Books and Films
The War We Fought
This book is a compilation of stories and pictures contributed by WWII veterans of the 366th. Written by members, and published by the 366th Fighter Association, it details an almost daily historical account of the 366th Fighter Group "Hun Hunters" activities from its founding in 1943 to the end of WWII.
Vector to Destiny
Vector to Destiny: Journey of a Vietnam F-4 Fighter Pilot goes beyond the classic Vietnam war story to give you some insight into what it was like to grow up on a farm with a big dream. George's journey takes you from farm fields in Wisconsin to the skies over Vietnam in F-4 fighter jets. Share his struggles, failures, and exhilarations as he moves along his path toward destiny. His story is filled with riveting accounts of missions flown by a fighter pilot into intense enemy resistance. Along the way, there were indications of divine intervention. The reception upon returning home from the war was less than desirable. Understanding the plight of Vietnam veterans is a prelude to respecting the contributions of 2.4 million Americans who have fought to preserve the freedoms we cherish.
The author, George W. Kohn, is a Member of the 366th Fighter Association who served with the 366th, 1969-1970, at Da Nang, RVN. The book is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats, on Amazon.
Racing Back to Vietnam In 1971, United States Air Force flight surgeon John Pendergrass spent much of his time in the backseat of an F-4 Phantom, racing across the skies of Vietnam. This book follows John’s year in combat and his return to Vietnam, revisiting a country that, for him, is bound up in history, memory and emotion. A memoir of war as seen from the skies and a reflection on life’s high adventure, John tries to reconcile the Vietnam he saw from the backseat of a fighter jet with today’s modern Vietnam. Thought-provoking, heartfelt and gripping, Racing Back to Vietnam is one man’s trip back through time on a journey of rediscovery.
Wisconsin's 37
The signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 signified the end of the Vietnam War. American personnel returned home and the 591 American prisoners held captive in North Vietnam were released. Still, 2,646 individuals did not come home. Thirty-seven of those missing in action were from Wisconsin. Their names appear on the largest object--a motorcycle (now part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection)--ever left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Using the recollections of the soldiers' families, friends and fellow servicemen, the author tells the story of each man's life.
Angels Zero
A book detailing the 366th Fighter Group’s exciting beginning in WWII. Written by, Robert V. Brulle, a 366th Fighter Group pilot who had an active part in making that history.
A Fighter Pilot’s Story
Quentin Aanenson's personal combat stories & information on the TV documentary of his WWII P47 Thunderbolt experiences and those of other members of the 366th Fighter Group. Order Form
The Warriors
This is a story about, and written by, Bob Ross. Ross served two tours in Vietnam. From 1967 to 1968 as a fighter pilot with the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing and from 1971 to 1972 with the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing as Chief of Combat Operations and later as Commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Between the two tours he completed 438 combat missions and twice, towards the end of his second tour, was shot down. His stated purpose for writing this book... "I wanted to relate the gritty, often heroic, and sometimes outrageously funny adventures of the really good men I flew with in combat. Their story is long overdue."
Taking Fire
First published, by Casemate, in 2013. This is the story of the downing and rescue of an F-4E pilot assigned to the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. Captain Lynn Aikman’s F-4E was providing MIGCAP cover on bombing missions deep in North Vietnam. Only two days earlier the 366th TFW had been transfer to Thailand from South Vietnam. On June 27, 1972 Aikman embarked on his first and last mission from his new base in Thailand. Captain Aikman had survived the crash of his F-4E but was grievously injured. While ejecting from his flaming aircraft Aikman had broken his jaw, right arm and leg, and had dislocated his left knee. He had landed unconscious in the jungle along the North Vietnam - Laotian border. If captured Aikman would surely die from his injuries. It would be up to McGrath and the crew of his rescue helicopter to get Aikman out before the North Vietnamese found him. (Text from: The Guardian Angel a story of Pararescue in North Vietnam)
Into the Mouth of the Cat
This is the story of 366th Tactical Fighter Wing Pilot Lance Sijan. Sijan was always a special kind of person: as a kid growing up in the Midwest; as a cadet who made his mark in the Air Force Academy. But it took Vietnam to show how special he was in an epic of jungle survival and prison-camp defiance. On the night of November 9, 1967, Sijan was ejected from his crippled fighter-bomber over the steep mountains of Laos. Although critically injured and virtually without supplies, he evaded capture in savage terrain for six weeks. Finally caught and placed in a holding camp, he overpowered his guards and escaped, only to be captured again. He resisted his interrogators to the end, and he died two weeks later in Hanoi. His courage was an inspiration to other American prisoners of war, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Warriors At 500 Knots: Intense Stories Of Valiant Crews Flying The Legendary F-4 Phantom Ii In The Vietnam Air War
As the ground war struggled for success in Vietnam, it became intensely clear that the skies had to be owned by the allies for victory to have a chance. It was the F-4 and its pilots that made that possible. The author, a Phantom pilot himself, details intense stories of undaunted and valiant American pilots with their legendary fierce Phantom. These are personal stories of intrepid courage and self-sacrifice to get the mission done - whatever the cost. Fierce, unflinching battles to save friendlies and destroy a ruthless enemy are all recorded 40 years later. True tales of war at 500 knots!
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
This book explores the way Americans who served in the Vietnam War turned to music to cope. They listened to the radio, or on cassette desks or reel-to-reel tape players. They loved Hendrix and Nancy Sinatra, and especially songs that had anything to do with going home, because that was their main goal. And so many didn’t make it. Co-authors Douglas Bradley and Craig Werner: Bradley is a veteran of the Vietnam War and Werner is a professor of music and literature in the Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin, where together they teach a course on the war.
Fighter Wing
Fighter Wing, first published in 1995, is a nonfiction book written by Tom Clancy and John D. Gresham. It takes the reader on a Guided Tour of the U.S Air Force's first composite air wing. Following the end of the cold war, the USAF merged bomber and refueling elements of the Strategic Air Command with fighters and support aircraft from the Tactical Air Command to create the Air Combat Command. This marked the first time in the history of the USAF that such a wide range of equipment and manpower assets, previously belonging to its SAC and TAC Commands, were combined under a single command structure. The book provides an in depth study of the 366th in a desert war scenario. Some time after the first gulf war, and having had the distinction of serving as the United States Air Force's first composite air wing, the 366th was subsequently reorganized. Today the 366th is a Fighter Wing based out of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Although the 366th no longer includes many of the squadrons and aircraft detailed in the book it does provide a historical perspective on the wing as then configured.
Mock Two
In this book, first published by Trafford Publishing in 2010, Ron Oliver recounts stories from his military career: It's late summer 1967 at DaNang Air Force Base in South Vietnam. The 366th Tactical Fighter Wing has big problems. They just lost a squadron of F-4Cs to a rocket attack when a chain reaction from the initial explosion blows a row of the best fighters on earth. This event triggers headquarters to order changes in DaNang's missions which caused the wing to suffer the greatest losses of any Air Force fighter wing in the war. Into this teaming, ambitious, tropical cauldron comes the author, who, as a backseat pilot, would rather be anywhere else.
Broken But Not Abandoned
A veteran's journey to healing and hope. Following the loss of both arms and one leg to a rocket attack, this author Ron Schwerman experiences real healing, inside and out, as he regains his sobriety, his independence, and his ability to trust.
The DOOM Pussy
A novel about the early war days with the B-57, at Danang. The title is a combination acronym for Danang Officer's Open Mess and the cat on the Doom Pussy patch. Encircling the emblem are the words: TRONG MIENG CUA CON MEO CUA THAM PHAN which translates: "I have flown at night into the mouth of the tiger." The airmen's blood-thumping sorties officially were called Doom Pussy Missions. In her 1967 book, The Doom Pussy, war correspondent Elaine Shepard superbly captured on paper the full gut-wrenching drama of some of the bravest men ever in uniform and their special brand of raillery under stress. She knew them intimately, shared their ribald jokes, their heartbreaks, their rations and their gripes. Famed TV star and aviation buff Arthur Godfrey echoed military historians who called it a combat classic.
Horses and Helicopters
This book is a collection of father and son's recollections of the fathers Army career and the son's 20 years in the Air Force. The son, Jim Downey, devotes most of his part of the book to a questionnaire he received from the 366th Fighter Group Association in 1994. The questions focused on his experiences during his three Vietnam War tours of duty when he crewed aircraft while stationed at Danang (F-4C), Udorn (HH-53), and Korat (A-7D) Air Bases.
Da Nang - 2014
This is a link to YouTube videos, of Da Nang, taken in March/April 2014. In stark contrast to the sleepy third world town American GIs remember from the war years, Da Nang is today a vibrant growing city with high-rise apartments, condominiums, casinos, and luxury hotels. Yes, there are still tin roof shacks, and farmers who use water buffalo power for tilling their rice paddies, but modernization is taking hold and those too are slowly fading away.
This book is a compilation of stories and pictures contributed by WWII veterans of the 366th. Written by members, and published by the 366th Fighter Association, it details an almost daily historical account of the 366th Fighter Group "Hun Hunters" activities from its founding in 1943 to the end of WWII.
Vector to Destiny
Vector to Destiny: Journey of a Vietnam F-4 Fighter Pilot goes beyond the classic Vietnam war story to give you some insight into what it was like to grow up on a farm with a big dream. George's journey takes you from farm fields in Wisconsin to the skies over Vietnam in F-4 fighter jets. Share his struggles, failures, and exhilarations as he moves along his path toward destiny. His story is filled with riveting accounts of missions flown by a fighter pilot into intense enemy resistance. Along the way, there were indications of divine intervention. The reception upon returning home from the war was less than desirable. Understanding the plight of Vietnam veterans is a prelude to respecting the contributions of 2.4 million Americans who have fought to preserve the freedoms we cherish.
The author, George W. Kohn, is a Member of the 366th Fighter Association who served with the 366th, 1969-1970, at Da Nang, RVN. The book is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats, on Amazon.
Racing Back to Vietnam In 1971, United States Air Force flight surgeon John Pendergrass spent much of his time in the backseat of an F-4 Phantom, racing across the skies of Vietnam. This book follows John’s year in combat and his return to Vietnam, revisiting a country that, for him, is bound up in history, memory and emotion. A memoir of war as seen from the skies and a reflection on life’s high adventure, John tries to reconcile the Vietnam he saw from the backseat of a fighter jet with today’s modern Vietnam. Thought-provoking, heartfelt and gripping, Racing Back to Vietnam is one man’s trip back through time on a journey of rediscovery.
Wisconsin's 37
The signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 signified the end of the Vietnam War. American personnel returned home and the 591 American prisoners held captive in North Vietnam were released. Still, 2,646 individuals did not come home. Thirty-seven of those missing in action were from Wisconsin. Their names appear on the largest object--a motorcycle (now part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection)--ever left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Using the recollections of the soldiers' families, friends and fellow servicemen, the author tells the story of each man's life.
Angels Zero
A book detailing the 366th Fighter Group’s exciting beginning in WWII. Written by, Robert V. Brulle, a 366th Fighter Group pilot who had an active part in making that history.
A Fighter Pilot’s Story
Quentin Aanenson's personal combat stories & information on the TV documentary of his WWII P47 Thunderbolt experiences and those of other members of the 366th Fighter Group. Order Form
The Warriors
This is a story about, and written by, Bob Ross. Ross served two tours in Vietnam. From 1967 to 1968 as a fighter pilot with the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing and from 1971 to 1972 with the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing as Chief of Combat Operations and later as Commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Between the two tours he completed 438 combat missions and twice, towards the end of his second tour, was shot down. His stated purpose for writing this book... "I wanted to relate the gritty, often heroic, and sometimes outrageously funny adventures of the really good men I flew with in combat. Their story is long overdue."
Taking Fire
First published, by Casemate, in 2013. This is the story of the downing and rescue of an F-4E pilot assigned to the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. Captain Lynn Aikman’s F-4E was providing MIGCAP cover on bombing missions deep in North Vietnam. Only two days earlier the 366th TFW had been transfer to Thailand from South Vietnam. On June 27, 1972 Aikman embarked on his first and last mission from his new base in Thailand. Captain Aikman had survived the crash of his F-4E but was grievously injured. While ejecting from his flaming aircraft Aikman had broken his jaw, right arm and leg, and had dislocated his left knee. He had landed unconscious in the jungle along the North Vietnam - Laotian border. If captured Aikman would surely die from his injuries. It would be up to McGrath and the crew of his rescue helicopter to get Aikman out before the North Vietnamese found him. (Text from: The Guardian Angel a story of Pararescue in North Vietnam)
Into the Mouth of the Cat
This is the story of 366th Tactical Fighter Wing Pilot Lance Sijan. Sijan was always a special kind of person: as a kid growing up in the Midwest; as a cadet who made his mark in the Air Force Academy. But it took Vietnam to show how special he was in an epic of jungle survival and prison-camp defiance. On the night of November 9, 1967, Sijan was ejected from his crippled fighter-bomber over the steep mountains of Laos. Although critically injured and virtually without supplies, he evaded capture in savage terrain for six weeks. Finally caught and placed in a holding camp, he overpowered his guards and escaped, only to be captured again. He resisted his interrogators to the end, and he died two weeks later in Hanoi. His courage was an inspiration to other American prisoners of war, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Warriors At 500 Knots: Intense Stories Of Valiant Crews Flying The Legendary F-4 Phantom Ii In The Vietnam Air War
As the ground war struggled for success in Vietnam, it became intensely clear that the skies had to be owned by the allies for victory to have a chance. It was the F-4 and its pilots that made that possible. The author, a Phantom pilot himself, details intense stories of undaunted and valiant American pilots with their legendary fierce Phantom. These are personal stories of intrepid courage and self-sacrifice to get the mission done - whatever the cost. Fierce, unflinching battles to save friendlies and destroy a ruthless enemy are all recorded 40 years later. True tales of war at 500 knots!
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
This book explores the way Americans who served in the Vietnam War turned to music to cope. They listened to the radio, or on cassette desks or reel-to-reel tape players. They loved Hendrix and Nancy Sinatra, and especially songs that had anything to do with going home, because that was their main goal. And so many didn’t make it. Co-authors Douglas Bradley and Craig Werner: Bradley is a veteran of the Vietnam War and Werner is a professor of music and literature in the Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin, where together they teach a course on the war.
Fighter Wing
Fighter Wing, first published in 1995, is a nonfiction book written by Tom Clancy and John D. Gresham. It takes the reader on a Guided Tour of the U.S Air Force's first composite air wing. Following the end of the cold war, the USAF merged bomber and refueling elements of the Strategic Air Command with fighters and support aircraft from the Tactical Air Command to create the Air Combat Command. This marked the first time in the history of the USAF that such a wide range of equipment and manpower assets, previously belonging to its SAC and TAC Commands, were combined under a single command structure. The book provides an in depth study of the 366th in a desert war scenario. Some time after the first gulf war, and having had the distinction of serving as the United States Air Force's first composite air wing, the 366th was subsequently reorganized. Today the 366th is a Fighter Wing based out of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Although the 366th no longer includes many of the squadrons and aircraft detailed in the book it does provide a historical perspective on the wing as then configured.
Mock Two
In this book, first published by Trafford Publishing in 2010, Ron Oliver recounts stories from his military career: It's late summer 1967 at DaNang Air Force Base in South Vietnam. The 366th Tactical Fighter Wing has big problems. They just lost a squadron of F-4Cs to a rocket attack when a chain reaction from the initial explosion blows a row of the best fighters on earth. This event triggers headquarters to order changes in DaNang's missions which caused the wing to suffer the greatest losses of any Air Force fighter wing in the war. Into this teaming, ambitious, tropical cauldron comes the author, who, as a backseat pilot, would rather be anywhere else.
Broken But Not Abandoned
A veteran's journey to healing and hope. Following the loss of both arms and one leg to a rocket attack, this author Ron Schwerman experiences real healing, inside and out, as he regains his sobriety, his independence, and his ability to trust.
The DOOM Pussy
A novel about the early war days with the B-57, at Danang. The title is a combination acronym for Danang Officer's Open Mess and the cat on the Doom Pussy patch. Encircling the emblem are the words: TRONG MIENG CUA CON MEO CUA THAM PHAN which translates: "I have flown at night into the mouth of the tiger." The airmen's blood-thumping sorties officially were called Doom Pussy Missions. In her 1967 book, The Doom Pussy, war correspondent Elaine Shepard superbly captured on paper the full gut-wrenching drama of some of the bravest men ever in uniform and their special brand of raillery under stress. She knew them intimately, shared their ribald jokes, their heartbreaks, their rations and their gripes. Famed TV star and aviation buff Arthur Godfrey echoed military historians who called it a combat classic.
Horses and Helicopters
This book is a collection of father and son's recollections of the fathers Army career and the son's 20 years in the Air Force. The son, Jim Downey, devotes most of his part of the book to a questionnaire he received from the 366th Fighter Group Association in 1994. The questions focused on his experiences during his three Vietnam War tours of duty when he crewed aircraft while stationed at Danang (F-4C), Udorn (HH-53), and Korat (A-7D) Air Bases.
Da Nang - 2014
This is a link to YouTube videos, of Da Nang, taken in March/April 2014. In stark contrast to the sleepy third world town American GIs remember from the war years, Da Nang is today a vibrant growing city with high-rise apartments, condominiums, casinos, and luxury hotels. Yes, there are still tin roof shacks, and farmers who use water buffalo power for tilling their rice paddies, but modernization is taking hold and those too are slowly fading away.