A Lonely Kind of War: Forward Air Controller, Vietnam

An excellent war narrative from an honest and humble author. Highly recommended.

1. Short review: :-D2. Long review:2.1. What I liked: A Lonely Kind of War was everything I hoped it would be and more. Great story. Great action. I thought Harrison had blown the climax when he put his bail-out over hostile territory and rescue early in the last chapter. I was wrong. There was a better climax at the end.Roller-coaster or walk-in-the-park? Oh, roller coaster. Definitely roller coaster.This book gives great value for your money.2.2. What I did not like: Does not apply.2.3. Who I think is the audience: Look, anybody who reads English can enjoy this book, but fly-boys, especially blue-suited fly-boys, will get the most of it.2.4. Is the book appropriate for children to read? No. Soldiers' language. Not there on every page but Harrison pulls no punches.2.5. On the basis of reading this book, will I buy the author's next book? Yes, but here's the rub. Marshall Harrison died in 1995. He wrote this book, a kind of autobiography, and three novels. The three novels are  Cadillac Flight , The Delta , and  Leaving Brogado . Cadillac Flight is available in hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback but not eBook. The Delta is available only in hardcover. Leaving Brogado is available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook; currently, the sample from Leaving Brogado is on my Kindle.2.6. Other: I read a number of works concurrently. At last count, I am reading 16 books, one eMagazine, and one paper magazine (the relic of an old, multi-year subscription). I give each work its due attention in rotation. Except A Lonely Kind of War. I enjoyed this book so much that I broke the rotation and stayed with Harrison's book to the end. I'm glad I did.To those who know, Harrison's awards impress: Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnamese Medal of Honor, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with two Silver Stars and Palm, Joint Service Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with 20 OLCs (!), DFC with OLC, and the Silver Star.For those who buy the eBook, here are my corrections:Location 5066: ammo vice aminoLocation 5595: klick vice HickLocation 5666: Roj vice RogSome sentences are missing periods as well, but I figure those will not cause you problems. They didn't me.PS I do not know why Amazon insists that this review was from a paperback book. I read _A Lonely Kind of War_ as an ebook on my Kindle.

Educational, entertaining and hilarious. Harrison puts it all together in this work. If you enjoy aviation and the Viet Nam war as book topics, this is a must read.

It takes a very special kind of courage to go to war entirely alone. To deliberately make yourself a target so you can pinpoint who is shooting at you. It goes far beyond brave to do this time and again, month after month, knowing that even if it all goes wrong but you survive the shooting and then the plane crash, the likelihood of rescue is within whispering distance of zero.It takes skill that defies understanding to put danger aside and focus on keeping track of where you are, where your (usually tiny) friendly force is, where the (usually numerous) enemies are, and where the high-speed fighter-bombers you are controlling are. And to direct them to place bombs, rockets and gunfire frighteningly close to the handful of hard-pressed men you are protecting.And it takes an extraordinary ability to be able to put this into words so that you are there in the cockpit with Forward Air Controller Marshall Harrison and coming to see - really see - his lonely war through his eyes.In this remarkable story you feel his calm professionalism, his astonishing spatial awareness, his unflagging good humour, and his sense of honor. You feel, too, his (always understated) anger at callous and incompetent behind-the-lines heroes who routinely demand the impossible - then claim the credit when it is achieved, all the while denying those upon whose backs they ride to unearned glory the material resources they need and the respect that is their richly-deserved due.This small book about a tiny, but vital, element of modern warfare is an inspiring testament to the uncompromising and uncomplaining decency of those who make their choice in life and stick to it, no matter what.In a world ever-more full of spin, chicanery, superficiality and shameless politicians, it is heart-warming to see the world through Marshall Harrison's eyes. It is people like him who are the true American Dream.And "A Lonely Kind of War" is a cracking good read, too.

A whole lifetimes worth of experience crammed into twelve months.I was very impressed with how the author describes how he developed from a "sprogg" into a skilled operator.The book also gives a good incite into the political background, which forced them to operate with their arms tied behind their backs.

This book provides an aspect of the Viet Nam conflict of which I was unaware. The air support over ground fighting, the guidance of bombing missions and the sheer raw couorage of exhausted men called upon repeatedly to return to their essential tasks. Barnstormers in the flak!

Gets quite nicely into the nitty gritty of a Vietnam era FAC. Not always a pleasant read but interesting. Some bits show the absurdity of the US effort in Vietnam, others show how professional many of the troops and officers really were. All gives a good insight into the period and role.

A compelling read by all standards.I have read many books about the air war in vietnam, and consider this to be up there with the likes of "Chicken hawk" and "To the limit, These are both helicopter experiences, however the action and detail are of the same content. Well worth a read.

The author gives a frank , personalised account of his war and how he saw it as one guy, alone and vulnerable above the tree tops. His combat descriptions take you there , put you in the cockpit , inverted rolling onto the target ... You are there , low level and alone and managing the chaos from above . Epic read. Don't miss this one . A must have.