Lightning Rod: A History of the Air Force Chief Scientist's Office [Paperback]

Dwayne A. Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2005

This book traces the history of the office of the Chief Scientist of the Air Force over its 50 years, from its roots to the present, including remembrances from those who filled the position. It illuminates many changes that have occurred over those years as the country moved from peace to war and back again, as national security demands on the Air Force evolved, and as reorganizations and power shifts have taken place within the service and the Department of Defense. It also shows that the primary purpose of the office, to provide objective and timely advice to Air Force senior leadership on science and technology, has remained constant throughout.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: University Press of the Pacific (February 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410220575
• ISBN-13: 978-1410220578
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Informative, March 22, 2009

By 

George P. Burdell (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Dwayne Day does a great job at documenting the often-forgotten stories of the men who have held the office of the Air Force Chief Scientist through the year 1999. The accounts are ordered chronologically, and in this sense they are easy to follow (there is also a very cool fold-out timeline at the end of the book showing the overlapping terms of the Chief Scientists, Air Force Chiefs of Staff, and Secretaries of the Air Force). Day also extensively documents the origin of the office of the Chief Scientist in the late 1940s and early 1950s. I would highly recommend this as a reference source for those interested in the Chief Scientist's office or the biographies and achievements of the men who served in it. I would be less inclined, however, to recommend it to those thinking of reading it for pleasure, since the rather unembellished factual accounts in the book do not make it engrossing enough for one to read hours on end.