Monday, March 22, 2010

A Hundred Feet Over Hell: Flying With the Men of the 220th Recon Airplane Company Over I Corps and the DMZ, Vietnam 1968-1969 by Jim Hooper

A Hundred Feet Over Hell: Flying With the Men of the 220th Recon Airplane Company Over I Corps and the DMZ, Vietnam 1968-1969 by Jim Hooper  a collection of remembrances from Bird Dog pilots.  These lightly equipped aircraft acted as forward air controllers.  The often highly dangerous and difficult missions are described as well as attempts to blow off steam back at base.  The narrative is occasionally difficult to follow because Hooper has pulled extracts from his primary sources.  Each is labeled with the name of the witness.  Frequently they overlap giving a different view of the same event [which I like].  The book is very jargon heavy.  A glossary is provided there are explanations in the text as well. 

I can't recommend this for the casual reader but if you have an interest in an unusual facet of the Vietnam War give it a look.

This was provided for review by a PR outfit.

2 comments:

Echo-Kilo said...

What in the world does "The narrative is occasionally difficult to follow because Hooper has pulled extracts from his primary sources" mean? As a recently retired military professional, I found it true to life and riveting. But then, duty, honor and courage are generally foreign to most self-styled academics. As, obviously, is the lexicon of warriors.

Edward Kramer
Winston-Salem, NC

jmnlman said...

Oh yes the rhetorical "you weren't there so you can't have an opinion". I assumed perhaps incorrectly that the author was looking for a wider audience than just veterans and reviewed it as such.