Vietnam Above the Treetops: A Forward Air Controller Reports [Mass Market Paperback]

John Flanagan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 1993

A Vietnam veteran describes his experiences "in country," recounting his work for Project Delta, a top-secret predecessor to Delta Force, directing six-man hunter-killer teams along the Laotian border. Reprint. K. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of this outstanding military memoir describes his experiences in Vietnam as a forward air-controller in 1966, piloting slow-moving, low-flying spotter planes, orchestrating spectacular air strikes ("saturation ordnance") and shepherding the long-range reconnaissance teams of Project Delta, an autonomous Special Forces outfit staffed by Americans and Vietnamese. A strong writer with an eye for telling detail, Flanagan vividly conveys what it was like flying hazardous missions in monsoon weather, bending rules and regulations for the sake of the task at hand, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow warriors and waging war despite critical shortages and malfunctions. Flanagan notes that he became something of a burnout case near the end of his tour, flying carelessly and with a false sense of immortality. He was, he reports, "tired of fighting incompetency and educating the stupid." The most dramatic section of the book tells a two-part story of the loss of a Project Delta team in an ambush and the night 16 years later when a voice on the phone said "My name is Eleanor Bott Gregory. Do you know what happened to my brother?" Photos. Military Book Club dual main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

An Air Force officer's vigorous account of the Vietnam War. Flanagan always dreamed of being a flier, and attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado was everything he had hoped. It was strict, the training was superb, and particularly appealing was the honor code, whereby candidates were obliged always to tell the truth. The honor code served Flanagan well in Vietnam, which he volunteered for in 1966. Flanagan's memoir is not like Robert Mason's in Chickenhawk (1983), where the naive young officer is transformed into an embittered veteran questioning all wars. Flanagan is a straight arrow to the end; he stayed in the Air Guard after the war and eventually became a general. His job in Vietnam was to fly close in with small aircraft, to report and coordinate what he saw; sometimes, too, he had to don infantry gear and head into the jungle. Many of his blow-by-blow accounts of battles are drawn from notes, such as ``Team 10 located a VC work party...the Phantom 31 flight of three F-4s dropped 11 cans of 750-pound napalm right on them.'' His tale of a combat helicopter assault into a hot landing zone is harrowing indeed: scared pilots lifting up too quickly, grunts dropping from several feet in the air, a helicopter breaking apart. His descriptions of South Korean troops-- essentially mercenaries hired by the US, but fierce soldiers--are unique among American firsthand accounts. Flanagan's reportage is marred only by the sanitized speech of the soldiers: see James Jones, or Larry Heinemann. Much later, Flanagan became involved in the MIA cause, and yet he is never angry, only sorrowful. This is the perspective of a veteran who feels we failed because of a lack of resolve, that the news media distorted events or couldn't understand them, that the antiwar movement meant well but was wrong. Splendid tales of combat, but don't look here for what it all meant. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Dell (April 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440215102
• ISBN-13: 978-0440215103
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,199,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A look at Project Delta, March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vietnam Above the Treetops: A Forward Air Controller Reports (Mass Market Paperback)

It brought back all the fear, sadness and frustration of that december day in 1966. I was a 19 year old doorgunner on one of those gunships that day with the 281st ahc in Khe Sanh. I am 51 now and to this day it still haunts me.I was fortunate to be on several mission with Flanagan and the guy always came through.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Typical view of a FAC-cockiness ringed with truth, May 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Vietnam Above the Treetops: A Forward Air Controller Reports (Mass Market Paperback)

The author's view of the role of a FAC is very similiar to those held by the FACs of today (ALOs and ETACs). It is a very insightful look into the beginnings of the Close Air Support role-from the ground observers point of view. Few books even mention the CAS role in Vietnam.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, June 3, 2009

By 

Mr. Timothy Davenport - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vietnam above the Treetops: A Forward Air Controller Reports (Paperback)

Having been there and done that I can vouch for the authenticity of the writing. Even if you're a civilian you should be able to develop an appreciation for what another little known group of pilots did for their country.