Customer Reviews

Proud to Be: My Life, The Airforce, The Controversy

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Kelly Flinn ambles her way through her side of the story with little regard for truth or logic. There's definitely a high pitched whine which becomes ever more nerve numbing as one wades through this piece. I felt she contradicted herself on what she was told when as well as what was expected of her. Readers should realize key facts were also neglected. She talks about the hard life and the lonely nature of a woman at a lonely base in North Dakota. She talks about her "love" and need for companionship which drove her first to an enlisted man and then an enlisted woman's spouse. She doesn't mention that this happens within her FIRST MONTH on base! She also ignores or downplays the fact that two male pilots at this base were also removed for sexual misconduct and lying within months of her "troubles." The one truly interesting point isn't how the military wronged Ms Flinn or failed to teach her that lying, cheating and abetting others in cheating were wrong. The most interesting point is the effectiveness of a modern PR campaign in creating a symbol of purity and persecution from someone who failed to learn the basics of right and wrong despite everything including the U.S. expenditure of over $3 million and over 15,000 training hours. With her firm no longer on retainer, there's not much left. Read it for the poignancy of a soul lost or as an opportunity squandered, but as a saga of the struggle of morality in the military you'd best look elsewhere.

"Proud to Be" is a memoir by Kelly Flinn, a former United States Air Force officer who was the first woman to pilot a B-52 bomber. A sex scandal led to her 1997 resignation from the Air Force; she presents her side of the story in this book. While the story she tells is interesting, her approach to the material is quite troubling.

The book has a sleazy, self-serving tone. She constantly complains about the Air Force and tries to present herself as a victim, even while candidly admitting her violations of military rules governing sexual conduct. Typical quotes from the book are as follows: "I was a prime target for a predator" (p. 159); "I've [...] been singled out for shame in the media spotlight because I am a woman" (239). Of her married lover she writes, "But I just couldn't get him out of my mind" (168). Her constant whining becomes tiresome quickly.

Flinn seems to relish making allegations about perverse and scandalous sex within the Air Force community. On the Air Force social scene in Minot, North Dakota she claims, "Everybody was sleeping with everybody" (148). She seems to imply that her adultery should be excused because of the alleged piggish behavior of others in Air Force circles.

Ultimately, Flinn's argument falls apart because she seems to want to have it both ways: it appears she wants the reader to see her as both a strong, capable warrior and as a pitiable, abused victim. The overall gossipy and narcissistic feel of the book is quite distasteful. Still, it's an intriguing narrative, and despite the book's flaws Flinn's story raises some serious issues that are worth pondering.

Kelly Flinn was not "forced" to resign, she accepted a resignation because she knew she would be convicted. Her crime was not "falling love with the wrong man," her crime (in addition to adultery) was disobeying a lawful order to cease the relationship. Kelly Flinn and the feminists who love her saw her case as another example of an out of touch military hell bent on railroading her promising career. Hogwash. The reality is that she was given several opportunities to end the relationship. She instead chose to disobey direct orders. Rather comforting knowing that she was piloting nuclear capable aircraft. She played the media card and boo-hooed on 60 minutes. The Air Force, in an effort to protect HER privacy, kept quiet. It cost them in the PR battle, but they won the war, because Flinn no longer wears the uniform. This book is spin at its ugliest, don't waste your money.

Pre-mature and immature come to mind when considering my comments for this book. Flinn vented at the Air Force and its operating procedures as if, after eight years of service, she was still a SMACK (Soldier Minus Ability, COMMON SENSE, and Knowledge.) Say she has a fit of nervousness on one of her bomber test flights and accidentally drops her nuclear bombs - would she dare to ask for another second chance then? Would I ever want to be a passenger on a commercial jet she wants to fly - NO WAY! She is a spooky character who quite openly documented extremely inconsistent behavior in how she wanted to conform yet be an exception, wanted to be one of the guys yet be a woman, wanted guidance yet wanted to lead, she excelled in some areas of her flying career yet was remedial in others, she wanted to be strong yet was weak. Flinn disappoints not only in telling her story but the lack of color used. For example, her description of life at the Air Force Academy was bland and narrow compared with Carol Barkalow's richly described experience at West Point in "In The Men's House." I think she is lucky to have the general discharge and didn't do herself many favors in writing this book. Someday, when she grows up, she'll quite possibly regret the words she has penned while still recovering from not getting her way and realizing she can't have it all. It is my hope that her behavior won't ruin the hard fought path that true women soldiers have paved before her.

The book Proud To Be by Kelly Flinn was an interesting read. It opened my eyes to many of the rules of the military and how things are run. I started the book feeling sorry for her and for how she was treated. But, by the end, I felt no sorrow for her. Flinn broke the rules and she was court martialed. End of story. Flinn whines throughout much of the book when she really brings alot of her problems on herself. Granted, I'm not saying that the sexual assault was her fault. But she did have an affair with a man who was married to a military person. The story is interesting and full of stories. It was entertaining and a good read. But don't expect to feel sorry for Flinn in the end. I finished the book asking what exactly she was proud to be?

In this book the author covers the training of a military pilot well. Though interspersed with anecdotes that tend to do more proving up of her claim of discriminatory behavior by the male personnel about her during these times, than they do add color or depth to the story of her short career.

Sadly we are expected to believe that the author is blameless and innocent of any responsibility in this embarrassing and high profile, public relations disaster. Though she admits a great deal of drinking and less than responsible behavior throughout her schooling and career, the reader is expected to buy the idea she was clueless about relationships and powerless over her own life. That is unlikely for someone with the abilities and skills she demonstrated to become a bomber pilot.

Ms. Flinn was entrusted with nuclear weapons and the lives of crew members onboard her aircraft. She was entrusted with the welfare and security of the American people. I doubt seriously she was the child-like waif she depicts herself as throughout the book. If so, she should never have taken the control yoke and throttles of a B-52, because she admits she knew all this about herself from the beginning.

Blame falls on religion, sexism, American Culture, military culture, society at large and small town America. It is cast upon the administration, the media, conspirators unknown and begins to sound like Mrs. Clinton's defense of her husband that fateful day on the Today Show.

This is after all the author's side of the story and I was not expecting it to be objective but I was expecting it to be more professional and less histrionic. It becomes a platform for advance a foundation the author was championing at the time of the scandal and finally ends with a whimper. Not a bad book, in reality, there are some very good points made and it is worth reading. I do think a much better job could have been done.

Wow. Never have I read such a whiny and immature book. It is so obvious this book was written to cash in on the noteriety of what at that time was current events. In fact, no one will probably ever read this review, because I doubt there is any interest left in this little girl. Let's get something straight. Kelly Flinn was not persecuted by the air force. She was warned - the air force was wrong for letting her get away with it the first time. The military doesn't use adultery regulations against women only, or disproportionately against women - if more women are prosecuted, perhaps more women are breaking the rule. But in my 12 years, the only people I've seen punished are men. This book is a disgusting attempt to cash in on 5 minutes of fame, and the agent who brought this scree to print should be fired and never allowed to work in the publishing industry again.

First, the Amazon reviewer needs to get his or her facts straight: Tailhook was the Navy. The Air Force was not involved in any fashion.

So, she had an affair, broke a not-very-enforced reg that was held against her because of her attitude, and got screwed over by the military. Find any twenty vets and you can find twenty-five stories like this. As with any large organization, bureaucracy or government operation, and the Air Force is all three, mistakes happen, are misread, are punished or forgotten, depending on who's involved.

It's not a badly written book, and she's certainly entitled to tell her story and make a few bucks--this is America. But I can get a dozen stories like this at any unit reunion, and have a beer while listening.

Let's face it: had she not been on the news, no one would have cared at all. In fact, how many people remember her now?

I'm not ashamed to have served in the same branch as she, but I see no reason to blame the Air Force for enforcing a reg it clearly explains to all personnel. Again: ask any vet. We all got shafted in some fashion. All of us, including Lieutenant Flinn, have moved on.

Humm...found this book in a base library after all of these years. The issue is quite simple in my view, Lt Flinn could not, or would not, seperate her desire to be an officer and bomber pilot in our nation's defense from her hormones. There is no greater responsibility, or honor, than commanding our nation's most vital vessels or aircraft. My view is that she gave into her primal instinct for physical companionship and gave up the rarely issued privilege of decisive deadly force authorization. Not many officers draw the attention of their Service Chief. Lt Flinn's outcome was not only fortunate, but she most likely received concessions that others would not have. She did not fall-in-love with the wrong man, she betrayed the special trust and confidence bestowed upon her by the United States Government. I would encourage readers to research what special-trust-and-confidence means.

Don't waste your money on this joke of a book. Flinn is a whiny slug that is only trying to conjure sympathy with her story. We should all be thankful she's no longer an Air Force pilot--I'm sure the Air Force is.