Download or read book A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A U S AIR FORCE FIRE FIGHTER DURING THE COLD WAR written by BOB ADAMS and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2014 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I decided to write my memoirs so my grandkids and friends might enjoy some of the adventures I had while I was in the Air Force. I not only did something interesting, I did something very exciting. I had a great life growing up. I had wonderful parents and I was allowed do a lot of things most kids did not get to do. I always wanted to be a pilot, so one day while I was in college I stopped by the Air Force recruiter, to see what I would have to do to become a pilot for them. The recruiter gave me some tests and I passed them. I then took a physical, but I did not pass the eye test. I decided to stay in school. When I passed the test to get into the Air Force, the recruiters would not let me go. One day during the Christmas break he called me and said he could get me into weather if I would enlist before the end of the year. I was tired of school, so I signed up. I did not tell my parents until the day before I was to leave for basic training and that was a big mistake. They were very upset I was leaving school for the Air Force. I had already signed up, so I had to go. When I got to basic training the T.I. thought it was very funny when I told him what I was going to do in the Air Force. He told me they would decide what I would do and to just forget what my recruiter had said. Up to that time in my life, I was a big shot and I did what I wanted to do. No one was going to stop me. The Air Force changed my thinking about that very quickly. I became a government issue [G I] and they owned me. After basic I was sent to school in the intelligence field. I hated that, so I asked to be transferred and I ended up at Carswell AFB, as a fire fighter. My time at Carswell AFB, was some of the most exciting times I had in my life. I went on hundreds of emergences and chased a bunch of aircraft down the runway in my time at the base, but I am only going to tell you about the ones I can remember. I do want to say these stories are how I remember them; I hope they are how they happened. To be honest, I did not like everything in the Air Force. I complained like all G I's, I found out the world did not evolve around me. My life in the Air Force was a good one, I was glad I got to do it. I grew up a lot during my short career I was never a hero. My mission was to put out fires, and that is what the Air Force paid me to do. I hope I earned my pay. I did learn in the Fire Department to make every day count as it could be your last one.
Download or read book The Life of a Us Air Force Firefighter 1960 1980 written by Ron Fink and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2018-06-23 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When I entered the air force so many years ago, I would never have guessed that life would take so many twists and turns. I would meet colorful people, have ten different duty assignments in three countries and four states, see many nice places, and have some rewarding experiences. With so many different jobs, I would learn that leadership is a combination of being able to follow orders and lead the team with the same enthusiasm. The US Air Force firefighting force is much different today than when I was in uniform. Gone are the converted military trucks that passed a fire trucks; now the equipment is state-of-the-art and the best that the fire equipment industry can provide. Firefighters at all levels are trained to meet standards established by the National Fire Protection Association, a consensus organizations of fire department leaders from small communities, large metropolitan areas, and the Department of Defense. I was proud to have been associated with the firefighters I worked with in those twenty years but wish that I had been able to participate in the organization that exists today. This book is about that adventure and those experiences.
Download or read book I Am an Air Force Brat written by Richard A. Draeger and published by Publish America. This book was released on 2006-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As children, the lives we lead are heavily influenced by the choices that our parents make. This was definitely the case for me in 1987, when my entire world changed in one day. On March 3, 1987, I was in a country that was alien to me (never mind that I was born in it). The life I had lived and the perceptions that were a part of it were shattered. I was an Air Force brat, one branch of the better-known "Military Brat" phrase, and I would have to learn to live with my new perception. In 1987, there was no book entitled Now That You Are an Air Force Brat that told me what to expect or how to deal with it. That is what this book is about. This book is about how I learned how to say hi and then good-bye to friends along with many other lessons.
Download or read book Jet Age Man written by Earl McGill and published by Helion. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nominated as Best Military History Book 2013 in the prestigious journal Air Power History, published by the US Air Force Historical Foundation The events in Jet Age Man took place during the early Cold War, an era that will go down as a period when civilization teetered on the edge of the abyss. To some, nuclear deterrence appeared as utter madness, and was in fact commonly referred to as M.A.D. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction provoked protests and marches, and the architect of M.A.D, General Curtis LeMay, became a symbol of madness himself. Raised during those turbulent times, most contemporary historians conclude that we were lucky to have survived. What they fail recognize is that for LeMay and the thousands of Cold War warriors who fought and won while serving in the Strategic Air Command, the proof of concept lies not in the "what if?" but in the reality, "what did." Historically, M.A.D. succeeded where appeasement, diplomacy and even hot wars failed. When The Wall came down, strength, not weakness, had prevailed. Most of this story takes place in the Cold War trenches of the Strategic Air Command. It is about those who served and the many who died, told by someone who, as a young man, literally held the fate of all mankind within reach of a switch. More particularly, this is a story of man's interaction with two bombers that changed the course of political history, and were perhaps the most influential aircraft in the annals of aircraft development. The author piloted and instructed in both the B-47 and the B-52, starting out as a copilot in the B-47, then aircraft commander and finally, instructor pilot in both aircraft. Jet Age Man chronicles his fifteen-year relationship with the B-47 and the aircraft the B-47 became, the B-52--a bomber still in service today.
Download or read book The Life and Times of a New York City Firefighter Fire Investigator written by Frederick Mercilliott and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The day-to-day activities of a New York City firefighter and, later, fire investigator as he deals with fires, fire-related deaths and criminals.
Download or read book I Always Wanted to Fly written by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2009-09-18 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until now, no book has covered all of Cold War air combat in the words of the men who waged it. In I Always Wanted to Fly, retired United States Air Force Colonel Wolfgang W. E. Samuel has gathered first-person memories from heroes of the cockpits and airstrips. Battling in dogfights when jets were novelties, saving lives in grueling airlifts, or flying dangerous reconnaissance missions deep into Soviet and Chinese airspace, these flyers waged America's longest and most secretively conducted air war. Many of the pilots Samuel interviewed invoke the same sentiment when asked why they risked their lives in the air—“I always wanted to fly.” While young, they were inspired by barnstormers, by World War I fighter legends, by the legendary Charles Lindbergh, and often just by seeing airplanes flying overhead. With the advent of World War II, many of these dreamers found themselves in cockpits soon after high school. Of those who survived World War II, many chose to continue following their dream, flying the Berlin Airlift, stopping the North Korean army during the “forgotten war” in Korea, and fighting in the Vietnam War. Told in personal narratives and reminiscences, I Always Wanted to Fly renders views from pilots' seats and flight decks during every air combat flashpoint from 1945–1968. Drawn from long exposure to the immense stress of warfare, the stories these warriors share are both heroic and historic. The author, a veteran of many secret reconnaissance missions, evokes individuals and scenes with authority and grace. He provides clear, concise historical context for each airman's memories. In I Always Wanted to Fly he has produced both a thrilling and inspirational acknowledgment of personal heroism and a valuable addition to our documentation of the Cold War.
Download or read book Contrails written by John William Jaacks and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2013-08-21 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CONTRAILS Memoirs of A Cold Warrior Jack Jaacks writes a moving personal account of a Midwestern farm boy who dreamed of becoming a military officer and an Air Force Pilot. During the Cold War of the 1950's an attack against the United States by Russian bombers carrying nuclear bombs was believed to be a certainty. America built an Air Defense system to protect itself. Nearly 2000 fighter-interceptor aircraft and 5,000 pilots guarded the skies above America Like fighter pilots of generations before them, the U.S. Air Defense Command pilots flew into hostile skies and lived out the dreams of their youth. And, like their forefathers, many died in keeping America free. No Soviet bomber ever penetrated the U. S. Air Defenses. Jaacks flew the first jet Fighter-Interceptors, the Sabers, Starfires, Scorpions and Delta Daggers in Alaska, the continental U.S., Canada, and in Europe with the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Contrails describes the intensity of a life of an interceptor pilot and how Jaacks became a member of the elite cops of aviators that was the first line of defense against a Soviet nuclear attack against America.
Download or read book From Lightnings to MiGs written by Russ Peart and published by Air World. This book was released on 2021-10-13 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Royal Air Force pilot chronicles his career flying during the Cold War in this memoir featuring previously unseen photographs. It was supposed to be just a training flight. The two Soviet-manufactured MiG 21s, each with two practice bombs and four air-to-ground rockets, were lined up on the runway in Bangladesh at the height of the Cold War, when air traffic control suddenly reported an incursion by Indian Air Force Jaguars. Though ill-equipped for combat, the two MiGs were scrambled. One of the MiGs’ pilots was an RAF officer—Squadron Leader Russell Peart. On a seven-month loan to the Bangladeshi Air Force, Peart suddenly found himself at the centre of the simmering hostility between two neighbouring nations. By the time they reached the area that had been threatened by the Indian pilots, the Jaguars had gone. Later, when Squadron Leader Russell Peart spoke of the incident to the British High Commissioner, he was told not to shoot down any Jaguars as the Indians had still not paid for them! Russell Peart flew many other aircraft in his varied career, including the MiG 19, and while a test pilot at Boscombe Down trialled such designs as the Tornado GR1. But it was whilst he was seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force, particularly during the so-called “Secret War” in Dhofar, that he saw the most action. In that theatre the author flew some 200 operational sorties, 180 of which involved live fire, during which he was hit many times. He was also hit and wounded by a 75mm shell. Russ Peart has written in detail of his exciting RAF career, from flying Lightnings in the Far East to winning the top prize in the International Tactical Bombing Competition against a handpicked team of United States Air Force fighter pilots and being awarded the Sultan of Oman’s Distinguished Service Medal. Supplemented by a selection of previously unseen photographs, this uniquely original memoir throws new light on the operational flying undertaken by some RAF pilots during the tense years of the Cold War. Praise for From Lightnings to MiGs “Absorbing and highly entertaining. . . . I have no hesitation in recommending From Lightnings to MiGs as an engrossing and enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in military aviation.” —RAF Historical Society “There’s some pretty jaw-dropping stuff in here.” —Rowland White, author of Vulcan 607
Download or read book My Two Hot Wars One Cold War written by Dale C. Ford and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2011-06 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1949, Dale Ford joined the peacetime Air Force. Two days after he graduated from flying school, the Korean War started. What a jolt that was! Rather foolishly, he had not really considered that he might be called upon to fly combat someday. President Truman's order for our armed forces to support South Korea in their fight with North Korea quickly changed that. After about ten months of additional training, Ford found himself in the middle of that fight. He flew one hundred combat missions against the Russian Mig-15 in the swept-wing F-86 jet fighters of the 4th and 51st Fighter Interceptor Wings. He was not a hero or a jet ace. He was just a buck second lieutenant doing his job. Ford spent three years as a jet fighter pilot and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Ford went on to receive a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University. In 1956, he joined Convair Aeronautical Corporation, builder of the world's first supersonic bomber. He spent the next five years working closely with and flying with the B-58 test pilots as a flight test engineer. They blazed new ground taking this four-engine, 160,000-pound aircraft to twice the speed of sound in the 1950s and proved it was ready for production for the U.S. Air Force. Join author Dale Ford as he relives and relates one man's experiences through Two Hot Wars and One Cold War.
Download or read book Pentagon 9 11 written by Alfred Goldberg and published by Office of the Secretary, Historical Offi. This book was released on 2007-09-05 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive account to date of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and aftermath, this volume includes unprecedented details on the impact on the Pentagon building and personnel and the scope of the rescue, recovery, and caregiving effort. It features 32 pages of photographs and more than a dozen diagrams and illustrations not previously available.
Download or read book Victor Alert 15 Minutes to Armageddon written by Lee Downer and published by . This book was released on 2016-06-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Cold War scores of United States Air Force fighter and fighter bomber pilots, both in Pacific and Europe, sat quick reaction alert around the clock, ready to launch on a moment's notice to attack Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union targets with nuclear weapons. This memoir mashes up, with some embellishment, events and personal experiences from the early 1970s in order to provide a look into the preparation, training and sustainment of the men assigned the onerous duty--called Victor Alert. My memoir gives insight into the mundane human aspects of life sitting on the "Bomb"--ready to launch in any conditions, penetrate a wall of defenses and drop it with precision. The "how do we get back home", if there was a home, was a bit sketchy. Aircrews leaving families unprotected and realizing our odds of returning were slim accepted these risks as just another day at the office. When the many years of painful lessons maintaining safe and secure Victor Alert ended, a culture of perfection lost way to other competing priorities. A few highly publicized incidents raised storm flags.Regardless of the implications, Nuke alert became just another part of our day-to-day life. The horrific potential consequences of Victor Alert duty, mixed right in with normal flying activities, mundane household chores and the joys of family life in a friendly foreign. For people stationed in Europe before the internet enlightenment, connections to family and friends in the USA were complicated, expensive and cumbersome. Our lives centered around the squadron, the flying schedule, deployments away from home base, and the weather, bonding our wives and children as much as it did us, the aircrews--pilots and electronic warfare officers assigned to the 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron. But all else was secondary to Victor Alert. Every detail was specified in war plans, concepts of operation, procedures, training manuals, checklists and rules of engagement. To insure we were prepared, frequent war games and exercises gave us practice and confidence. While we all felt absolutely ready to do our jobs if ordered, most of us wondered if anyone high up in our chain of command would be brave, or foolhardy enough to ever push the red button.
Download or read book Cold War Airman written by Pledger Moon and published by . This book was released on 2015-08-07 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Cold War Airman" relates the experiences of one of the young men who served his country during a time when the mission wasn't war but rather the prevention of war. It was the 1950s and times were remarkably different yet at the same time much the same. Airmen like the author kept the Air Force on the ready for what could have been a calamitous attack from the USSR. They didn't go to war but they kept the peace. The day to day life of working on the flight line was sometimes grueling but, as is often the case when several young men get together, there was always time for fun and laughter. This book tells the story of what it was like to be a young airman during this incredible time in history.
Download or read book The Right Way the Wrong Way and the Military Way written by Ron St. Germain and published by America Star Books. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An often irreverent look at life in the USAF from the Viet Nam era to DESERT SHIELD. Recollections of a Cold War Warrior who served 23 years in the US Air Force.
Download or read book Non VA Care written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Veterans' Affairs and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Pioneers with Intent written by Douglas E. Courchene and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Among the ranks of early Air Force fire fighters are some whom Mr. Courchene has singled out and designated as Pioneers. These men...helped lay the foundation of what is today the most modern and best trained fire fighting force in the world. They designed and established criteria for early military fire fighting equipment for the Army Air Corps, the Army Air Forces during World War II, and the Air Force after its establishment as a separate service in 1947. They set the standards and developed the guidelines that govern the career field. They created training programs and established schools. They brought their own integrity to bear in building fire departments that they and the Air Force could be proud of. Many of their stories are told here. Force fire protection, it does gather together in one place an amazing amount of information and numerous stories that might otherwise be lost with the passage of time."--P. v.
Download or read book The U S Air Force SAC and Me written by William C Prentiss and published by . This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a factual account of the author's experiences in the U.S. Air Force, beginning with his boyhood memories of the end of World War II and following him through his years of active service with the Strategic Air Command during the years of the Cold War. Prentiss signed up for the Air Force ROTC program in his sophomore year at Sewanee (The University of the South) where he became a founding member of the University-AFROTC band. After graduation, he began his active service at Pinecastle AFB in Orlando, Florida, where he became part of the Strategic Air Command. As a naive young officer, he initially had problems adjusting to the SAC way of life, but soon settled into what he now regards as one of the most remarkable periods of his life.
Download or read book Life in the Wild Blue Yonder written by John Lowery and published by . This book was released on 2015-10-22 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the life of US Air Force pilots during the cold war years, with special emphasis on events that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s.The introduction of jet aircraft, combined with the World War II mindset that seemed to disregard aviation safety made life in the wild blue yonder a very dangerous way to make a living. Many changes were required in both the fighter pilot operational philosophy and military discipline. The stories provide a look at various events that occurred during this period. As you will read, it was an interesting and challenging era, interspersed by long periods of great anguish for some and sudden death for many others. Of special note is our government's abandonment of number of our airmen who were known to be prisoners of war but who were not repatriated. The Cuban involvement with our POWs is especially distressful in that some of the POWs they held simply "disappeared," with 17 airmen taken from Hanoi to Havana for "medical experiments in torture techniques." With a combat tour completed in both Korea and Vietnam the author was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and nine Air Medals. He finished his military career with 7,500 hours in 28 types of military aircraft, of which 5,000 hours were in jet fighters and 460 hours in aerial combat. This is the author's ninth book; others include "Professional Pilot Third Edition," "Anatomy of a Spin," and "A Pilot's Accident Review."
