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.

Single mother Janeen Flare has had a rough road so far with her beautiful children, Donovan and Tina. The choice to leave her worthless boyfriend Sean was obvious. Sean's rage came to a head and he tried to slash Janeen's throat. Coming to his senses he decided not to kill Janeen. In desperation, Janeen escaped with only an eighth of a tank of gas and her two babies. Her children are now seven and four years old and they seem to have their lives back on track. She is going to graduate from school soon and is working as a topless dancer to support her two children. Just as her life is looking up, she is challenged to make her dream come alive with Pete. He is the man she has fallen in love with, but his reluctance to love her children, and the shame her family holds over her head, put her into a tailspin. She fosters a friendly relationship with Jake, who is always there for her in times of need. Jake whole-heartedly tries to show her some goodness but Janeen denies him. Every moment she grows more and more blind to the few good things remaining in her life. His effort to get closer to Janeen ends up wasted. As she becomes ever more oblivious, she chooses to be with Pete. The path she follows grows darker and more violent, and may never lead her back to the light.

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.

They flew low and slow, at treetop level, at night, in monsoons, and in point-blank range of enemy guns and missiles. They were missions no one else wanted, but the ones all other pilots prayed for when shot down. Flying the World War II-vintage Douglas A-1 Skyraider, a single-engine, propeller-driven relic in a war of “fast-movers,” these intrepid US Air Force pilots, call sign Sandy, risked their lives with every mission to rescue thousands of downed Navy and Air Force pilots. With a flashback memory and a style all his own, George J. Marrett depicts some of the most dangerous aerial combat of any war. The thrilling rescue of “Streetcar 304” and William Jones's selfless act of heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor are but two of the compelling tales he recounts. Here too are the courages Jolly Green Giant helicopter crews, parajumpers, and forward air controllers who worked with the Sandys over heavily defended jungles and mountains well behind enemy lines. Passionate, mordantly witty, and filled with heart-pounding adrenaline, Cheating Death reads like the finest combat fiction, but it is the real deal: its heroes, cowards, jokers, and casualties all have names and faces readers will find difficult to forget.

Ed Rasimus straps the reader into the cockpit of an F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber in his engaging account of the Rolling Thunder campaign in the skies over North Vietnam. Between 1965 and 1968, more than 330 F-105s were lost—the highest loss rate in Southeast Asia—and many pilots were killed, captured, and wounded because of the Air Force’s disastrous tactics. The descriptions of Rasimus’s one hundred missions, some of the most dangerous of the conflict, will satisfy anyone addicted to vivid, heart-stopping aerial combat, as will the details of his transformation from a young man paralyzed with self-doubt into a battle-hardened veteran. His unique perspective, candid analysis, and the sheer power of his narrative rank his memoir with the finest, most entertaining of the war.

On a cold December morning in 1986, Dick Rutan and co-pilot Jeana Yeager, against all odds, made aviation history when they successfully completed the first ever non-stop and non-refueled flight around the world in a homebuilt airplane! They had traversed 26,358 statute miles, returning with only 18.3 of the 1200 gallons of gas they had taken off with nine days prior. Following their arduous takeoff, Dick's younger brother, Burt, watched the plane of his design disappear over the vast Pacific, believing it improbable he would ever see his brother alive again. Dick had always been a risk-taker, possessing both a talent and passion for flying. Even at a young age he knew he wanted to achieve something of significance as a pilot. Although his motivation was strong, Dick struggled academically with what he learned decades later was undiagnosed dyslexia. With determination, he painfully devised ways to transcend those academic limitations and attain his goals. Little did he realize that the setbacks he experienced along the way would provide him with the exact skill-set he needed. This young man who had been deemed unfit for college would repeatedly succeed despite the odds. He rose through the ranks of the military and became a highly decorated fighter pilot who flew 105 combat missions over North Vietnam. Following his Air Force career, he set numerous aviation records, many of which remain unbroken. An inductee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, he was the recipient of aviation's most coveted awards and was presented the Citizens Medal by President Ronald Reagan. Throughout his life, Dick sought adventure and welcomed challenge, frequently finding himself at "danger's door" wondering what THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES of his life would be like. In his words, "It's great to be an American¿to live in a free country where, if you can dream it, you can do it. The only way to fail is if you quit."

"U.S. News & World Report" journalist Newman examines the rise and fall--and rise again--of some of our most prolific and productive figures in order to demystify the anatomy of resilience.