The Great Muckrock and Rosie

The Great Muckrock and Rosie PDF

Author: Ross C. Detwiler

Publisher: Abbott Press

Published: 2012-05

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1458203085

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Most of America experienced the Vietnam War only in the form that was delivered in the evening news. The actual fighting and sacrifices in that far off jungle were borne, as is still true to this day, by a miniscule fraction of the population and their families. There are plenty of history books and scholars that break the war down into miniature, bite-sized chunks of history, politics, science, and statistics. The Great Muckrock and Rosie, however, isn't about accounting for the war. It is about the fighter pilots who fought that war in the air. Fly with the men who gave their all in support their fellow troops on the ground in South Vietnam. Fly with them also as they leave the South and enter North Vietnam and Laos in an effort to dam the flow of supplies arriving through the wide open harbor at Haiphong. They pushed on, mission after mission, completing their assigned tasks for sake of doing what they thought was right. Also meet the women in their lives. Some were adoring wives that waited at home, with little children, for dad to return. Some were single, unattached, and looking for the spice in life that a fighter pilot on leave could provide.

Eagles Overhead

Eagles Overhead PDF

Author: Matt Dietz

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2023-02-15

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1574418912

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US Air Force Forward Air Controllers (FACs) bridge the gap between air and land power. They operate in the grey area of the battlefield, serving as an aircrew who flies above the battlefield, spots the enemy, and relays targeting information to control close air support attacks by other faster aircraft. When done well, Air Force FACs are the fulcrum for successful employment of air power in support of ground forces. Unfortunately, FACs in recent times have been shunned by both ground and air forces, their mission complicated by inherent difficulty and danger, as well as by the vicissitudes of defense budgets, technology, leadership, bureaucracy, and doctrine. Eagles Overhead is the first complete historical survey of the US Air Force FAC program from its origins in World War I to the modern battlefield. Matt Dietz examines their role, status, and performance in every US Air Force air campaign from the Marne in 1918, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and finally Mosul in 2017. With the remaking of the post-Vietnam US military, and the impact of those changes on FAC, the Air Force began a steady neglect of the FAC mission from Operation Desert Storm, through the force reductions after the Soviet Union’s collapse, and into the post 9-11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Eagles Overhead asks why FACs have not been heavily used on US battlefields since 2001, despite their warfighting importance. Dietz examines the Air Force FAC’s theoretical, doctrinal, institutional, and historical frameworks to assess if the nature of air warfare has changed so significantly that the concept and utility of the FAC has been left behind. From these examinations, Eagles Overhead draws conclusions about the potential future of Air Force FACs.

Flying against Fate

Flying against Fate PDF

Author: S. P. MacKenzie

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 2017-08-04

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 0700624694

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During World War II, Allied casualty rates in the air were high. Of the roughly 125,000 who served as aircrew with Bomber Command, 59,423 were killed or missing and presumed killed—a fatality rate of 45.5%. With odds like that, it would be no surprise if there were as few atheists in cockpits as there were in foxholes; and indeed, many airmen faced their dangerous missions with beliefs and rituals ranging from the traditional to the outlandish. Military historian S. P. MacKenzie considers this phenomenon in Flying against Fate, a pioneering study of the important role that superstition played in combat flier morale among the Allies in World War II. Mining a wealth of documents as well as a trove of published and unpublished memoirs and diaries, MacKenzie examines the myriad forms combat fliers' superstitions assumed, from jinxes to premonitions. Most commonly, airmen carried amulets or talismans—lucky boots or a stuffed toy; a coin whose year numbers added up to thirteen; counterintuitively, a boomerang. Some performed rituals or avoided other acts, e.g., having a photo taken before a flight. Whatever seemed to work was worth sticking with, and a heightened risk often meant an upsurge in superstitious thought and behavior. MacKenzie delves into behavior analysis studies to help explain the psychology behind much of the behavior he documents—not slighting the large cohort of crew members and commanders who demurred. He also looks into the ways in which superstitious behavior was tolerated or even encouraged by those in command who saw it as a means of buttressing morale. The first in-depth exploration of just how varied and deeply felt superstitious beliefs were to tens of thousands of combat fliers, Flying against Fate expands our understanding of a major aspect of the psychology of war in the air and of World War II.

The Life and Adventures of an Old Bold Pilot

The Life and Adventures of an Old Bold Pilot PDF

Author: Mick Greene

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2015-06-26

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 9781505279788

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This action-filled autobiography by former test pilot and decorated Vietnam veteran Mick Greene, with introduction by retired General Ron Fogleman, 15th Chief of Staff of the USAF, is a must read for military aviation historians and aviation enthusiasts worldwide. Greene knew at an early age what he wanted to be --a fighter pilot. But as the youngest of a family struggling to get along, his options were limited. Still, he persisted and managed to get an appointment to the Naval Academy. It was a start. But when he learned that upon graduation from the Academy, he could transfer into the Air Force and directly into pilot training, he knew this was what he wanted to do. Years passed, as Greene honed his flying skills in fighter squadrons and later as a test pilot. Then came the ultimate challenge. A combat tour in Vietnam as a "Misty FAC", a then classified, extremely dangerous mission, directing airstrikes against targets along the Ho Chi Minh trail in North Vietnam and Laos. All pilots were volunteers and the losses were high. In his simple, plain spoken way, author Mick Greene describes how he survived in the flak filled skies over North Vietnam.

The Eagle's Last Flight

The Eagle's Last Flight PDF

Author: Ron Standerfer

Publisher:

Published: 2013-06

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 9780615831305

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Skip O'Neill lies dying of leukemia in a New York hospital, determined to live until the new millennium. His wasted body shows scant evidence of the man he once was-an Air Force fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran. O'Neill's first assignment as a young lieutenant places him among hard drinking World War II-and Korean War-era fighter pilots who quickly teach him their ways. He almost washes out of pilot training but is persistent and manages to graduate. In Vietnam, he proves to be a skillful and courageous pilot who faces dangers of all kinds with equanimity. But the greatest-and most deadly danger-materializes years after O'Neill volunteers to be an observer at an atomic test site. In the end, O'Neill decides that when his time comes, he will dash at it fearlessly. He anticipates being greeted by departed friends-but what awaits him is something totally unexpected.

Civic Media Literacies

Civic Media Literacies PDF

Author: Paul Mihailidis

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-09-03

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 1315526034

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Civic life today is mediated. Communities small and large are now using connective platforms to share information, engage in local issues, facilitate vibrant debate, and advocate for social causes. In this timely book, Paul Mihailidis explores the texture of daily engagement in civic life, and the resources—human, technological, and practical—that citizens employ when engaging in civic actions for positive social impact. In addition to examining the daily civic actions that are embedded in media and digital literacies and human connectedness, Mihailidis outlines a model for empowering young citizens to use media to meaningfully engage in daily life.

The Old Bold Pilot

The Old Bold Pilot PDF

Author: Capt. Shakti Lumba, Capt. Priyanka Arora

Publisher: Notion Press

Published: 2021-11-17

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1685633900

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Capt. Lumba has been a pilot, union leader and airline executive. He is one of Indian aviation’s legends. His memoir will take you through the by-lanes of Indian Civil Aviation in all its glory. The book explains the Pilot Strike of 1992, the creation and success of Alliance Air (possibly India’s first low-cost carrier), the operational start-up of IndiGo, India’s premier and most successful low-cost carrier. Finally, it covers the safe landing at Laksh Farms, a place termed as a piece of heaven on earth! Readers will find this book more than just a memoir. There are valuable lessons of personal behaviour and integrity that are invaluable to ruminate about. In addition, the historically accurate perspectives of starting and running an airline provide valuable tips for students studying aviation management or even for executives operating in that space today.

Young People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises

Young People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises PDF

Author: Sarah Pickard

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-07-31

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 331958250X

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This book provides insight into the diverse ways young people from around the world are regenerating politics in innovative and multifaceted ways. The authors, who include academics and activists, challenge claims that young people are apolitical, apathetic and living up to the ‘me generation’ stereotype. Contributions cover a rich body of case examples of traditional and new forms of youth politics in response to situated injustices and political and socio-economic crises. Significant and optimistic, the collection presents strong evidence from across the globe that these developments are not isolated incidences, but are in fact part of a systemic, large-scale transformation leading to a regeneration of the political landscape by young people. The book is aimed at students and scholars in the fields of politics, sociology, policy studies and youth and childhood studies.

Bury Us Upside Down

Bury Us Upside Down PDF

Author: Rick Newman

Publisher: Presidio Press

Published: 2007-12-18

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 0307414701

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They had the most dangerous job n the Air Force. Now Bury Us Upside Down reveals the never-before-told story of the Vietnam War’s top-secret jet-fighter outfit–an all-volunteer unit composed of truly extraordinary men who flew missions from which heroes are made. In today’s wars, computers, targeting pods, lasers, and precision-guided bombs help FAC (forward air controller) pilots identify and destroy targets from safe distances. But in the search for enemy traffic on the elusive Ho Chi Minh Trail, always risking enemy fire, capture, and death, pilots had to drop low enough to glimpse the telltale signs of movement such as suspicious dust on treetops or disappearing tire marks on a dirt road (indicating a hidden truck park). Written by an accomplished journalist and veteran, Bury Us Upside Down is the stunning story of these brave Americans, the men who flew in the covert Operation Commando Sabre–or “Misty”–the most innovative air operation of the war. In missions that lasted for hours, the pilots of Misty flew zigzag patterns searching for enemy troops, vehicles, and weapons, without benefit of night-vision goggles, infrared devices, or other now common sensors. What they gained in exhilarating autonomy also cost them: of 157 pilots, 34 were shot down, 3 captured, and 7 killed. Here is a firsthand account of courage and technical mastery under fire. Here, too, is a tale of forbearance and loss, including the experience of the family of a missing Misty flier–Howard K. Williams–as they learn, after twenty-three years, that his remains have been found. Now that bombs are smart and remote sensors are even smarter, the missions that the Mistys flew would now be considered no less than suicidal. Bury Us Upside Down reminds us that for some, such dangers simply came with the territory.

American Patriot

American Patriot PDF

Author: Robert Coram

Publisher: Hachette+ORM

Published: 2007-05-03

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 0316007595

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During the course of his military career, Bud Day won every available combat medal, escaped death on no less than seven occasions, and spent 67 months as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, along with John McCain. Despite sustained torture, Day would not break. He became a hero to POWs everywhere -- a man who fought without pause, not a prisoner of war, but a prisoner at war. Upon his return, passed over for promotion to Brigadier General, Day retired. But years later, with his children grown and a lifetime of service to his country behind him, he would engage in another battle, this one against an opponent he never had expected: his own country. On his side would be the hundreds of thousands of veterans who had fought for America only to be betrayed. And what would happen next would make Bud Day an even greater legend.