| They
had the most dangerous job n the Air Force. Now Bury Us
Upside Down reveals the never-before-told story of the
Vietnam War’s top-secret jet-fighter outfit —
an all-volunteer unit composed of truly extraordinary men
who flew missions from which heroes are made.
In today’s
wars, computers, targeting pods, lasers, and precision-guided
bombs help FAC (forward air controller) pilots identify and
destroy targets from safe distances. But in the search for
enemy traffic on the elusive Ho Chi Minh Trail, always risking
enemy fire, capture, and death, pilots had to drop low enough
to glimpse the telltale signs of movement such as suspicious
dust on treetops or disappearing tire marks on a dirt road
(indicating a hidden truck park). Written by an accomplished
journalist and veteran, Bury Us Upside Down is the
stunning story of these brave Americans, the men who flew
in the covert Operation Commando Sabre — or “Misty”
— the most innovative air operation of the war.
In missions that
lasted for hours, the pilots of Misty flew zigzag patterns
searching for enemy troops, vehicles, and weapons, without
benefit of night-vision goggles, infrared devices, or other
now common sensors. What they gained in exhilarating autonomy
also cost them: of 157 pilots, 34 were shot down, 3 captured,
and 7 killed. Here is a firsthand account of courage and technical
mastery under fire. Here, too, is a tale of forbearance and
loss, including the experience of the family of a missing
Misty flier — Howard K. Williams — as they learn,
after twenty-three years, that his remains have been found.
Now that bombs
are smart and remote sensors are even smarter, the missions
that the Mistys flew would now be considered no less than
suicidal. Bury Us Upside Down reminds us that for
some, such dangers simply came with the territory.
“This is a true story about real warriors — both
those who came home and those who did not — and the
legacy they left. The story of the Misty pilots fills a gap
in our understanding of the Vietnam War, and reminds armchair
tacticians what the true cost of war is, and who pays the
price.”
— Joseph Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers
Once . . . and Young
“Rip that
Nintendo out of your kid’s hands and hand him Bury
Us Upside Down! This outstanding book will give him insight
into what real aerial combat, flown by real heroes, is like.
Undoubtedly the best book of its type, Bury Us Upside
Down is the truth writ bold and simple — the story
of the men who fought the war flying the toughest missions
imaginable, and their families. It is a book of heroes, and
just reading it gives you insight into what a true hero feels.”
— Walter J. Boyne, former director, National Air and
Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
“With its
great in-the-cockpit stories of the first jet-fighter combat
forward air controllers, Bury Us Upside Down is an
incredible account of how it all started. The reader will
feel the G forces, the strain of avoiding ground fire, the
satisfaction of a completed rescue, the black humor of combat-hardened
pilots, and the effects on the families of those who didn’t
return. But most of all the reader will feel proud America
can produce such men.”
— Mark Berent, author of the Rolling Thunder
series
“[A] thoroughly
readable, absorbing history . . . a distinguished addition
to Vietnam War aviation literature.”
— Publishers Weekly
Rick Newman is a writer and editor at U.S.
News & World Report who covered the Pentagon for
seven years, including U.S. missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, and
the Persian Gulf. He has written hundreds of stories on the
military, including dozens of exclusives, and more than twenty
cover stories.
Don Shepperd
(Misty 34) reported for duty at Phu Cat Air Base on December
19, 1967, and flew fifty-eight missions as a Misty during
his four-month tour. With a total of 247 combat missions in
Vietnam, he retired from the Air Force in 1998 as a two-star
general and head of the Air National Guard. In 2001 he joined
CNN as one of their principal military analysts.
|
