Cheating Death
Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos
George J. Marrett
- 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.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
