Gerald Maclennon's Blog - Posts Tagged "stephen-coonts"
Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
BLOODY SIXTEEN written by CDR Peter Fey, USN-retired, inspired me to buy and read FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER written by his friend and fellow Navy Pilot, Stephen Coonts.
The purchase was something I should have done 33 years ago when Coonts first published it. I don't recall why I did not. Perhaps it was because the movie, Flight of the Intruder, was so bad, I figured the book would be, also. Wrongo. The book is a great study on the emotions and attitudes of the pilots. I didn't realize they were as pissed off as I was regarding the s**t targets of North Vietnam... risking their lives, for example, by taking out a grove of trees where military trucks might be hiding... but usually weren't.
I looked at the Wikipedia page regarding this great book and the not-so-great film -- both entitled FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER. I had to chuckle when I read about Stephen Coonts' effort to get published, because I've 'been there, done that' as well. Back in the 80's, he sent manuscripts and letters of inquiry to 36 publishers... 30 refused to look at it, 4 rejected it, and today, he's still waiting to hear back from 2 of them. Ha, as if he really cares. Ultimately the book was published by United States Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. And as follow-up, Coonts received a valuable endorsement of his book by bestselling author, Tom Clancy, and then, unexpectedly, favorable comments by then sitting president, Ronald Reagan, which sent sales skyrocketing. Clancy endorsed Coonts. Coonts endorsed Fey.
I've often said... I wonder where the pilots went when in port at Subic & Cubi Point. Author Fey touched on it briefly... of course, the Cubi Officers Club. They were equal to us enlisted grunts... Hell, more so in drunken antics. Author Coonts goes into that in detail. Funny thing is... even though I lived at Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Philippines, for a year, I had no idea (still don't) where the Cubi Point Officers Club was located -- probably up on a distant hilltop surrounded by jungle... far out of earshot.
FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER... here Coonts expressed the guilt he feels/felt for killing people who are not the real enemy, such as poor rice farmers. He talks about how easy, how sanitary it is, to release his bombs and fly away, noticing only a puff of smoke in the distance... and how he intentionally blocked thoughts of little girls' bodies being ripped apart by the force of the bomb explosions.
It does my heart good to know the pilots had these very human emotions. Once, during our 1967 deployment, my photo recon squadron mis-targeted a building. The photo interpreters said it was for ammunition storage. On our recommendation, the attack birds took it out. BDA revealed it could have been a schoolhouse full of kids. Unsure. That still bugs me... brings tears to my eyes. And I was not the pilot but I was one cog in the gears of the killing machine. Maybe if it really was a just war (by political science definition) I would have felt okay about the killing and destruction. Probably not.
[SPOILER ALERT]
I can understand why Jake Grafton (READ: Coonts) wanted to disobey orders by flying directly into downtown Hanoi, dropping his bombs on Communist Party Headquarters instead of dropping them on peasants who were just as horrified by the senselessness of the Vietnam Air War as Jake was... as I was.
You see, because president LBJ and his henchmen were micromanaging the war from the White House VIP dining room, the majority of strategic targets were declared off-limits. The general attitude among those fighting the damn war was, "Let's either fight to win or get the hell out of here."
1975, after the deaths of 58,000 Americans, Presidents Nixon and then Ford finally threw in the towel. What an embarrassment.
-- Gerald Logan MacLennon
The purchase was something I should have done 33 years ago when Coonts first published it. I don't recall why I did not. Perhaps it was because the movie, Flight of the Intruder, was so bad, I figured the book would be, also. Wrongo. The book is a great study on the emotions and attitudes of the pilots. I didn't realize they were as pissed off as I was regarding the s**t targets of North Vietnam... risking their lives, for example, by taking out a grove of trees where military trucks might be hiding... but usually weren't.
I looked at the Wikipedia page regarding this great book and the not-so-great film -- both entitled FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER. I had to chuckle when I read about Stephen Coonts' effort to get published, because I've 'been there, done that' as well. Back in the 80's, he sent manuscripts and letters of inquiry to 36 publishers... 30 refused to look at it, 4 rejected it, and today, he's still waiting to hear back from 2 of them. Ha, as if he really cares. Ultimately the book was published by United States Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. And as follow-up, Coonts received a valuable endorsement of his book by bestselling author, Tom Clancy, and then, unexpectedly, favorable comments by then sitting president, Ronald Reagan, which sent sales skyrocketing. Clancy endorsed Coonts. Coonts endorsed Fey.
I've often said... I wonder where the pilots went when in port at Subic & Cubi Point. Author Fey touched on it briefly... of course, the Cubi Officers Club. They were equal to us enlisted grunts... Hell, more so in drunken antics. Author Coonts goes into that in detail. Funny thing is... even though I lived at Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Philippines, for a year, I had no idea (still don't) where the Cubi Point Officers Club was located -- probably up on a distant hilltop surrounded by jungle... far out of earshot.
FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER... here Coonts expressed the guilt he feels/felt for killing people who are not the real enemy, such as poor rice farmers. He talks about how easy, how sanitary it is, to release his bombs and fly away, noticing only a puff of smoke in the distance... and how he intentionally blocked thoughts of little girls' bodies being ripped apart by the force of the bomb explosions.
It does my heart good to know the pilots had these very human emotions. Once, during our 1967 deployment, my photo recon squadron mis-targeted a building. The photo interpreters said it was for ammunition storage. On our recommendation, the attack birds took it out. BDA revealed it could have been a schoolhouse full of kids. Unsure. That still bugs me... brings tears to my eyes. And I was not the pilot but I was one cog in the gears of the killing machine. Maybe if it really was a just war (by political science definition) I would have felt okay about the killing and destruction. Probably not.
[SPOILER ALERT]
I can understand why Jake Grafton (READ: Coonts) wanted to disobey orders by flying directly into downtown Hanoi, dropping his bombs on Communist Party Headquarters instead of dropping them on peasants who were just as horrified by the senselessness of the Vietnam Air War as Jake was... as I was.
You see, because president LBJ and his henchmen were micromanaging the war from the White House VIP dining room, the majority of strategic targets were declared off-limits. The general attitude among those fighting the damn war was, "Let's either fight to win or get the hell out of here."
1975, after the deaths of 58,000 Americans, Presidents Nixon and then Ford finally threw in the towel. What an embarrassment.
-- Gerald Logan MacLennon
Troubled Water: Race, Mutiny & Bravery on the USS Kitty Hawk
Author Greg Freeman's account begins with, "...in 1972, the USS Kitty Hawk was going through the same social upheaval that was troubling the rest of America. The stresses were especially difficult for some of the young Black sailors, many of whom were recruited under a new Navy initiative called Project 100,000."
Men recruited through this initiative were called New Standards Men or simply NSM's. One retired Navy Commander and pilot during the Vietnam Air War said to me, "If there's anything RSM (Robert S McNamara) should rot in hell for, that's on top of my list."
Designed to increase the ranks and open up more positions, Project 100,000 eased requirements for test scores, intelligence, and criminal histories. Many coming onboard were inner city youths whose attitude and worldviews were formed by their experience on the streets of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Having enlisted October 1964 with release from active duty February 1968, I guess you could say I was "Old School Navy" because what happened in the five years between '68 and '72 absolutely blows me away. I suppose it makes sense that all the hippie and black power movements in civilian life were also infiltrating sailors of the Navy.
The pervasive illegal drug use should not surprise me. I think I was a very naïve 20-year-old Lutheran boy from Nebraska with absolutely no big city, inner city smarts. Still on my ship, USS Oriskany, CVA-34, 1967, I wasn't aware of anyone smoking pot onboard either. More of my naiveite?
In Stephen Coont's Flight of the Intruder, I was surprised to know Officers/Pilots kept liquor in their state rooms for occasional sedation after especially harrowing missions over North Vietnam. We enlisted boys did not... as far as I know. For us, being caught with booze would have meant a Captain's Mast.
With Project 100,000 came relaxed discipline and liberalization of policy. Freeman tells of the sloppiness, beards, long hair, non-regulation clothing, berthing areas off-limits to officers, no inspections, racial segregation of berthing areas and then high-ranking officers relaxing the enlistment standards. Dumbing down the Navy. Just like civilian grade schools... dumbing down. I've heard about Admiral Zumwalt's Navy and changes he instituted after becoming Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in 1970... some for the better, some for the worse.
In my Standby Reserve, G.I. Bill years between '68 and '72, I was busy being educated, taking a wife, making a baby. Thus, I wasn't paying attention to all the racial strife within bases of all the Armed Forces. Yeah, I heard about inequitable percentage of the Army's Black Infantry on the front lines of combat down in-country in South Vietnam but not racial strife at Ft. Bragg, Camp Lejeune and other homeland installations.
After I finished reading Troubled Water, I found myself thinking, surely the Navy got its act together after the Vietnam War ended. It couldn't have remained screwed up forever. I asked Commander Peter Fey, USN-retired who got his commission in the early 1990's. He told me, "I'll admit that the military I knew was 100% different... thanks largely to the fact that its now voluntary. That got rid of most of the issues... and now its truly a professional service. Duty first, and frankly woe betide someone that isn't a good shipmate."
Troubled Water: Race, Mutiny, and Bravery on the USS Kitty Hawk
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
Flight of the Intruder
Men recruited through this initiative were called New Standards Men or simply NSM's. One retired Navy Commander and pilot during the Vietnam Air War said to me, "If there's anything RSM (Robert S McNamara) should rot in hell for, that's on top of my list."
Designed to increase the ranks and open up more positions, Project 100,000 eased requirements for test scores, intelligence, and criminal histories. Many coming onboard were inner city youths whose attitude and worldviews were formed by their experience on the streets of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Having enlisted October 1964 with release from active duty February 1968, I guess you could say I was "Old School Navy" because what happened in the five years between '68 and '72 absolutely blows me away. I suppose it makes sense that all the hippie and black power movements in civilian life were also infiltrating sailors of the Navy.
The pervasive illegal drug use should not surprise me. I think I was a very naïve 20-year-old Lutheran boy from Nebraska with absolutely no big city, inner city smarts. Still on my ship, USS Oriskany, CVA-34, 1967, I wasn't aware of anyone smoking pot onboard either. More of my naiveite?
In Stephen Coont's Flight of the Intruder, I was surprised to know Officers/Pilots kept liquor in their state rooms for occasional sedation after especially harrowing missions over North Vietnam. We enlisted boys did not... as far as I know. For us, being caught with booze would have meant a Captain's Mast.
With Project 100,000 came relaxed discipline and liberalization of policy. Freeman tells of the sloppiness, beards, long hair, non-regulation clothing, berthing areas off-limits to officers, no inspections, racial segregation of berthing areas and then high-ranking officers relaxing the enlistment standards. Dumbing down the Navy. Just like civilian grade schools... dumbing down. I've heard about Admiral Zumwalt's Navy and changes he instituted after becoming Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in 1970... some for the better, some for the worse.
In my Standby Reserve, G.I. Bill years between '68 and '72, I was busy being educated, taking a wife, making a baby. Thus, I wasn't paying attention to all the racial strife within bases of all the Armed Forces. Yeah, I heard about inequitable percentage of the Army's Black Infantry on the front lines of combat down in-country in South Vietnam but not racial strife at Ft. Bragg, Camp Lejeune and other homeland installations.
After I finished reading Troubled Water, I found myself thinking, surely the Navy got its act together after the Vietnam War ended. It couldn't have remained screwed up forever. I asked Commander Peter Fey, USN-retired who got his commission in the early 1990's. He told me, "I'll admit that the military I knew was 100% different... thanks largely to the fact that its now voluntary. That got rid of most of the issues... and now its truly a professional service. Duty first, and frankly woe betide someone that isn't a good shipmate."
Troubled Water: Race, Mutiny, and Bravery on the USS Kitty Hawk
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
Flight of the Intruder
A second look at Stephen Coonts' "Flight of the Intruder"
The book, "Bloody Sixteen" written by CDR Peter Fey, USN-retired, inspired me to buy and read "Flight of the Intruder," written by his friend and fellow Navy Pilot, Stephen Coonts. The purchase was something I should have done 33 years ago when Coonts first published it. I don't recall why I did not. Perhaps it was because the movie, "Flight of the Intruder," was so bad, I figured the book would be, also. Negative! The book is a great study on the emotions and attitudes of the pilots. I didn't realize they were as pissed off as I was regarding the s**t targets of North Vietnam... risking their lives, for example, by taking out a grove of trees where military trucks might be hiding... but usually weren't.
I looked at the Wikipedia page regarding this great book and the not-so-great film -- both entitled "Flight of the Intruder." I had to chuckle when I read about Stephen Coonts' effort to get published, because I've 'been there, done that' as well. Back in the 80's, he sent manuscripts and letters of inquiry to 36 publishers... 30 refused to look at it, 4 rejected it, and today, he's still waiting to hear back from 2 of them. Ha, as if he really cares. Ultimately the book was published by United States Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. And as follow-up, Coonts received a valuable endorsement of his book by bestselling author, Tom Clancy, and then, unexpectedly, favorable comments by then sitting president, Ronald Reagan, which sent sales skyrocketing. Clancy endorsed Coonts. Coonts endorsed Fey.
I've often said... I wonder where the pilots went when in port at Subic & Cubi Point. Author Fey touched on it briefly... of course, the Cubi Officers Club. They were equal to us enlisted grunts... Hell, more so in drunken antics. Author Coonts goes into that in detail. Funny thing is... even though I lived at Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Philippines, for a year, I had no idea (still don't) where the Cubi Point Officers Club was located -- probably up on a distant hilltop surrounded by jungle... far out of earshot.
In the book, "Flight of the Intruder," Coonts expressed the guilt he feels/felt for killing people who are not the real enemy, such as poor rice farmers. He talks about how easy, how sanitary it is, to release his bombs and fly away, noticing only a puff of smoke in the distance... and how he intentionally blocked thoughts of little girls' bodies being ripped apart by the force of the bomb explosions. It does my heart good to know the pilots had these very human emotions. Once, during our 1967 deployment, our photo recon squadron mis-targeted a building. The photo interpreters said it was for ammunition storage. On our recommendation, the attack birds took it out. BDA revealed it could very well have been a schoolhouse full of kids. Not sure. That still bugs me... brings tears to my eyes. And I was not the pilot but I was one cog in the gears of the killing machine. Maybe if it really was a just war (by political science definition) I would have felt okay about the killing and destruction. But probably not.
[SPOILER ALERT]
I can understand why Jake Grafton (read: Coonts) wanted to disobey orders by flying directly into downtown Hanoi, dropping his bombs on Communist Party Headquarters instead of dropping them on peasants who were just as horrified by the senselessness of the Vietnam Air War as Jake was... as I was. You see, because president LBJ and his henchmen were micromanaging the war from the White House VIP dining room, the majority of strategic targets were declared off-limits. The general attitude among those fighting the damn war was, "Let's either fight to win or get the hell out of here."
1975, after losing 58,000 Americans, Presidents Nixon and then Ford finally threw in the towel. What an embarrassment
Flight of the Intruder.
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
I looked at the Wikipedia page regarding this great book and the not-so-great film -- both entitled "Flight of the Intruder." I had to chuckle when I read about Stephen Coonts' effort to get published, because I've 'been there, done that' as well. Back in the 80's, he sent manuscripts and letters of inquiry to 36 publishers... 30 refused to look at it, 4 rejected it, and today, he's still waiting to hear back from 2 of them. Ha, as if he really cares. Ultimately the book was published by United States Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. And as follow-up, Coonts received a valuable endorsement of his book by bestselling author, Tom Clancy, and then, unexpectedly, favorable comments by then sitting president, Ronald Reagan, which sent sales skyrocketing. Clancy endorsed Coonts. Coonts endorsed Fey.
I've often said... I wonder where the pilots went when in port at Subic & Cubi Point. Author Fey touched on it briefly... of course, the Cubi Officers Club. They were equal to us enlisted grunts... Hell, more so in drunken antics. Author Coonts goes into that in detail. Funny thing is... even though I lived at Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Philippines, for a year, I had no idea (still don't) where the Cubi Point Officers Club was located -- probably up on a distant hilltop surrounded by jungle... far out of earshot.
In the book, "Flight of the Intruder," Coonts expressed the guilt he feels/felt for killing people who are not the real enemy, such as poor rice farmers. He talks about how easy, how sanitary it is, to release his bombs and fly away, noticing only a puff of smoke in the distance... and how he intentionally blocked thoughts of little girls' bodies being ripped apart by the force of the bomb explosions. It does my heart good to know the pilots had these very human emotions. Once, during our 1967 deployment, our photo recon squadron mis-targeted a building. The photo interpreters said it was for ammunition storage. On our recommendation, the attack birds took it out. BDA revealed it could very well have been a schoolhouse full of kids. Not sure. That still bugs me... brings tears to my eyes. And I was not the pilot but I was one cog in the gears of the killing machine. Maybe if it really was a just war (by political science definition) I would have felt okay about the killing and destruction. But probably not.
[SPOILER ALERT]
I can understand why Jake Grafton (read: Coonts) wanted to disobey orders by flying directly into downtown Hanoi, dropping his bombs on Communist Party Headquarters instead of dropping them on peasants who were just as horrified by the senselessness of the Vietnam Air War as Jake was... as I was. You see, because president LBJ and his henchmen were micromanaging the war from the White House VIP dining room, the majority of strategic targets were declared off-limits. The general attitude among those fighting the damn war was, "Let's either fight to win or get the hell out of here."
1975, after losing 58,000 Americans, Presidents Nixon and then Ford finally threw in the towel. What an embarrassment
Flight of the Intruder.
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
The Hà Nội Reconciliation Banquet of Vietnam war pilots
Depending on which source you reference, about 2/3rd of Vietnam's American Veterans are still living in 2019... self included (though the grim reaper is standing behind my right shoulder). And even though 50 years have passed, the images of the war, and the losses suffered, are still vivid in my mind. And... communism is still the enemy.
It's just peachy that some American participants can now kiss and make up, as those at the Hà Nội reconciliation banquet did. Bless their hearts. Seriously. Don't get me wrong... I don't hate the North Vietnamese... I never did. I hate war and the political and philosophical differences that drive humans into such bloody conflicts.
At this juncture, I would suggest pilot hero Col. Nguyễn Văn Bảy was only alive until 2019 because LBJ & McNamara made all North Vietnamese MiG airfields and barracks off limits to USN & USAF bombers. The White House was afraid Russia might enter the war directly if we killed Russian pilots and trainers and aircraft. That particular fear (of China, too) cost the lives of many American aviators... and caused the torture of our POWs*, some unto death.**
In "Dragon's Jaw" by Stephan Coonts & Barrett Tillman, in the final chapter (page 266) the authors state: "Fifty eight thousand Americans lost their lives in Southeast Asia during that war. Their deaths in a cause the nation ultimately abandoned still rankles. Veterans came home to a nation that blamed them for the whole mess."
The word 'rankles', in this context, means 'continues to be painful.' In today's geopolitical scenario, rules and attitudes have changed. I know. But, I'm 72 and - as you can probably tell - for me that war, and everything I've learned about it through memoirs and histories (such as Bloody Sixteen by CDR Peter Fey USN-ret) continues to perplex and rankle me.
*Yes, I am aware that Nixon gave the "go ahead" for bombing MiG airfields during Operation Linebacker.
**causing the torture of our POWs, including pilot from my aircraft carrier, LCDR John S. McCain III for five and a half years
Dragon's Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
It's just peachy that some American participants can now kiss and make up, as those at the Hà Nội reconciliation banquet did. Bless their hearts. Seriously. Don't get me wrong... I don't hate the North Vietnamese... I never did. I hate war and the political and philosophical differences that drive humans into such bloody conflicts.
At this juncture, I would suggest pilot hero Col. Nguyễn Văn Bảy was only alive until 2019 because LBJ & McNamara made all North Vietnamese MiG airfields and barracks off limits to USN & USAF bombers. The White House was afraid Russia might enter the war directly if we killed Russian pilots and trainers and aircraft. That particular fear (of China, too) cost the lives of many American aviators... and caused the torture of our POWs*, some unto death.**
In "Dragon's Jaw" by Stephan Coonts & Barrett Tillman, in the final chapter (page 266) the authors state: "Fifty eight thousand Americans lost their lives in Southeast Asia during that war. Their deaths in a cause the nation ultimately abandoned still rankles. Veterans came home to a nation that blamed them for the whole mess."
The word 'rankles', in this context, means 'continues to be painful.' In today's geopolitical scenario, rules and attitudes have changed. I know. But, I'm 72 and - as you can probably tell - for me that war, and everything I've learned about it through memoirs and histories (such as Bloody Sixteen by CDR Peter Fey USN-ret) continues to perplex and rankle me.
*Yes, I am aware that Nixon gave the "go ahead" for bombing MiG airfields during Operation Linebacker.
**causing the torture of our POWs, including pilot from my aircraft carrier, LCDR John S. McCain III for five and a half years
Dragon's Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
