Customer Reviews

CHEATING DEATH

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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This is an outstanding war narrative from a guy who lived it. A "fast pants" jet test pilot, the author received orders to Southeast Asia to fly old propellor driven A-1s. Reporting to his squadron at Udorn, Thailand, he spent a year in combat flying everything from close air support for indigenous forces in Laos to hair-raising rescue missions for downed aircrews along the ever dangerous Ho Chi Minh Trail.
His narratives of the rescue missions are the core of his story and are absolutely rivetting. Written in the first person narrative style, he takes the readers into the cockpit and helps them to literally feel the "sting" of battle.
I loved this book and highly recommend it to anybody who has any interest in combat rescue. The lessons that he teaches are still applicable today. I put it on a par with "Stuka Pilot" by Hans Rudel.

Readers of Air&Space / Smithsonian will be familiar with the Vietnam articles by George Marrett. Now he's written a book about his tour as a Skyraider pilot, flying low and slow over North Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns while helicopters went about the sweaty business of extracting downed pilots. (Often enough the pilot had been flying a Skyraider on another search & rescue mission.) This was the most dangerous duty imaginable, but Marrett explains it without melodrama or posturing. His book is like the venerable Skyraider itself: unglamourous, reliable, sturdy, and honest. Any Vietnam veteran or military aviation buff will appreciate this account of one of the war's most obscure and deadly corners. -- Dan Ford

As a general aviation pilot myself, my heroes are the attack, close support and fighter-bomber pilots of A-1s, A-4s, F-105s, P-47s, Typhoons, etc. These guys had to fly/dive INTO (not over or around them) their targets in the face of AAA, SAMs, and small arms fire which was not a job regular jet jocks or most other fighter pilots wanted. This a book that I could not put down, finished it in one day and wanted more! Highly recommended if you want to see through the eyes of an A-1 pilot rescuing other downed pilots. It does seem that the Jollies got more of their share of appreciation than the Sandy and Spad pilots did simply because the A-1 pilots weren't the ones to actually pick them up and bring them back to base while the A-1s flew home to a different base. That just didn't seem fair considering the A-1s made the all the difference in clearing or suppresing enemy activity in the area so the Jollies could do their job. The author does seem to be confused as to who actually made the engines in A-1s he was flying - they were not Pratt and Whitney. They were all made by Wright and called the R-3350-26 series.

Cheating Death is informative edge-of-your-seat reading. It will stir the emotions of those of us who remember the Vietnam War era. The book is also written in a style that will appeal to people from all walks of life. The historical and geographical discussions prepare the reader for the author's vivid first-hand accounts of his experiences of flying his A-1 Skyraider in
rescue and bombing missions over Laos during the Vietnam conflict. The book also serves as a touching memorial to the author's fellow pilots (and friends ...many he flew "wing-to-wing" with) who were lost or captured in the line of duty during the "secret war" in Laos. This book is a history lesson
taught on a personal level. Great book!!

I flew in the same squadron and on the same ship as one of the Navy pilots George and his fellow warriors risked their lives to rescue. It happened on our first day of combat in 1968 and we were all overwhelmed by seeing their dedication to getting him out over three long days. It was like a bad dream. Now, 37 years later, I get to read a gripping, first-person account of this rescue mission and others like it. I am awed and humbled by reading this book. This is the "real deal" folks! No laser-guided, standoff weapons here. Be warned, you will lose sleep for a few nights as you turn these pages well past the time normal people go to bed.

For a generation of airmen--and perhaps for other warriors--writing about their time in SE Asia has proven cathartic. I've been involved in two such memoirs ("On Yankee Station" and "Wildcats to Tomcats") and in each case the experience was rewarding and fulfilling. George Marrett's memoir clearly has helped him address the demons of three decades, as he writes with honesty and clarity about his year flying A-1 "Sandys".
Ed Heinemann, the fabled designer of the Skyraider, would appreciate "Cheating Death" in a special way. He retained an affection for the "Spad" that would seem odd to those familiar with his racier designs: especially the F4D Skyray and A-4 Skyhawk. "Cheating Death" is a well deserved tribute to the men and machines who flew one of the least heralded--but most deeply appreciated--missions in the Vietnam War.

I am humbled and appreciate the sacrifice of these men who flew the sandys and jollys made during the secret war in Laos in the 60's. These men put their lives on the line every time they went out to rescue downed fliers in Laos. I first learned about the rescue mission of the A-1 from Stephen Count's book "Flight of the Intruder." And I am glad that someone who actually flew these planes wrote an account of their experiences in these strike and rescue missions.

Captain G.J. Marrett writes an informative and readable account of his experiences during the Vietnam conflict. I was surprised to read about the number of planes shot down. I guess this is a compliment to the tenacity of the NVA and the danger of flying these missions. Capt. Marrett flew 187 missions and throughout the book you learn of his dedication to his fellow warriors and his love for aviation and the A-1.

I have come to love the A-1 and the appreciate the amazing capability of this warplane. I would love to get a ride in a A-1E or A-1G but better yet to fly a A-1J. How about it, Captain?

Sock It to 'Em!

While I was aware that the A-1 Skyraider participated in rescues of downed pilots, I had never read of the use of the A-1 indepth until I read "Cheating Death". Since the A-1 was an old, piston-engine aircraft, it is often overlooked, especially when compared to the F-4, F-105 and B-52 and other jets. George Marrett gives long overdue recognition to the crucial role played by the A-1 and the rescue forces in what is often an overlooked, yet important, role during the Vietnam War.

George Marrett has written a fascinating and comprehensive account of the Vietnam air war during the 1968 -1969 timeframe. His recollection of specific rescue missions keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. You'll chuckle at Marrett's stories about learning to fly the A-1 Tail-dragger. You'll shed a tear at his vivid descriptions of the loss of his fellow rescue pilots and those he was unable to extract from the jungles of Vietnam and Laos.

Marrett's narration of combat and non-combat incidents relevant to the A-1 aircraft provide the reader with a sense of sitting in the cockpit with the pilot. His descriptions of the trauma of war on the emotions of the warrior are also vivid and "on target."

George Marrett has written a book that is a vital historical link to the Vietnam air war.

Having been stationed (USAF) at NKP 68-69, it brought back fond memories for my brothers in arms. Well written and descriptive accounts.