This book is written for readers without military experience — a hundred photos and diagrams support the text. Many photos were taken by the author from his cockpit, while stock photos show aircraft types so the reader can see the aircraft in the story. The first half is the author’s personal experiences; the second half is stories that he heard from his fellow pilots. Our Ace of Aces, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, related a story to gathered fighter pilots of a victory in WW I. The author tells of dogfighting the F-106 against the F-104, challenging 20 Mi Gs off the coast of North Korea, and being involved in President Nixon’s ‘Madman Nuclear Alert’ of 1969. In Vietnam, he flew the F-100 at night attacking under flares and supported Cambodian ground troops in a bitter battle against the North Vietnamese. He tells his friend’s story of shooting down a Mi G in North Korea, then being shot down himself. His friend tells of watching a nuclear bomb test, and he closes with a story of his squadron flying P-38s in WW II, attacking the Ploesti oil fields and being mauled by defending Romanian fighters.
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Bruce Gordon was 7 years old and living in Honolulu when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and he remembers it well. On Christmas Day, 1941, he left with his family as a refugee in a convoy to San Francisco, only to return in 1943 when his father considered it safe. After the war, he went to Hong Kong and experienced China under British rule.Bruce returned to the USA for college. He joined the AFROTC at Tufts College, starting a 20-year career in the US Air Force as a fighter pilot and maintenance officer. He flew many Active Air Scrambles in Alaska, intercepting Russian aircraft and a high-altitude balloon. He transferred to the F-106 in Michigan, learning the SAGE air defense system. He learned aerial refueling and fighter tactics, with practice dogfights with F-104s. His squadron deployed to South Korea, where he intercepted Russian aircraft and buzzed a Russian fleet. He was transferred to Vietnam, where he flew the F-100 in 132 combat missions, attacking enemy troops and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Bruce returned to the USA with the Distinguished Flying Cross and 9 Air Medals. He helped develop drones and worked with test aircraft. After retirement, he developed and taught Electronic Warfare in Michigan, then went to Saudi Arabia to manage a business airline. He returned to the USA to work as a contractor developing software for tracking maintenance of USAF aircraft and Army tanks & multiple weapon systems. He retired again and lives in Georgetown, Kentucky. He has a wife, three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
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