Customer Reviews

Hammer from Above: Marine Air Combat Over Iraq

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"Hammer from Above" is a highly readable book about the U.S. Marine Corps aviation support of the march on Baghdad in the spring of 2003. Ex-fighter jock, previous author of three aviation books, and retired USMC LtCol Jay "Guinness" Stout artfully weaves personal tales from the cockpits. Marine grunts have their own air force, from transport helicopters to Cobra gunships, all the way to F/A-18 all-weather fighter/attack jets.

Without air support, the Marines would not have as nearly as effective and efficient. To put it bluntly, U.S. soldiers and Marines have not gone into battle without air support since World War II. Air power is a uniquely American military luxury and an overwhelmingly inequitable advantage. Stout deftly opens the book with a primer on Marine Air. I must say the Introduction by Gen. "Buzz" Moseley, USAF, the overall air component commander, was distracting and read like a...general's pep talk or his retirement speech.

This book, "Hammer," the only one of its kind, provides insights into how our Marine air-ground team fights, and specifically, about battlefield preparation in advance of ground troop movement. It contains perspectives that are missing or barely touched upon in the oodles of Iraq War narratives from grunts and journalists that have been published. In a CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) scenario with two CH-46s racing toward Baghdad, Stout put me back into my own "PHROG" 15 years earlier as my flight closed in on Kuwait International Airport to medevac Marines. Except mine wasn't even close to being as hairy as the aerial action over Iraq in 2003, including An Nasiriyah (site of Jessica Lynch's capture), as written by Stout. He will strap readers onto a "Hornet" as it takes a rocket shoot and sprays its 20-mm cannon on a group of Fedayeens: "The pattern of projectiles tore into the running men; only three of the enemy fighters emerged from the cloud of smoke and dust." Whoever said war had to be fair?

Grunts are not the only ones in the military who can write; aviators, like Stout, can wriggle the "stick" and keyboard with the best. Strap in with Stout. Go on a night hop over the sand-stormy Iraqi desert. Check on your wingmen within feet of your wingtips or rotors. Experience the fog of battle in the air, radio chatter, equipment failures, identifying friend or foe, bombs on target, a Cobra gunshoot or medevacing fellow Marines. Finally, after a long night over Iraq, land on a rocking amphibious carrier in bad weather with low fuel. By the way, you're on the flight schedule the next day...after crew rest, of course. Semper fi!

I hate to use a cliché, but for a person who has "been there" this book is as accurate and real as it gets. If you are an aviation enthusiast or just very interested in military history this book is a must in your library. This is a piece of history that is still being written right now over there in Iraq. Highly recommended.

Mr. Stout's book HAMMER FROM ABOVE gave life the air war in Iraq. It showed what went on behind the scenes to win the offensive. It brought home what it was like for the Marines flying and those that supported them from the ground. This book was exciting from beginning to end, I read it in one day!!

Reading this book was like sitting in the ready room getting the debrief from my buddies who just flew the missions. The stories of the FARP's, C-130's landing in between potholes on the runway, ordnance going down range, the individuals who made the real difference, FAC perspective, etc... and the descriptive nature of which the story is told makes this book a must read. It is a very accurate description of what life was like in Iraq in the spring of 2003, highly recommended. Major Marx

Former fighter pilot Stout does an excellent job with this book. Based upon his knowledge of Marine attack capabilities and his personal relationships with most of the Marine aviators mentioned in this book, Stout puts you right in the cockpit and "down-in-the-weeds" with the grunts being supported by Marine air assets. Whether the action involves Cobra attack helicopters, F/A-18 Hornets, AV-8B Harriers, or EA-6B Prowlers, Stout has you right in the thick of things. His interaction throughout the book between air assets and forward air controllers is excellent and provides a seldom seen insight into how these teams interact during the intense ferocity of battle. He also does an excellent job of describing the emotion that is felt by Marines when their fellow grunts are lost either in the air or on the ground. This book is a must for any individual with interest in Marine air activity during the Gulf War. Highly recommended and insightful.

'Hammer' tells it like it is, and unfolds the Marine air campaign with accuracy, depth, and humor. Jay Stout has a gift for bringing together the micro and the macro, in telling individuals' stories and placing them into the context of an entire campaign. Beyond that...he presents the Green World like it is, with all its joys and Charlie Fox's. He tells the Marine story with love in every paragraph. We're lucky to have a writer of this caliber in our midst.

I purchased this book because a former student at our high school has an entire chapter written about him. Well done. It's about time someone's written about our helicopter pilots and the risks they take and the fighting they do for our country.