This work would not have been possible without the help of so many people. My thanks and appreciation to all of you. First to all the members of the company that kept me in the air and out of trouble during those nineteen months. I hope I have done justice to you and to those that gave all. May they soar with the Angels on the wings of Eagles; may they watch over those they loved and those that loved them; may they rest in peace until we all gather at the final formation together. To Howard Burbank for encouraging me to undertake this mission and coordinating with so many to contact me. To Mike and Dusti Scovel for the original cover picture and design. The cover is the most important feature as it catches readers’ attention. If they don’t pick the book up, they will never know our story. Unfortunately we could not digitize that picture for publication. Thank you to Joe Leonard, Ted Grossman, Ron Fender, Martin Beckman and Bill Hess as well as Bruce Sinkey and Joe Lyle for filling in some blanks and providing some details. To Eliza Dee, my editor, for putting up with my changes and coaching me through this process. I never knew before what an editor did except correct my grammar and spelling, but now I know they do so much more. To James Rosone, who has published so many of his own works and who provided me with encouragement and guidance. To Infidum, LLC (
www.infidiun.net
), who took my hand-drawn maps and turned them into incredible pieces. To my wife, who has read this so many times she is able to recite it from memory and finally told me to find an editor. To LTG (Ret) Robert Clark, who I first met on a PZ in Vietnam, and LTG (Ret) Hugh Smith, a fellow Vietnam aviator, for their guidance and suggestions.