A tale of survival and adventure, this rare first-person eyewitness account of a young man's experiences as a Combat Transport Pilot in China during World War II tells the tale of a young boy who follows his call to become a pilot and enlists in the 14th Airforce in the service of his country for the adventure of a lifetime. As a new pilot, he follows the deadly call of the Aluminum Trail. Follow him on his dangerous daily missions across the ocean from Indiana to India, then to China wher...

“No heroes, everyone did their part, and everyone was scared to death.”They are the words of soldier Mark W. Harms in 1968, summing up his combat experience during the Vietnam War. His stunning letter home is just one of hundreds featured in this unforgettable collection, Letters from Vietnam. In these affecting pages are the unadorned voices of men and women who fought–and, in some cases, fell–in America’s most controversial war. They bring new i...

U.S. Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady was shot down in his F-16 over Bosnia while helping to keep the peace. The plane exploded, and Captain O'Grady fell 5 miles to the ground below. In exciting detail, Captain O'Grady tells how he evaded capture and how, with little water and no food, he was able to survive on his own in enemy territory. This is a thrilling look at an American hero--a hero not because the captain survived, but because of the skill, faith, and courage he displayed and...

American civilians who were on the home front during World War II would each have different stories to tell. With most, almost certainly their stories would not be as dramatic as the stories of many of those who lived in the battle zones of Europe and the Far East. Despite the difference, there would be many moving stories to tell of Americans who lost loved ones or received them home wounded or tarnished in some way by the war. Our parents welcomed us home untarnished, but changed by our ...

Follow along on a journey with Corporal Roger Sanchez United States Marine Corps, a combat infantry Marine during the Vietnam War.A time in American history that divided a nation and a generation.The story is a journey from innocents, to the reality of the dark nature of man. It is written not as a historical account, but from an emotional and personal point of view, of the author.

An engaging look into the culture of those who fly high-tech fighters and bombers and one pilot's personal account of his career in the cockpit.The F-117 Stealth Nighthawk was a truly groundbreaking aircraft when introduced in the early 1980s. The strange shape of the jet, all flat panels and angles, rendered the aircraft nearly invisible to radar. This highly classified program wasn't acknowledged publicly by the U.S. Air Force until 1988. The Nighthawk was retire...

In Air Combat, veteran and military author Robert F. Dorr has collected dozens of interviews from combat veterans who have experienced what it’s like to face the enemy in the skies above, from the first days of World War II to the current war on terror.Each story tells a first-hand account of what it’s like to be in the thick of the fight, describes the history, strengths, and weaknesses of each man’s plane in detail, and offers readers a rare glimpse into...

A gripping true account of warfare in the skies over Korea, when American bombers and North Korean jet fighters would change the course of air combat.On October 23, 1951, an hour and a half before sunrise, nine B-29s of the 307th Bombardment Wing took off from Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan, on a bombing mission against Namsi—a North Korean airfield under construction in the heart of the shooting gallery known as MiG Alley.In under six hours, they ...

This volume chronicles aerial combat of the Korean War through both historical narrative and the personal accounts of Allied airmen and POWs.In Combat Over Korea, military historian Philip D. Chinnery offers a vivid account of aerial warfare above the forbidding terrain of the Korean peninsula. The firsthand accounts presented here run the gamut from air combat between fighters to a B29 Superfortress bomber ditching in the sea, and a C-54 cargo plane being ...

Seven War Stories presents the autobiography of a retired air force veteran who served in the Korean War, the conflict in Southeast Asia, and the Cuban crisis. Donald J. Meeks boyhood dream was to be a pilot in the air forcea goal that was unattainable when he enlisted, as high school graduates were not being accepted into pilot training. He was determined to fly, however, and became a crewmember in numerous types of aircraft; trying many different jobs until he achieved his ultim...

 The B-52 is the longest serving and most versatile of the United States Air Force's combat aircraft. The Stratofortress entered active service in 1955 and is scheduled to continue as part of the air force's inventory through 2040. The jet-powered bomber was a mainstay of America's Cold War nuclear-deterrent strategy, providing air power that balanced the land and sea military forces. The massive plane also served as the launch platform for the experimental X-15 hypersonic rocket a...

SCRAMBLE! In a couple of minutes my wingman and I would be airborne on another adventure. Sometimes we intercepted an airliner, sometimes a misplaced B-52 bomber, and sometimes Russian bombers probing our defenses; Russian warships; MIG fighters; or troops in contact in Vietnam, calling for napalm only yards from their positions. Twice it was UFOs - Unidentified Flying Objects! This book is a series of short stories, supported by more than 90 photographs. The first part has my own stories;...