Full Description
With its fleet of large transport aircraft, the United States military can put personnel and equipment anywhere on the globe within hours. In the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in particular, virtually every soldier, every bullet, every pint of blood, and every bite of food have arrived in the war zone by airlift.
This book tells the story of one Air National Guard airlift wing as related by its members. The 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard consisted of a squadron of 12 C-130 cargo planes, their crews, and all the supporting sections--in all, more than 1,200 people. The author, a former Associated Press reporter turned aviator, flew as an active member of that unit and interviewed nearly 70 servicemen and women for this book. They include aircrews who dodged heat-seeking missiles, mechanics who made combat repairs, flight nurses who treated and transported the wounded, even two motor pool truck drivers struck by a roadside bomb.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1. Train Like You Fight
2. Condition Delta
3. Afghanistan
4. Where's the Runway?
5. Valley of Death
6. Kyrgyzstan
7. Salerno LZ
8. Defensor Fortis
9. See You in Baghdad
10. Alarm Red
11. The Speed of Heat
12. Command and Control
13. The Rockets' Red Glare
14. Road Warriors
15. "Civil" Aviation
16. Don't Shoot the Messenger
17. The Other War
18. Folded Flags
19. Mortaritaville
20. Healers
21. Arabian Nights
22. When You Least Expect It
23. Metal Has Memory
24. The Aviator's Prayer
25. Never Open Your Wallet in a Sandstorm
26. Twice the Citizen
27. Final Thoughts
Epilogue
Glossary
Sources
Index
