1956224
9780312979621
Men of Iron, Birds of Steel The story of the air war in Vietnam is really the story of the jet pilots, the "fast movers" who took on hostile MiGs and surface-to-air missiles to carry the war to the enemy. In this book, author John Sherwood, official historian at the U.S. Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C., draws on more than 300 revealing interviews with these courageous pilots and their crews, offering an in-the-cockpit perspective on the Vietnam experience never before possible. He profiles fourteen notable aviators, including such top aces as Col. Robin Olds, Steve Ritchie, Ed Raimus, and John B. "Pirate" Nichols, members of an elite brotherhood of air warriors, whose superb fighting skills and charismatic leadership spurred their fellow aviators to outstanding feats of heroism and sacrifice.From flying through walls of flak in Operation Rolling Thunder to how it feels to be hit by a SAM to the crushing ordeal of capture and imprisonment in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," every aspect of air combat in Vietnam comes powerfully to life. Fast Movers celebrates these men and their aircraft, chronicling an aspect of the Vietnam conflict too long overlooked. Includes an 8-page photo insert!AUTHORBIO: John Darrell Sherwood is an official historian at the U.S. Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C., and the author of the award-winning book, Officers in Flight Suits, which tells the remarkable story of the Korean air war. He lives in Washington, D.C.Sherwood, John Darrell is the author of 'Fast Movers America's Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience', published 2001 under ISBN 9780312979621 and ISBN 0312979622.
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