Good to Go: The Rescue of Capt. Scott O'Grady, USAF, from Bosnia [Hardcover]

Mary Pat Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996

So perfectly executed was the mission to rescue Capt. Scott O'Grady that it amazed even the men responsible. Just, five hours after radio contact was first made with Basher 52 - O'Grady's call sign - the Air Force captain was safely on board the USS Kearsarge. The downed F-16 fighter pilot's rescue from a Bosnian mountainside by Col. Martin Berndt's 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit electrified the nation in June 1995 and renewed many Americans' faith in the military. This book tells the story of the mission in the words of the men who commanded, planned, and carried it out. To get the inside account, Mary Pat Kelly traveled throughout Europe to conduct more than one hundred interviews, visiting U.S. ships and bases and UN posts in Croatia and Bosnia where participants were stationed. Adm. Leighton W. Smith Jr., commander in chief of U.S. naval forces in Europe and head of NATO forces in the Southern European theater, provides the framework with his day-to-day commentary on the efforts to find Captain O'Grady and a nearly minute-by-minute record of the rescue itself. In concert with Lt. Gen. Michael E. Ryan, commander of U.S. and NATO air forces, the admiral reveals the decision-making process that led to the "Good to Go" order. Readers then hear from the Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) team - the Navy and Marine Corps commanders, pilots, crew chiefs, and grunts who made it happen. Speaking for the Navy are Capt. Christopher Cole, skipper of the Kearsarge, Como. Jerome Schill, and their staffs, from the intelligence officers to the grapes who fueled the aircraft. Captain O'Grady puts his own experiences in the context of overall events.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 355 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; illustrated edition edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557504598
• ISBN-13: 978-1557504593
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > History > Europe > Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a very accurate and detailed book., June 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Good to Go: The Rescue of Capt. Scott O'Grady, USAF, from Bosnia (Hardcover)

Lance Cpl Williams, my cousin, was involved in this rescue mission. He stated that this book was accurate, and very well told. I myself, in the military, enjoyed reading this book because of the heroics displayed by all who took part in the rescue.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a GREAT book!, April 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Good to Go: The Rescue of Capt. Scott O'Grady, USAF, from Bosnia (Hardcover)

Moment-by-moment, we follow EVERYONE involved in the Captain Scott O'Grady rescue: thoughts they had, actions they took, decisions they had to make, as the situation unfolded, it is told from the standpoint of the commander, the men on the ground, the pilots of the 40 assorted types of aircraft on the rescue mission, and of course the man on the ground waiting and hoping for pick-up after days without food in enemy territory. This book held me riveted--you truly have a sense of being there, and certainly have a greater appreciation for all the "cogs in the wheel" it takes to pull off a mission successfully.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish there were more books like this out there!!, May 6, 1999

By 

Robert M. Pitts (Kingston, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good to Go: The Rescue of Capt. Scott O'Grady, USAF, from Bosnia (Hardcover)

I'm so impressed with our military. The men that flew into Bosnia to rescue Scott O'Grady are true hero's. This book goes into a lot of detail on how our armed forces work together in crisis situations. It's awesome!!