A not so brief word on my relative absence the last few days. I have been busy - back in Viet Nam at a time before my tour occurred. By book, but not just any book. I’ve been reading, nearly round-the-clock.

All of us who were in Viet Nam knew about the FACs, the Forward Air Controllers. These were pilots who flew small Cessna O-1 Bird Dog aircraft slow and low over the battlefield, armed only with smoke rockets which they used for marking targets from the air for attack by faster moving jets. Of course this was hazardous work, since the aircraft could be easily shot down by even the lightest of infantry weapons, and then his only chance of survival would be to crash his aircraft somewhere away from the angry VC, and hope that a helicopter or US troops would find him first. Repeatedly these pilots made a difference down South. But what about over North Viet Nam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail? There a FAC was just as essential if bombing was ever to hit anything, but when the North Vietnamese began stiffening the defenses with of lots of 37mm and 57mm antiaircraft weapons, an O-1 Bird Dog would not last long enough to call in an airstrike.

The solution to this problem was (then) Major George "Bud" Day, famous for his resistance as a POW. In July 1967 he organized a top secret unit at Phu Cat air base equipped with F-100F Super Sabres to perform high speed FAC duties over the southern part of North Viet. Nam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They took the call sign "Misty". The F-100F was an armed, two seat combat trainer version of the single seat F-100D fighter. The original F-100A had been the first US combat aircraft capable of breaking Mach 1 in level flight, but by the summer of 1967 it was a bit long in the tooth, though still very capable of carrying bombs and rockets, and reaching up north. On FAC missions the second seal was used for a second pilot functioning as observer. However, this was still extremely hazardous. Bud Day was shot down and captured during one of the early missions. Of the 157 pilots who flew with Misty between July 1967 and May 1970 when they stood down, 34 were shot down, two of them twice, a loss rate of 22%. Three were captured, and 7 declared MIA. And this despite the fact that most of the Mistys flew only four month details as a part of their one year combat tours. Certainly one of the most hazardous duties during the war.

The story is now told in Bury Us Upside Down, The Misty Pilots and the secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail, by Rick Newman and Don Shepperd, Ballantine Books, 2006. About two years ago, I became friendly with Don Shepperd via e-mail discussion during the last election. At the time, I knew little about him, save that he had retired from the Air Force as a Major General and commander of the Air National Guard. Only later did I learn that he had flown 58 missions as a Misty from December 1967 to April 1968, one of the war’s most difficult periods, making him eminently qualified to write this book. In fact he personally participated in several of their most momentous moments, including the first encounters with SA-2 missiles along The Trail, and was part of the mission which discovered that the Lang Vei SF camp had been overrun by NVA tanks, for their first use during the war.

Don Shepperd, who describes his own activities in a detached third person, gives far more attention to the other Misty members. Another of their famous alumni was Dick Rutan, now famous for his unrefueled round the world flight in 1986 aboard the Voyager. Though there is a load of adventure here, and all the vicarious pucker any reader could want, there is also much insight about the Air force and the air war, adding to our understanding of what they contributed, and how they fell short. And there is also much tragedy.

About 20% of the book is devoted to the issue of the POWs and the question of the MIAs., during and after the war, and is one of the most useful and enlightening sections. The author shows that the Air Force was well-meaning but seriously insensitive in dealing with the families of the POWs and MIAs. They refused to share information, tried to order around civilian family members as if they too were military, and sometimes even treated them as a nuisance best shoved into the attic. But he also has some insightful, if sympathetic criticism of some of the families, who lost control of their emotions, refused to face reality and sometimes did things not well considered, which made the situation worse, by playing into the hands of the Vietnamese communists. The North Vietnamese had scant regard for their own people, whom they sacrificed with reckless abandon, and were amazed at the fanatic devotion the Americans showed to their missing and prisoners. They recognized this as America’s weakness, and learned to use it to their advantage. This section should be read and considered by people contemplating our current military situation and the near future.

Bury Us Upside Down is a book which should be read by three groups of people, those like me who are airplane nuts, those like me who are seriously interested in the Viet Nam War, and those like me who care deeply about military issues. And anybody else who wants a book full of heart-pausing action.

-Rurik

Contributed by George Mellinger on August 8, 2006 at 03:18 PM in Best of Old War Dogs, Books, George Mellinger, US Air Force | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: Bill Faith

Excellent, George. "Best of ... " This is my current top candidate for tomorrow's featured post.

Posted by: Bill Faith | Aug 8, 2006 3:37:22 PM

Posted by: Jim Bartimus

Thanks for the heads up on that one Rurik.I figure if you took the time to read it and recommend it, well, it's probably worth my time also. However, if I was to read all the books you have recommended in our brief association, I'd have nothing to do but read for the next 6 months. Looks like we may all have to get busy before this thing is over with.
Think I'll go watch the news for some real information now. I'll be funny later after I get my share of BS from the NME. They make me smile.

Posted by: Jim Bartimus | Aug 8, 2006 8:26:50 PM

Posted by: Jim Bartimus

Thanks for the heads up on that one Rurik.I figure if you took the time to read it and recommend it, well, it's probably worth my time also. However, if I was to read all the books you have recommended in our brief association, I'd have nothing to do but read for the next 6 months. Looks like we may all have to get busy before this thing is over with.
Think I'll go watch the news for some real information now. I'll be funny later after I get my share of BS from the NME. They make me smile.

Posted by: Jim Bartimus | Aug 8, 2006 8:27:11 PM

Posted by: Jim Bartimus

Thanks for the heads up on that one Rurik.I figure if you took the time to read it and recommend it, well, it's probably worth my time also. However, if I was to read all the books you have recommended in our brief association, I'd have nothing to do but read for the next 6 months. Looks like we may all have to get busy before this thing is over with.
Think I'll go watch the news for some "real information" now. I'll be funny later.

Posted by: Jim Bartimus | Aug 8, 2006 8:28:43 PM

Posted by: Jim Bartimus

Sorry about the multiple post, I didn't use the proper windage. Oil wells...

Posted by: Jim Bartimus | Aug 8, 2006 8:33:09 PM

Posted by: 1st Cav

'Bury Us Upside Down'is definitely on my list of must reads. I find it such a coincidence that currently I'm reading a similar book about FAC's titled 'Da Nang Diary.' It was given to me by the author's (Col. Tom Yarborough) brother, Lt. Col. Neill Yarborough, who just happens to be my platoon LT with B 2/5th Cav in Vietnam. We just found each other a few weeks back and his health is not good. Performing rotational duties as a squad RTO for a short stint, I sometimes communicated or listened to the FAC traffic and was always amazed at the coordination. In a great measure I owe my life to some very brave FACs in Vietnam. They have my most deep respect.
Congratulations to Don Shepperd.

A very thankful Grunt,

1st Cav Div (AM)
3rd Bde (sep)
B 2/5th Cav MR III
D 1/12th Cav MR II

Posted by: 1st Cav | Aug 8, 2006 11:02:18 PM

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