It is 1966, the war is escalating, and a young Air Force Academy
graduate's assignment is to patrol unfriendly territory with
six-man hunter-killer teams. As a Forward Air Controller, flying
single engine spotter planes, Flanagan is the link between
fighter-bomber pilots and ground forces. This autobiographical
account recreates the period when Flanagan, assigned to Project
Delta, was plunged into major operations in key combat areas.
Spectacular airstrikes, team rescues, lost men, thwarted attempts
to save comrades--all are recounted here with raw honesty. A
factual combat history from one man's perspective, this is also a
thoughtful look at the warrior values of bravery, honesty, and
integrity. Flanagan examines the influences that help build these
values--educational institutions, the military training system
(including the service academies), and religion--and reflects on
the high cost of abandoning them.
In "Vietnam Above the TreetopS," Flanagan traces his life from
adolescence through the training period, combat missions of all
kinds, and re-entry into the everyday world. His war tales take us
to key regions: from the Demilitarized Zone, south through the
Central highlands, and into War Zone C near Cambodia. Flanagan
tells the absolute truth of his experience in Vietnam-- call signs,
bomb loads, and target coordinates are all historically accurate.
He offers observations on the Vietnamese and Korean forces he
worked with, comparing Eastern and Western cultures, and he vents
his frustrations with the U.S. command structure. Determined to
reconstruct the past, Flanagan re-read old letters from Vietnam,
examined maps, deciphered pocket diaries, interviewed former
comrades, and let his own long-buried memories surface. Flanagan
did not find this book easy to write, but he wanted to pay tribute
to his fellow warriors, especially those still missing in action;
he wanted to exorcise his war nightmares and further understand his
experience. Even more important, he needed to communicate the
values he and his comrades lived by, in distant jungles where they
faced some of the toughest circumstances known to human beings.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!