboat losses and the aces, the constant pressing to enlarge the uboat fleet and gain a naval air arm - this book is well written, easy to follow and certainly not something you will get bored with.



2. The book is fairly complex reading; only because, I feel, that I was looking at it from "my side", and the analysis was that much more difficult. Doenitz was a remarkable man, a brilliant strategist, and a professional soldier in the highest regard. One has to constantly keep referenced to the basis of Doenitz's dissertation, and moreso, keep in proper perspective the historical trackwork of the war.
   One of the things that I found a little humourous was the statement that Doenitz was "appalled at the pictures of the contrentration camps". I believe that statement was to keep his neck out of the noose! And he was smart enough to know that he was in a position to "stay above" any indictments of war crimes and atrocities. His only crime, as recorded, was to have been "GrandAdmiral ReichMarine". To his credit, many allied high-ranking officers, Nimitz in particular, accorded him the highest respect and esteem. To his fear and chagrin, Eisenhower seemed to be "gunning" for him; at least as I perceived it.
   Excellent book. Read the liner notes on rear cover. I think you will agree. Gives one pause to wonder...



3. Ten Years and Twenty Days is a direct reference to the time Karl Doenitz spent in Spandau Jail having been convicted of War Crimes.
   
   As an English boy growing up in a post-war Britain (I was born in 1950), we would play games where the Germans always lost - just like the Cowboys always won and the Indians always lost. Much later in life, I began to research various ships and shipwrecks through my scuba diving and the name of Karl Doenitz came up time and again. Over many years I came to respect this man for the way in which he conducted both himself and his branch of the war with Britain. I consider him to have been an honourable enemy of my country.
   
   Having read so many accounts of this once great Admiral before reading his own memoirs, I have reached the conclusion that he was convicted of no more a crime than "being one of the enemy" and it was for that he served his ten years and twenty days. Others, of course, were directly responsible for the great human atrocities of WW2 and it was they who were either sentenced to death of life imprisonment.
   
   I am sure there are those who will disagree with my assessment of this man - and, indeed, their own assessment may be more accurate. Nevertheless, this book is a great work and one which should be read by all those with an interest in Karl Doenitz the German Naval Officer and Karl Doenitz - the last Fuhrer who's first task on succeeding Hitler was to seek peace.
   
   NM



4. My friend lent me this book. It was my first book on the naval aspect of the Second World War. I figured after the hundreds I had read on the land and air element I should start to look into the naval war. I could not put this book down, I devoured it. I have been gobbling up submarine books since that day.
   Wow! First you have to be awed by the fact that this is a book written by the man that became the successor to Hitler. Second, its the best way to get the big picture of the U-boat campaign from the German viewpoint. Doenitz wrote this before he found out about allied successes in breaking his naval codes.
   There are many fascinating stories here, about individual submarine actions, convoy battles, raids, rescue missions. Great stuff that you could make into great movies some day. You really get a good sense of how close the Germans were to winning the war. Thankfully, and Doenitz goes into it, the Third Reich did not take the U-boat arm seriously until it was too late. Whew!
   Doenitz was charged with war crimes after the war and jailed. Specifically for conducting unrestricted submarine warfare.
   Like every nazi that seems to write after the war - he defends himself by saying that being at the front he was not aware of everything going on back at home. Truth? Maybe, maybe not. But you cannot stop yourself from sympathizing with the man who was left holding the bag in May of 1945. We forget that the Allies waged unrestricted submarine warfare against the Japanese from the beginning. Doenitz has written that some American admirals were sympathetic after the war, and tried to get him acquitted. Very interesting story. A must for every World War Two reader.



5. Do you know Doenitz? Are you a WWII enthusiast? A historian? A submariner? Then, this book is a MUST HAVE. There are lots of books about the WWII submarine campaign, from both sides, many of them better written. So what's special? No other book provides that specific background knowledge and information. Why didn't Germany build more submarines than it did in the crucial early years? How did the wolf pack tactics evolve? What measures did the German Naval High Command take after discovering their torpedo crisis? How did they counter Allied scientific breakthroughs? Why didn't they devine Enigma was being broken? Finally, you will hear the German opinion about Roosevelt's "Short of War" strategy - nowaday's United Nations would be in turmoil...

   Second, if you can read between the lines, this book will reveal the personality of one of the mightiest leaders of WWII. Was he a war criminal? Maybe, but certainly his biggest crime was to be a soldier (with very limited horizon apart from his daily duty) who happened to fight on the wrong side. Bad luck, for both sides...

   This book certainly doesn't replace other narratives about the "Atlantic War", but it supplements all of them. Only here, you can find the background story.

   If you're looking for more WWII memoirs, try Doenitz' superior, Raeder, and DON'T OVERLOOK Churchill, as he was the greatest writer among all of them.

   If you still have no idea as to who Doenitz might have been, then try to read Lothar Guenther Buchheim's vivid picture about how the submariners themselves felt, instead; that is indeed great war literature.

5 comments about BIG SHOW: The Greatest Pilot's Story of World War II (Cassell Military Paperbacks).

1. Clostermann's account of the air war in Europe is one of the best I've ever read -- almost as good as Wellum's "First Light." Clostermann's writing is vibrant, the level of detail is astounding, and his ability to put you "in the cockpit" during those harrowing days is really unparalleled. Highly recommended.
   
   My only complaint, and what robbed the book of a fifth star in my humble opinion, is that Clostermann's transparent anti-American agenda is pursued at every turn, without any perspective or sense of balance. For example (a) his (arguably fair) criticism of French civilian deaths at the hands of American bombers is devoid of any similar reference to Bomber Command's exploits in the intentional area bombing of German civilians; (b) friendly fire events actually appear at every turn in his narrative, but the Americans are singled out for special criticism on that point, for no apparent reason other than bias; and (c) Clostermann claims at one point, without any evidentiary basis whatsoever, that a directive about "proper" targets in the theater was ignored only by the Americans.
   
   Indeed, at times one detects Clostermann's generic distaste even for some of the Brits in the RAF! I was left wondering whether Clostermann was "projecting" in an effort to avoid discussion of the frankly shameful conduct of so many Frenchmen during the war.
   
   But all that is, in the end, a small bone to pick. Certainly Clostermann himself was not among the group of disgraced Frenchmen. His devotion to duty, skill, and courage -- characteristics shared by many of the Free French pilots -- can't be doubted. Moreover, his frank discussions of his own fear, and the effects on his flying, give this narrative an authentic feel. This is a very good book.



2. Along with Heinz Knocke's 'I Flew for the Fuhrer' an absolutely outstanding aviation read. Like others here the original edition I had inherited was almost worn thin. I was delighted to read the 'extra bits' as I could probably almost recite the old one! Particularly poignant were the comments regarding Tempests being attacked by US fighters and the description of the 262's arriving to surrender on Clostermann's airfield in 1945. This book simply cannot be recommended enough.
   
   PS:I would suggest along with 'I Flew for the Fuhrer' that an excellent companion read is Eric Brown's 'Wings of the Luftwaffe' - an RAF technical pilot who offers unbiased opinions on Luftwaffe aircraft.
   
   PPS: Regarding the -D9/Ta152 comments above. I believe old Clo-Clo is technically correct!



3. .
   
   Pierre Closterman died on March 22, 2006. News of his death prompted me to go back to my father's bookcase and pull out 'The Big Show'. It was just as exhilarating a read as I remmeber as a kid in the 70's
   
   Closterman uses wondefully evocative language in decscribing events in the air over Europe in WWII. Full of action and a 'vital elan' that was unfortunately in short supply among Frenchmen in the 30's and 40's. Some drawbacks to the book are an uneccessary snobbish attitude towards the Americans and Brits as well as minimizing of some of his own failures (the most critical being the lack of air discipline that led him to fail to support his wingman, Mouchette, that led to his companion's death). But such is the nature of autobiographies.
   
   But well worth the hours spent to read this gripping account of one man's war.
   
   
   .



4. What a pleasure to have a new edition of this marvelously evocative book available! This is the first time that it has been presented in its entirety and the additions only increase the book's value as a window into the world of the combat aviator.
   
   The book was originally written shortly after the war and as a result there is an immediacy about it that is, at times, electrifying. It was an international best seller and deservedly so, highlighting the career of a fighter pilot who started flying combat on Spitfires and ended up in Tempests. For many years it was the only book that dealt with combat action in the Tempest, a beautiful and powerful warplane introduced late in the war to combat the V1 and the new German jets. The original edition has some minor errors in it, but the descriptions of the missions were just outstanding! The swirl of the dogfights, the dives into flak, dealing with zero visibility weather, the victories recounted in detail, the losses of friends recalled with a warrior's stoicism, this fine book set a standard that has only been approached by other works.
   
   As V. M. Yeates WINGED VICTORY was the finest First World War fighter pilot book, THE BIG SHOW is the second war's. Yeates told his story as a novel based on his experiences as a Sopwith Camel pilot on the Western Front, but the latter book, while reading like a novel, has the extra advantage of being true.
   
   Pierre Clostermann wrote two other books, but his first book was his finest and cannot be recommended highly enough. To read it is to find in its pages what it was like for young men to fly and fight in the hostile skies of Europe in what has come to be known as "the good war."



5. This book is a page turner. It's amazingly exciting and you will feel like you're into the cockpit of Spitfires and, later, Tempests. But some strong issues arise...
   
   First of all, the number of victories by Clostermann. He says he had 33. RAF official claims put him wuth "only" eleven! A great, very GREAT discrepancy;
   
   Second, a lot of facts are simply untrue. He says, about Walter Nowotny's death, that the German ace was a long foe of him. Goosh, ALL of Nowotny's victories were obtained on the Eastern Front, save on or two pairs, while he was flying an experimental Me-262 unit in Western Europe!
   
   Anyway, it's very good book.

No comments about Pearl Harbor Countdown: Admiral James O. Richardson.

5 comments about Devil at My Heels: A Heroic Olympian's Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II.

1. Louis Zamperini was an amazing man, and his life story is so well written I have read it 3 times myself, recommended this book to many and sent it as gifts. I have never heard anything but high praise for the book. I read with disappointment the negative review by Belmonte who had to read it for a history class; my hat goes off to the teacher who recommended it. It made me sad that students of this generation would find reading about someone like Zamperini, a true hero of the "Greatest Generation", such a bore.



2. This tale reads like Candide or Forest Gump, but of course this isn't fiction. The life of Louis Zamperini is, in a word, incredible; it's no wonder that they know as the Greatest Generation. Anyone who is interested in WWII, military service, or survival tales will enjoy this story. This is a must read!



3. This book has no plot and constantly repeats itself. He alo takes much of the time to promote the books of his other POW friends. The only touching pat of the book is one passge that lasts about a page. DON'T READ!!! I had to read it for a histroy class, but I had such a hard time staying focused on such a bad book!



4. Having received this book as a Christams gift from a buddy of mine , it is an absolutelly astonishing and wonderful read!
   A great story of a one of what we now call "The Greatest Generation".
   My buddy was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association's crew that travels with a world war two bomber called FUDDY DUDDY, and while at Van Nuys California airport , he met Louis Zamperini personally and told me Mr Zamperini just kind of "hung out" with the FUDDY DUDDY crew in April 2005 for about three days and shared his stories with them.
   So my buddy bought two copies from Louis Zamperini and asked him to autograph them, so I received mine for Christmas 2005.
   What a great story and hope someday I can meet Louis Zamperini!
   He is truly an American Hero!
   
   This review written by
   Edward DeBolt
   Grabill, Indiana



5. What More can be said or added to the astonishing account of survival by Louis Zamperini. After enduring forty-seven days in a life raft, being shot down in the middle of the Pacific, he prevailed for two more years as a POW in a Japanese prison camp.
   Following his release and being welcomed home as a war hero, Zamperini sank into despair and heavy drinking,only to be rescued from the depths of hopelessness through the ministry of the great evangelist Billy Graham.
   His story is at once extraordinary and inspiring-a powerful testimony to the stalwartness of the human spirit, particularly in light of the fact that upon revisiting the site of his tortuous existence he found it in his heart to forgive his brutal captors.
   Even if one is only remotely inclined to revisit events that occurred surrounding US POW's in the Pacific during WWII,the reader will find this narrative the best of the best. This reader salutes you, Louis, and others like you for reminding us that the "greatest generation" continues to illuminate and enkindle.

5 comments about Once A Fighter Pilot.

1. Awesome book. All I ever wanted to do was fly an F-4 and this book brought me as close as I'll ever get. Written in a down-to-earth manner that was easily understandable; thanks Jerry Cook!



2. This book is a must read for all military pilots and those seeking such status. Gen Cook tells it like it was and reminds me of a bunch of pilots sitting around the table discussing their careers. Most of us have always believed his basic tenet that could not believe that we were being paid to fly for the service. He also reminded me that your primary instructor had the biggest impact on your approach to training other pilots. Thank you !



3. Jerry Cook's "Once A Fighter Pilot" is one of the books that occupies a small section of my shelf reserved for truly extraordinary books written by pilots. Many fighter jocks are good at BFM, formation, gunnery, instrument flying, and other skills, but the ones who can evoke strong emotion through the written word are scarce. My military flying career is past, but this book takes me right back into the cockpit, in a way few books do.
   
   This book is the real deal, folks.



4. I first saw this book in a local bookstore and saw the cover. I didnt really now what it was about, but when I read it it was the best book yet. It is on my Absolute Favorite list.Since I bought the book I have read it over 5 times, and find something new each time. It has also made me want to be a fighter pilot in our Air Force. A must read for anyone.



5. I've read "Once a Fighter Pilot" more than once, and greatly enjoyed it each time. It's an intriguing mix of stories about flying in Vietnam, flying at MacDill AFB while the F-4 was just becoming available, and many flight instructor tales. (And sometimes the flight instructor stories are scarier than the ones about flying in Vietnam!) He's opinionated, open, honest, and to the point.
   
   I consider this to be in the top 5% of its genre because it covers such a broad area and does it well. There are perhaps better and/or more detailed autobiographies specifically about flying in Vietnam, but this one is one of the few which really covers Air Force life during the 60s. I also like the overall style, it's a series of short tales in chronological order rather than a more continuous work.
   
   It's a fun read--you won't regret it.

5 comments about Xin Loi, Viet Nam: Thirty-one Months of War: A Soldier's Memoir.

1. I've read a number of books by warrant and commissioned officer helicopter pilots, but this is the first by an enlisted crew chief. Since Al served with a company I knew, it had been part of the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion (with which I served in 1967) and flew in a III Corp AO I knew, I gave it a whirl. I wasn't disappointed
   
   Not only is the tale he has to tell worth reading, I was struck by the fact that he was more reflective and was quicker to grasp that the way we were fighting, and our isolation from the Vietnamese, was diminishing the chances for any success, than were most of the pilot-authors I've read. Perhaps the multi-tasking required to keep a helicopter in the air left little time for reflection. Or maybe Al is just more perceptive than most. (We EM's thought many officers made a point of ignoring this.)
   
   Whatever the reason, this book is worth the read.



2. The author, a true American hero who did more than his job since a reenlisted for a second tour, gives the reader thrilling accounts of how dangerous the job was. Being a lateral gun shooter in a Huey was certainly not a comfortable and no-risk involvement. I rank this book as one of the very good ones written on the Vietnam war. The comments posted by ex-soldiers who knew the author in action are nice and totally relevant. They know what it was then. Have a nice reading.
   
   I invite you to read also "Firebirds: The Best First Person Account of Helicopter Combat in Vietnam Ever Written" by Chuck Carlock.



3. I honestly don't like giving my fellow Vietnam warriors five stars. We've all had so many rose petals and awards placed in our paths throughout the years, I worry about overdoing it. Still, Al Sever gets five from me simply because he's a Vietnam veteran who has somehow given up drugs and killing babies long enough to write a book, a good book. Hell, I flew some 1100 hours in the war and I didn't know that, "It's a lot easier hitting small targets if the AC watches the target through the chin bubble at his feet and gives the command to drop the grenade. Leaning out the door to the left while moving forward makes it difficult to be accurate when you throw the grenade." If I ever get my hands on a helicopter and a buddy to drop the grenade, I'll remember this when we get to Washington. Sever's book, "Xin LOI, Viet Nam" is what I call an energetic, entertaining, and crisply written book. I'm Bob Miller, author of "Kill Me If You Can, You SOB" (hint).



4. Al Sever is a unique individual. In his book, he credits me by name for training him as a crewchief. He writes as if my training intensity was somehow special or above the call of duty. I didn't think of it that way. I thought of it as doing what I could to survive, and to help my brothers survive. It was frankly comforting to me to know that the crewchief in the gunship behind me knew what he was doing when he covered our tail. And he did. The only thing that he did wrong was to volunteer for a second tour in Viet Nam. And that brings me to his uniqueness. Al survived his second tour both physically and for the most part, psychologically. Most of the men who re-upped for a second tour didn't get back in one piece. I'm glad he did because he wrote a helluva book with an incredible memory for details. I honor him for his service and for his insights into the politics and sadness of that war.
   
   Every detail is true for the period we served together in '68 and '69 flying out of Cu Chi.
   
   Xin Loi, Viet Nam is loaded with ironies and the title carries the most. Read the book.



5. Having served 12 months as a door gunner in 1965-1966 with the 1st Cav Div, I know a little bit about being a door gunner. This book is very realistic in what it portrays. I am amazed at the author's memory. His discriptions of everyday events are remarkably true to life. I highly recommend this book for the Veteran or anyone who wants to know how it feels to be a Veteran.

3 comments about A Vietnam Experience: Ten Years of Reflection (Publication Series: No. 315) (Publication Series: No. 315).

1. These are the reflections of a well-educated leader for any age, yet an experienced Navy pilot in his post-captive years as a POW during the Vietnam War.Jim Stockdale makes clear throughout this book the differences between enlightened leadership and the business ethos permeating the Pentagon after Eisenhower.He even reveals early censorship and manipulation of "facts" by TV and print media decades ago. Throughout this philosophical lecture-filled book, this decorated Vice Admiral sprinkles historical naval decisions to underline his points.This is recommended for those who believe in the careful study of history and the wisdom of those who pass them down.



2. I read Vice Admiral Stockdale's obituary and became interested in his writing, given what I learned about him in the outline of his career. It was truly tragic that his moment in the national spotlight made him seem a confused old man, as anyone reading any of his writing will quickly discern.
   
   This book could well serve as a 150 page handbook on the true meaning of manhood and ways of attaining it. Stockdale had a classical education and put it to excellent use during a long public career and an unbelievably difficult eight year period as a prisoner of war. He has important things to say about character and courage and leadership and adversity and history. The breadth of sources from which he draws his observations is breathtaking.



3. It is an honor to review this book. Vice admiral Stockdale reflects on his personal experience as senior officer in a POW camp in Vietnam during 8 years. This is one of the most remarkable example of human fortitude I have ever heard of told by a man of supreme intelligence and culture.