On 31 May 1968, Navy Lt. Kenny Fields catapulted off USS America, in his A-7 Corsair II on his first combat mission. His target was in Laos, which at the time was officially off-limits for U.S. attacks. Fields call sign Streetcar 304 was the first to roll in and destroyed the target with a direct hit. Three AAA guns began to fire, but, following his wingman, he rolled in again. This time many more AAA guns opened up and Fields was shot down hitting the ground with enemy troop in hot pursuit. The Rescue of Streetcar 304 is Fields exhilarating narrative of the 40-hour ordeal that followed, in what turned out to be one of the largest and harrowing air rescues of the war. Before it was over, the U.S. Air Force had flown 189 sorties to rescue Fields, and in the process four pilots had ejected, seven planes were lost or heavily damaged, and one pilot became a POW for five years. This tale of a Navy fighter pilot s escape and rescue is a gripping story of courage and brotherhood during the Vietnam War.
Kenny Wayne Fields' first book, The Rescue of Streetcar 304---A Navy Pilot's Forty Hours on the Run in Laos, has earned him distinction and several notable awards. Because of its merit, the book is receiving serious consideration by two producers for a possible movie. In 2007, the book received a nomination as the best new non-fiction release in North Carolina, and it also was the number one selling book for that year at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC. In 2008, Kenny was inducted into Lincoln Memorial University's "Literary Hall of Fame", and he also received the Naval Institute Press "2008 Author of the Year---2nd Place" award.
Kenny grew up in West Virginia and Kentucky as the son of a coal miner and attended a one room school for several years. He was a three sport athlete at Big Creek High School in West Virginia, and a three year letterman in baseball at Lincoln Memorial University where he met and married his wife.
After graduation in 1962, Kenny entered the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate program and subsequently earned his commission and "Wings of Gold". During his twenty-two years of naval service, Commander Fields had operational squadron tours in the A-3B Skywarrior, the A-4L Skyhawk and the A-7A Corsair, and served as a flight instructor in the T-2 Buckeye and the TA-4J. He compiled 3,350 flight hours, 475 carrier landings, and 140 combat missions in the A-7 during the Vietnam War. He also was a certified Navy aircraft accident investigator.
After the Navy, Commander Fields was a business entrepreneur and piloted the successful start-up of two small corporate ventures. He and his wife Shirley live in Mooresville, NC.
As a side note, in late 2008, Kenny made a return trip to the remote battle field site in Laos where he was shot down. He walked the same area where he evaded enemy troops for three days and actually found his plane's crash site and brought a few pieces home.
Kenny is currently writing a second book and you can read more about him and the book on his website at kennywaynefields.com.
Past interests include: Varsity football, basketball and baseball at Big Creek High School in West Virginia and varsity baseball at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN. Love fishing, golf and hiking in the mountains....
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