Taking fire : saving Captain Aikman : a story of the Vietnam air war

This gripping chronicle of an aerial rescue during the Vietnam War offers a vivid example of the heroism of US Air Force pararescue jumpers. In June of 1972, Capt. Lynn Aikman was returning from a bombing mission over North Vietnam when his F-4 Phantom was shot down. He and his backseater Tom Hanton ejected from their aircraft, but Hanton landed near a village and was quickly captured. Badly injured during the ejection, Aikman landed some distance from the village, making it possible for an American aerial rescue team to reach him before the enemy. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Aikman saw his guardian angel in the sky: USAF Pararescue Jumper Chuck McGrath. But as Sgt. McGrath prepared to hook the Aikman to a hoist line, hostile fire on the rescue helicopter damaged the hoist mechanism. As A-1 Skyraiders kept an enemy militia away from Aikman and McGrath, the helicopter crew scrambled to come up with a plan. More than a chronicle of the events of June 27, 1972, Taking Fire provides an up-close look at the little-known world of the US Air Force's elite aerial rescue force. American military special operations forcesRangers, SEALs, and othershave become a well-recognized and highly respected part of our popular culture. But whom do these elite warriors look to in their times of greatest need: when wounded on the battlefield, cut off deep behind enemy lines, or adrift in the expanse of the worlds oceans? They look skyward, hoping to catch a glimpse of their own personal guardian angel: a U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper (PJ) who lives, and sometimes dies, by the motto that others may live.Taking Fire provides an up-close look into the heroism and mystique of this little known segment of the Air Force Special Tactics community by focusing on one of the most dramatic rescues of the Vietnam War. It was June 1972 and Capt. Lynn Aikman is returning from a bombing mission over North Vietnam when his F-4 Phantom is jumped by an enemy MiG and shot down. He and his backseater Tom Hanton eject from their crippled aircraft, but Hanton lands near a village and is quickly captured by local militia. Badly injured during the ejection, Aikman lands some distance from the village, and there is a chance that he can be recovered if American rescuers can reach him before the enemy does.Now on the ground and drifting in and out of consciousness, Captain Aikman looks up and suddenly sees his guardian angel in the form of USAF Pararescue Jumper Chuck McGrath. As Sergeant McGrath is preparing to hook the downed pilot to a hoist line, he sees it fall to the ground. Hostile fire on the hovering Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter has damaged the hoist mechanism causing the operator to cut the line. While circling A-1 Skyraiders strafe the militia to keep them away from Aikman and McGrath, the helicopter crew races to come up with a plan. Its getting dark, and theyll only have one chance.Taking Fire is an exciting, highly dramatic story of life and death over North Vietnam. Much more than a chronicle the events of 27 June 1972, the book gives the reader an up-close look at the little known world of the U.S. Air Forces elite aerial rescue force. [Elib]