"Contrails" are those silvery white tracks left in the sky by the
engine exhaust condensation of high-altitude aircraft. They show
where the airborne traveler is going, as well as where he has been.
They define the journey, conducted at high speed, where the air is
thin and danger is always lurking. This was the harsh
testing-ground for a father and his son, from a family of Swedish
immigrants---unlikely participants in the armed conflicts that
would consume the world in their respective lifetimes.
The saga of the Nelson family contains joy and sorrow, triumph and
tragedy, and ample quantities of humorous stories. It is a case
study in how wars cut deeply into a family's heart and soul, and
often destroy the bonds that normally exist.
The book traces Wendel Nelson's idealistic quest to become a World
War II fighter pilot and defend democracy from fascism. As an
American volunteer in the RAF, his exploits range from the Battle
of Britain to the North African campaign against Rommel, and then
fighter sweeps into Europe in the final years of the war.
His son, Dick, documents his experiences at the U.S. Naval Academy,
Naval flight training, and the Vietnam air war. The impact of war
on the families involved is described in poignant detail. The
lifestyle of the modern combat pilot is described in both hilarious
and sad episodes, where fiery death was always around the corner.
This book also describes in detail the family's involvement with
World War II, and its effect on Dick and his mother. The stories
show the full impact of a war's lost sons and fathers on the
families they leave behind. There are rarely happy endings in such
stories---mostly, there are only lucky escapes at best. The reader
should remember that war is about destruction, not creation; fear,
as well as courage; and hatred, as well as love. It is a process of
violent human extremes, and not for the squeamish.
In hindsight, most wars seem easy to diagnose as caused by
missteps, lapses in judgment, and hidden agendas. But for the
immediate participants and decision-makers, the initiation of war
always seems---at the time---to be warranted and necessary. Even
when war is unavoidable for national survival, it is almost always
permeated by a number of incompetent decisions, lack of leadership
courage, and cynical motives.
The wars that impacted the Nelsons---World War II and
Vietnam---demonstrated war's cruel fallacies in many ways. Wars are
normally not won in quick, bloodless victories. The winner is
usually the one that makes the least mistakes along the way, and is
still standing at the end. That is why the doctrine evolved by some
of the greatest military strategists---from William Tecumseh
Sherman to Colin Powell---advocated the immediate application of
overwhelming force on the enemy to force resolution. Sherman wrote,
"I want peace, and believe it can only be reached through union and
war, and I will ever conduct war with a view to perfect and early
success."
From the swirling dog-fights of the Battle of Britain to the bloody
skies over North Vietnam, the Nelsons put their lives on the line
to serve the country they loved. Wendel lost his life in the last
months of his war, when his P-51 Mustang was caught in a blinding
snow storm. Twenty years later, Dick followed in his footsteps and
became a Navy carrier pilot, flying the supersonic F-8E Crusader
into combat from an aircraft carrier. He was lucky and survived
that conflict, while many did not.
Another aspect of war is its painful impact on the families that
are swept up in its whirlwind of violence. The story begins with a
young Swedish carpenter's classic search for a better life in
America. Enjoy the journey
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