War For the Hell of It: A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam

War-from 25,000 feet up. During the Vietnam War, Ed Cobleigh served two tours of duty, logging 375 combat sorties and over 1,000 hours of combat time in the F-4D Phantom II fighter/bomber. Unlike so many others, he made it back in one piece. And he returned with an experience-and a perspective-that those of us on the ground could not begin to understand. In War for the Hell of It , Cobleigh shares that perspective in an intimate account of his life in a war filled with moral ambiguity and military contradictions. This is an unprecedented look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star-studded night sky, from illogical political agendas to his own dangerous addiction to risk. With the aviation thrills of Flight of the Intruder and the military pathos of M*A*S*H, Cobleigh gives a stirring and emotional description of one man's journey into airborne hell and back. Author Biography: Ed Cobleigh earned his pilot's wings with the U.S. Air Force and eventually achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal for his service during the Vietnam War. Ed "Fast Eddie" Cobleigh served two tours of duty during the Vietnam air war, logging 375 combat sorties in the F-4 Phantom fighter/bomber. In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares his perspectives in a deeply personal account of a fighter pilot's life, one filled with moral ambiguity and military absurdities offset by the undeniable thrill of flying a fighter aircraft ... Cobleigh vividly recounts the unexplainable loss of his wingman, the useless missions he flew, the need to trust his reflexes, eyesight, and aggressiveness, and his survival instincts in the heat of combat. He discusses the deaths of his squadron mates and the contradictions of a dirty, semi-secret war fought from beautiful, exotic Thailand. This in an unprecedented look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star studded night sky, from the illogical political agendas of Washington to his own dangerous addition to risk. Cobleigh gives a stirring and emotional description of one man's journey into airborne hell and back, recounting the pleasures and the pain, the wins and the losses, and ultimately, the return"--Back cover "During the Vietnam War, Ed Cobleigh served two tours of duty, logging 375 combat sorties and over 1,000 hours of combat time in the F-4D Phantom II fighter/bomber. Unlike so many others, he made it back in one piece. And he returned with an experience - and a perspective - that those of us on the ground could not begin to understand." "In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares that perspective in an account of a fighter pilot's life in a war filled with moral ambiquity and military contradictions. With prose that takes you right into the cockpit, Cobleigh recounts the unexplainable losss of his wingman, the useless missions that he flew, and the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants instincts that take over in the heat of combat. He discusses the deaths of his colleagues, and the absurdities of the semisecret war fought from Thailand. This is a look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star-studded night sky, from illogical political agendas to his own dangerous addiction to risk."--Jacket. "The Pilot is in love with fighter planes, a beautiful woman, and Paris. He must choose one of the three. One choice would betray the woman he can't resist, who may be a spy or someone much more. The Pilot has mastered many fighters, from the treacherous Sopwith Camel to the stiletto F-104 Starfighter, fromt he Spitfire to the F-16 Viper. But this challenge is different. He can't shoot down the future, but the past may hold the key to his present. The Pilot re-flies classic missions and re-lives past love affairs searching for answers. Heart-pounding air combat spanning the skies of time involves him in a fast-paced melange of fighter aviation, espionage, libido, memories, and culture in the City of Light"--Page 4 of cover The Pilot is in love with fighter planes, a beautiful woman, and Paris. He must choose one of the three. One choice would betray the woman he can't resist, who may be a spy or someone much more. The Pilot has mastered many fighters, from the treacherous Sopwith Camel to the stiletto F-104 Starfighter, from the Spitfire to the F-16 Viper. But this challenge is different. He can't shoot down the future, but the past may hold the key to his present. The Pilot re-flies classic missions and re-lives past love affairs searching for answers. Heart-pounding air combat spanning the skies of time involves him in a fast-paced mlange of fighter aviation, espionage, libido, memories, and culture in the City of Light. Under Vietnamkrigen gjorde forfatteren tjeneste som F-4D Phantom II pilot i to omgange. Forfatteren fortæller om sine oplevelser og tanker i forbindelse med sin tjeneste som Fighter-bobmber pilot med 375 sorties og mere end 1000 timer i luften over Vietnam This book is a series of brief accounts of some of the most significant aerial combat that I participated in during the Vietnam War as well as descriptions of what happened to me on the ground.