Hammer from Above: Marine Air Combat Over Iraq (Paperback)

~ Jay Stout (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former Marine Corps fighter pilot Stout (Hornets Over Kuwait, etc.) offers an in-depth account of the role that Marine aircraft played in the launching of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Stout relies primarily on first-person testimony from dozens of Marines whom he interviewed shortly after they returned from the war. These men flew and crewed in all manner of Marine Corps aircraft: attack helicopters, jet fighters and different types of support and transport planes. Employing a writing style that includes plenty of military acronyms and technological details, Stout focuses on the human element: tales of combat told by the men in the cockpits. He shows that, while the war was a nearly unqualified success, it still contained, as all wars do, mistakes along the chain of command, weather conditions that were unpredictable and, of course, enemy fighters aiming to kill. All of these factors led to American casualties, accounts of which Stout includes. In the main, though, Stout concentrates on successful, often heroic missions that create a solid image of Marine prowess. 16 –pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–As a retired Marine aviator, Stout writes with an experienced voice and convincing attention to detail in recounting air combat missions conducted in support of ground troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Introductory chapters set the stage for a riveting chronology based on his first-person interviews with Marines who participated in the surge from Kuwait to Baghdad between March and April 2003. The focus is primarily on the jets and rotary-wing aircraft components whose capabilities delivered firepower to infantry in an incredibly complex battle space, but tributes are also given to mobile teams who constructed essential repair and refueling points along the route, to tanker crews delivering supplies, to specialists providing communications and intelligence support, and to embarked Navy warships. Harrowing descriptions honor the professional skills of helicopter crews who survived being engulfed by swiftly moving, impenetrable desert sandstorms; the prowess of pilots delivering precision ordnance to suppress hostile forces along corridors adjacent to U.S. troops; and the dogged determination of rescue personnel performing under fire in rugged terrain to evacuate wounded Marines. Beyond these dramatic views from the cockpit, the book also contains candid analyses of lessons learned during the aerial campaign, whether related to flaws in tasking, execution, or equipment failure, and there is sensitivity to loss of life for both coalition troops and Iraqis. Sixteen pages of black-and-white photos lend impact to the personal narratives, and the volume's concluding glossary of relevant military acronyms is helpful.–Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891418717
• ISBN-13: 978-0891418719
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #482,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flying Leathernecks over Iraq, December 27, 2005

By	Quang X. Pham (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hammer from Above: Marine Air Combat Over Iraq (Hardcover)

"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!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real experience., December 27, 2005

By	David from San Diego - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hammer from Above: Marine Air Combat Over Iraq (Hardcover)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like being there!!!, December 28, 2005

By	Joe (Glen Allen, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hammer from Above: Marine Air Combat Over Iraq (Hardcover)

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!!