A military pilot is a tactical pilot prepared to participate in an aerial battle, air-to-ground battle, and some of the time electronic fighting while in the cockpit of a contender airplane. Military pilots go through particular preparation in airborne fighting and dogfighting (short proximity flying battle). A military pilot with something like five aerial kills becomes known as a pro. This is an exceptional investigation of the perspective of a pilot as he encounters everything from the massacre of an accident to the delight of flying through an elegant night sky, from the strange political plans of Washington to his perilous dependence on risk. The creator gives a blending and close-to-home portrayal of one man's excursion into airborne damnation and back, describing the delights and the aggravation. the successes and the misfortunes. furthermore, eventually, the return

Although these stories are fiction, they are based on my experiences during my three tours of duty in Vietnam. Even the story about the Viet Cong soldier is based on things that I saw in the boonies that the enemy had built and things that the enemy did while I was there. I served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968, twenty six months, and I was able to see Vietnam from three very different assignments. My first tour of eleven months was in the jungle with the 101st Airborne Division doing mostly search and destroy missions. My second tour was at E Company Support Battalion, at the base camp of the 101st Airborne Division and my third tour of duty was as a security guard with the elite Saigon Machine Gun Patrol. I tried to show with this book how very different tours of duty in a combat zone can be, depending on what job the soldier is assigned to. My three tours ran the gamut from living in the jungle for weeks and even months at a time hunting men, to living in a hotel with maid service in Saigon as an elite security guard, guarding the MPs and escorting Generals and other VIPs through the streets of Saigon at night with my machine gun jeep. This being a work of fiction, I was able to create plots that hopefully made the stories more exciting.

From the moment his first novel was published, Larry Heinemann joined the ranks of the great chroniclers of the Vietnam conflict--Philip Caputo, Tim O’Brien, and Gustav Hasford.In the stripped-down, unsullied patois of an ordinary soldier, draftee Philip Dosier tells the story of his war. Straight from high school, too young to vote or buy himself a drink, he enters a world of mud and heat, blood and body counts, ambushes and firefights. It is here that he embarks on the brutal downward path to wisdom that awaits every soldier. In the tradition of Naked and the Dead and The Thin Red Line, Close Quarters is the harrowing story of how a decent kid from Chicago endures an extraordinary trial-- and returns profoundly altered to a world on the threshold of change.

In this anthology, Vietnamese writers describe their experience of what they call the American War and its lasting legacy through the lens of their own vital artistic visions. A North Vietnamese soldier forms a bond with an abandoned puppy. Cousins find their lives upended by the revelation that their fathers fought on opposite sides of the war. Two lonely veterans in Hanoi meet years after the war has ended through a newspaper dating service. A psychic assists the search for the body of a long-vanished soldier. The father of a girl suffering from dioxin poisoning struggles with corrupt local officials. The twenty short stories collected in Other Moons range from the intensely personal to narratives that deal with larger questions of remembrance, trauma, and healing. By a diverse set of authors, including many veterans, they span styles from social realism to tales of the fantastic. Yet whether describing the effects of Agent Orange exposure or telling ghost stories, all speak to the unresolved legacy of a conflict that still haunts Vietnam. Among the most widely anthologized and popular pieces of short fiction about the war in Vietnam, these works appear here for the first time in English. Other Moons offers Anglophone audiences an unparalleled opportunity to experience how the Vietnamese think and write about the conflict that consumed their country from 1954 to 1975—a perspective still largely missing from American narratives.

A gripping and informative visual guide to one of the bloodiest conflicts in US and world history Journey through the Vietnam War; exploring detailed accounts of the men and women that were there. Explore their stories of struggle, sacrifice, and bravery through the iconic events that defined this conflict. This visual guide is the perfect read for any military history enthusiast. Inside the pages of this retelling of America’s bloodiest conflict, you’ll discover: • A vivid, moving, and informative read, written in an engaging style • Offers a clear and compelling account of the conflict, in short, self-contained events from the Battle of Ia Drang to the Tet Offensive and The Khmer Rouge • Biography spreads highlight major military and political figures • Features on everyday life in the war offering additional context • Stunning image spreads display weapons, spy gear, and other equipment that defined the war • Maps and feature boxes provide additional information on major events during the conflict A carefully constructed, in-depth guide to Vietnam This definitive history of the Vietnam War was written in conjunction with the Smithsonian. SI A Short History of the Vietnam War showcases every aspect of the fighting and the wider political landscape from both the side of the Viet Cong and the US military. Compelling text, diagrams, and maps show exactly how decisive moments and battles unfolded to help the reader to visualize the conflict. Eyewitness accounts and iconic photographs bring events to life - from the creation of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Operation Passage to Freedom and the evacuation of the US embassy in Saigon. From weapons and aircraft to armored vehicles and spy gear, explore the machinery used in the war through breathtaking photography. Lastly, biographical entries give a fuller insight into the minds of key figures and the decisions they made and include Henry Kissinger, President Nixon, Pol Pot, and more. More in the series Combining expert historical insight, eyewitness accounts, and archive photography, A Short History series seeks to summarise key historical events and provide a wider context to what was happening around these events. Titles include SI A Short History of World War II, SI A Short History of the American Civil War, and SI A Short History of Flying and are the perfect addition to any history enthusiast’s library.

Each soldier who chooses to join his brothers in arms to defend this country’s freedom knows that at sometime he will have to enter the valley of the shadow of death. As you pass through this valley brought on by human conflict, some become lost in the fog of war, while others, through some unexplained reason, by some miracle, survive. There have been stories told and retold by other veterans about unexplained events such as ghosts, whispered voices, lucky charms, guardian angels, and divine intervention that moved these soldiers safely through the valley. In the unwritten history of military conflict there have been literally hundreds of strange events, bizarre happenings in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; that, for many veterans, still remain unexplained. Every veteran who has survived this journey, who still mourns for his lost friends and loved ones tries to find the answer to one burning question, why. Why was he spared? Did the creator have some unfulfilled task for him to complete, or, is it mere chance, a stroke of luck that spared his life? Seeking the answer to this nagging question, an old veteran, in the twilight of his life goes to the Vietnam Memorial Wall, randomly puts his hand on a familiar name, and recalls a long forgotten memory. This book is a collection of stories not only about the strange events and happenings during combat; it is also about the human kindness, love and the drama that somehow prevails during the trauma of war. These stories although fictionalized were inspired by a true premise. J. A. (Pappy) Smith LTC USAF – Retired Forward Air Controller 2nd/16th Ranger Battalion 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam. Sidewinder 24