Full Description
"On previous flight ops, when a launch was delayed, we usually passed the time telling jokes or exchanging the latest scuttlebutt. Tonight was different. Each of us sat silently with our own thoughts. All of us, I'm sure, made impossible promises to God, and I was one of them. My gut was wound so tight, it was hard to breathe, no less talk. For the umpteenth time, I tightened the harness of my chute. I remember praying, 'Whatever else happens, don't make me bail out of this thing!'"
With little to no recognition from the general public, navy enlisted aircrewmen performed heroically in the Korean War. Manning radios and radar, they were indispensable to the success of missions. Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class Jack Sauter was one such aircrewman. Assigned to the USS Midway and the USS Lake Champlain, he flew twenty-one early warning and antisubmarine missions from the backseat of a Douglas Skyraider with Task Force 77 off Korea in support of our troops.
From the excitement and thrill of being catapulted from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the tedium of service at sea, the author describes in detail his service in the Korean air war.
Contents
Foreword by Edward Peary StaffordPrefacePrologueBOOK ONE1. Taking the First Step2. Civies to Blues3. Tennessee Waltz4. Memphis Belle5. Virginia Interlude6. Rhode Island Reunion7. Guppyland8. The Best-Kept Secret9. Settling In10. A Medical DetourBOOK TWO11. Underway12. First Carrier Flight13. First Port14. Weekend in Paris15. Getting to Know You16. Prelude to Korea17. The Champ18. Death at Sea19. First Liberty20. A New World21. Crossing the Line22. Rained OutBOOK THREE23. The Real Thing24. Hitting the Beach25. The Last Act26. Peace and a New Skipper27. A Summing Up28. "We All Hear You, Dick"29. A Mountain in the Clouds30. Hong Kong Holiday31. A Last Look32. Retracing Our Steps33. Europe Again34. Homeward Bound35. Home AgainEpilogueBibliographyMilitary History of the AuthorIndex
