I Always Wanted to Fly : Americas Cold War Airmen.
Title:
I Always Wanted to Fly : Americas Cold War Airmen.
Author:
Samuel, Wolfgang.
ISBN:
9781604731354
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (260 pages)
Contents:
Contents -- Foreword -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Part 1: The Berlin Airlift, 1948 -- 1. Men of the Airlift -- Colonel Howard S. "Sam" Myers Jr. -- First Lieutenant Leonard W. Sweet -- First Lieutenant Marshall M. Balfe -- Colonel Harold R. Austin -- Lieutenant Colonel Edward Gorski -- Lieutenant Colonel Joseph F. Laufer -- Colonel Robert S. Hamill -- 2. The Bomber Boys -- Colonel Joseph J. Gyulavics -- 3. "Ramp Rats": The Men Who Kept Them Flying -- Master Sergeant Thomas W. Etherson -- Part 2: Korea, 1950 -- 4. The F-51 Mustangs from Dogpatch -- Colonel Charles E. Schreffler -- 5. Night Interdiction in the B-26 Invader -- Lieutenant Colonel Byron A. Dobbs Jr. -- Colonel Richard G. "Dick" Schulz -- 6. The B-29 Bomber War -- Colonel Joseph J. Gyulavics -- 7. B-Flight out of Kimpo: Special Operations -- Colonel David M. Taylor -- Part 3: Strategic Reconnaissance -- 8. Taming the RB-45C Tornado -- Colonel Harold R. Austin -- 9. Recon to the Yalu and Beyond -- Colonel Howard S. "Sam" Myers Jr. -- Master Sergeant Arthur E. Lidard -- 10. More Secret Than the Manhattan Project -- Colonel Marion C. Mixson -- Lieutenant Colonel Francis T. Martin Jr. -- 11. Challenging the Russian Bear -- Colonel Harold R. Austin -- 12. Flying the Top of the World -- Colonel Charles L. Phillips Jr. -- 13. The Last Flight of 3-4290 -- Major George V. Back -- Captain Henry E. Dubuy -- Lieutenant Colonel Joel J. Lutkenhouse -- Lieutenant Colonel Robert J. Rogers -- Part 4: Vietnam, 1965 -- 14. Hambone 02 -- Colonel Ralph L. Kuster Jr. -- 15. Lincoln Flight -- Colonel Kevin A. "Mike" Gilroy -- 16. Yellowbird -- Major Fred E. "Ed" Rider -- The Magic of Flying: Concluding Thoughts -- Glossary -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z -- Bibliography -- Interviews, Letters, and Tapes -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E.
F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.
Abstract:
Until now, no book has covered all of Cold War air combat in the words of the men who waged it. In I Always Wanted to Fly , retired United States Air Force Colonel Wolfgang W. E. Samuel has gathered first-person memories from heroes of the cockpits and airstrips. Battling in dogfights when jets were novelties, saving lives in grueling airlifts, or flying dangerous reconnaissance missions deep into Soviet and Chinese airspace, these flyers waged America's longest and most secretively conducted air war. Many of the pilots Samuel interviewed invoke the same sentiment when asked why they risked their lives in the air--"I always wanted to fly." While young, they were inspired by barnstormers, by World War I fighter legends, by the legendary Charles Lindbergh, and often just by seeing airplanes flying overhead. With the advent of World War II, many of these dreamers found themselves in cockpits soon after high school. Of those who survived World War II, many chose to continue following their dream, flying the Berlin Airlift, stopping the North Korean army during the "forgotten war" in Korea, and fighting in the Vietnam War. Told in personal narratives and reminiscences, I Always Wanted to Fly renders views from pilots' seats and flight decks during every air combat flashpoint from 1945--1968. Drawn from long exposure to the immense stress of warfare, the stories these warriors share are both heroic and historic. The author, a veteran of many secret reconnaissance missions, evokes individuals and scenes with authority and grace. He provides clear, concise historical context for each airman's memories. In I Always Wanted to Fly he has produced both a thrilling and inspirational acknowledgment of personal heroism and a valuable addition to our documentation of the Cold War. Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, the author of German Boy: A Refugee's Story (University
Press of Mississippi) and a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC in 1960, served in the U.S. Air Force until his retirement as a colonel in 1985. Ken Hechler is the author of The Bridge at Remagen.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
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