Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary (Special Warfare Series) [Mass Market Paperback]

Col. Bob Stoffey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Special Warfare Series | Publication Date: January 15, 1993

Daring missions. Dangerous rescues. Deadly accuracy.

Many pilots never made it out of 'Nam. This one did. Highly decorated Col. Bob Stoffey-- a Marine Corps pilot for over twenty-five years, who served multiple tours in Vietnam-- has seen and done it all. Cleared Hot! is his story-- a fast-paced, high-casualty flight into heart-stopping danger.

Full of vivid detail, this combat diary uncovers the real heroes of the Vietnam War, the behind-the-scenes Marine Corps pilots who helped our boys return home...then went back for more.

Includes eight pages of heroic photographs!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Vividly told."--Booklist

About the Author

Col. Bob Stoffey was born in Coaldale, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Pennsylvania State University. He served as a Marine Corps pilot for twenty-five years, having flown twenty-four different types of aircraft worldwide. His many military decorations include the Marine Corps Medal for Personal Heroism, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and twenty-five Air Medals. He retired in 1979 and now lives in Carlsbad, California, with his wife.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (January 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312929412
• ISBN-13: 978-0312929411
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Aviation
  • #22 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Strategy
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Vietnam War

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clleared hot reviewed by former Marine GIB, April 17, 2002

By 

Bob Anderson (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary (Special Warfare Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was a Marine "guy in the Back" of RF4 aircraft for 13 years. One of the most important jobs of a Gib is to be the communicator. We learned that phraseology used over the radio had to be precise and very very clear. Make no mistake radio procedures are written in blood, widows and smoking holes.There is absolutely no room for BS and colorful language. Col. Stoffe got it exactly right. He mentions one instance where a couple of Air Force F4s got [messed] up and nearly killed themselves becouse their radio procedure was slack. Col. Stoffe does a great job of telling his story. He was a warrior. He faced down the enemy time after time and survived. His book makes facinating reading for thoes like to read about men who could have a gunfight every day.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cleared Hot is a clear winner, February 20, 2003

By 

Michael Rowse (Stockbridge, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary (Special Warfare Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary by Col. Bob Stoffey is an accurate account of a Vietnam pilot during his terms of service in the Vietnam Conflict. Stoffey writes an account of his ordinary missions and his not so ordinary experiences. The book is laced with heroic stories of Stoffey flying his OV-10 forward air support plane and "Dog" helicopter against the "Gooners." In the OH-10 he organizes strikes and marks targets as well as gets in the action with his centerline gattling gun and rockets, which he's deadly accurate with. In the "Dog" Stoffey delivers much needed supplies to Marine "Grunts" under heavy fire. He gets in fast while his .50 cal. gunners clear the way, drop their cargo, and get out. The action just isn't in the air. There are accounts of rocket attacks and gunfire on the base, (near every night) as well as raids by Gooners with satchel bombs.
If you're interested in war books, this is one for you. Stoffey's style is technical and precise, using a lot of military abbreviations and terms, which adds to its authenticity. Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary is written as you would expect a pilot of the time to speak. He has that edge about him that defines a great pilot and a hero. This book is worth buying. As well as a good read, it gives you a history lesson with a real sense of the danger involved.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We Were Soldiers" and "Cleared Hot", April 1, 2002

By 

R L Holt, author of NYTimes bestseller, "Good... (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary (Special Warfare Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

Seeing "We Were Soldiers" with Mel Gibson immediately reminded me of another powerful and true story during the Vietnam conflict - "Cleared Hot". I enjoyed Col.Stoffey's account of his 440 combat missions in its original hardbound edition, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know what it feels like to be in the cockpit and taking hostile fire when there's no turning back. I found the book both educational and a delight to read. I've read it twice.