Wings of Gold: The U.S. Naval Air Campaign in World War II
Gerald Astor. New York: Presidio, 2004. 464 pp. Photos. Bib. Index. $26.95.
Reviewed by Captain Rosario M. Rausa, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Accounts of U.S. naval aviation and its epic contributions to victory in World War II fill numerous volumes. The subtitle of Gerald Astor's addition to the anthology of such works hints at the mundane, but do not be misled. Relying on oral histories and pure literary skill, he tells the naval aviation story in a compelling fashion that makes this book special. He lets those who fought the war bring it to life by way of their firsthand, I-was-there accounts. Some of the oral histories may have been recounted in other works, but they are presented here collectively in a well-structured, chronological fashion that captures the electrifying, if often somber, realities of aerial combat.
Astor traces the beginnings of naval aviation, setting the stage for those crucial events ignited by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His handling of Midway from an aviation perspective is made vibrant by the words of those who participated in the battle. At the same time, he succeeds in reducing the complexity of that classic confrontation, nearly making it read like a dramatic novel-a difficult task indeed. Operation Torch in the European theater and actions in the Aleutians also are covered.
Heroes abound throughout the book: James Flatley, Edward O'Hare, David McCampbell, Ed "Whitey" Feightner, Alexander Vraciu, Jimmie Thach, James Ramage, Noel Gayler, Wade McClusky, and Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa, to name but a few.
The anecdotal approach enlivens the narrative. Here are some examples:
"Leading a combat patrol from the Yorktown, lieutenant Commander Jimmy Flatley . . . noticed a Kawanishi flying boat leisurely observing the task force. He radioed the find to the carrier which replied, 'Where is he?'"
'"Wait a minute and I'll show you,' Flatley allegedly said. An explosion rent the clouds and fiery wreckage tumbled through the air. On the way down, pieces narrowly missed Noel Gayler, who remarked, 'That one almost hit me.'"
"Flatley answered, 'That'll teach you to fly underneath me.'"
With the Midway fight about to begin, lieutenant Clarence Dickinson remembered, "What (Wade) McClusky had distinguished first, almost halfway to the far horizon . . . were thin, white lines, mere threads, chalk-white. He knew those must be the wakes of the Japanese ships. . . . Among those ships I could see two long, narrow, yellow rectangles, the flight decks of carriers. . . . But that yellow stood out on the dark blue sea like nothing you have ever seen."
Dickinson also recalled reaching Honolulu after fighting at Guadalcanal: "We had nothing, no change of clothes, no pay records . . . and were invited by lieutenant Commander (later Vice Admiral) Bob Pirie to a cocktail party at the O club that night. We bathed and brushed our only clothes off. But when we arrived we were still wearing beards and looked like street people. . . . The admiral took one look at us and said, 'Get those four clowns out of here. . . .' This wouldn't have happened a year later nor with other admirals. Bob Pirie was outraged, but he was a lieutenant commander so there wasn't much he could do."
Whitey Feightner was flying wing on Swede Vejtasa when a group from the Enterprise (CV-6) could not locate the carrier. Feightner recollected: "It's now dark. We started to spiral down, and there was a ceiling of broken clouds, maybe 600 to 800 feet. . . . I see the clouds going by me. . . . We've got twenty or so airplanes, all stooging around. . . . About this time I noticed-my gosh-I could see the water in my wing lights. Swede Vejtasa was down there, making small turns and all of a sudden he just straightened out and headed off. What he had done was find a slick (oil) from the task force with his wing lights. . . . We were ten to fifteen feet off the water. I turned around and everybody is following us. Swede's leading the way and I'm on his wing. Forty-five miles away, we found the task force. He did it just by (finding) a bearing from that leak."
And here is Al Vraciu describing the Marianas Turkey Shoot: "I 'tallyhoed' three 'bogeys' and closed toward them. In the back of my mind, I figured, 'There's got to be more than three planes. . . .' Spot-gazing intently, I suddenly picked out a large, rambling mass of at least fifty enemy planes 2,000 feet below, portside and closing. My adrenaline flow hit 'high C.' I remember thinking, 'This could develop into a once-in-a-lifetime fighter pilot's dream.'"
Woven into the narrative of this book are cogent observations of the shortcomings of combat aircraft, especially at the outset of the war, and on the limited training young aviators experienced before being propelled into harm's way. The heroic accomplishments of these naval aviators, their flight crews, and those who supported them on the flight decks and at bases remote and otherwise, make for great and inspirational reading.
Captain Rausa is the editor of Wings of Gold, a publication of the Association of Naval Aviation.
America the Vulnerable: How Our Government Is Failing to Protect Us from Terrorism
Stephen Flynn. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. 256 pp. Index. 25.95.
Reviewed by Commander Jim Pelkofski, U.S. Navy
A multiple dirty bomb attack, perpetrated by exploiting the abundance of maritime shipping containers entering U.S. waters each day, results in an immediate lock-down of all ports and the cordoning off of our maritime borders, and precipitates national and global economic chaos. In his alarming and cogent America the Vulnerable, Stephen Flynn's nightmarish but plausible scenario illustrates a variety of persistent weaknesses in U.S. security, for which Flynn criticizes a range of players at all levels of government and the private sector.
Flynn argues that the "go-to-the-source approach" to fighting the war on terror overseas neglects the obvious that al Qaeda already has brought the war to U.S. soil. The traditional but now anachronistic U.S. approach to war perpetuates a "foreign-domestic breach" in our definition of national security that wrongly treats international and domestic security as separate concerns. The foreign-domestic breach manifests itself in a division of responsibilities where the national government and military confront international security challenges, leaving homeland security to state and local governments and private entities. The result, according to Flynn, is a country little more prepared than it was on 11 September 2001.
In addition, Flynn suggests a counterproductive division of responsibilities exists at the national level where the post-2001 creations of the Department of Homeland security and Northern Command are doing their "own thing," operating on opposite sides of a divide that differentiates between security and defense. Flynn proposes that by broadening the definition of national security to include homeland security, the conceptual framework would be created to develop a cohesive approach that uses the federal system to strategic advantage.
Flynn recognizes that deterrence remains viable for counterterrorist planning. Should deterrence fail, however, Flynn endorses development of "security maturity," a riskbased (and therefore not risk free) layered strategy encompassing "reasonable measures" that preserve civil liberties while balancing against measures that would otherwise paralyze the country and economy in the name of security. The author outlines a national philosophy that integrates security with normal daily operations, similar to the way safety procedures have become commonplace in civil society.
Throughout the book, Flynn emphasizes the salient but neglected point that security maturity includes candid and "sustained engagement of the American people" as an essential underpinning to any successful security strategy. He implores senior government leaders to "level with us" or risk fostering a dangerous false sense of security. In a world where terrorists can cheaply and easily buy direct or unwitting support for the multiple facets of an operation, Washington cannot deny itself the supreme resource inherent in an informed and mobilized populace.
Flynn's suggestion that the Federal Reserve System serves as a model for aligning government and private efforts in a Federal Homeland security System is an innovative approach to combating what is a new and different kind of threat to U.S. security. A national board of security governors, chosen from the talent resident in the private sector, would complement and supplement the Department of Homeland security and help bridge the gap between national efforts and public engagement.
The author carries a credible counterterrorism portfolio, including a 20-year career as a Coast Guard officer and a directorship on the National security Council staff. His opinions on Coast Guard and U.S. Navy coordination and cooperation, however, are dated. Both services interact better today than how Flynn recalls from his Coast Guard days. Although Flynn shares many of the views of one of his former bosses, Richard Clarke, he largely avoids direct political attacks and often empathizes with the budget challenges confronting the very levels of government and various agencies he criticizes. He acknowledges the magnitude of the task of securing the United States from terrorist attacks, and therefore endorses an approach that does not aspire to unachievable "perfect security" but rather aims for reasonable "risk management."
America the Vulnerable is a thin read, so its proposals lack detail. Though Flynn does not present a comprehensive plan, he does provide a provocative primer for action in an easily readable volume that, in the hands of the intended government, private, and civic audience, could advance the security maturity that he concisely and persuasively suggests.
For those in the government and military involved in the war on terror, Flynn aptly captures the conflicting feelings of foreboding and optimism that wrestle in our minds. As Americans, we believe we can do anything—but in the war on terror, we are haunted by the question of whether we are doing enough. Flynn argues convincingly that, in the period since 11 September 2001, we have not done nearly enough.
The United States contributes heavily to the 'War on Drugs.' Billions of U.S. dollars are spent each year in Colombia alone. Local citi/ens, tourists, and law enforcement personnel alike are faced with mortal danger from the myriad guerrilla factions that run rampant throughout the country.
American oil companies have a strong interest in Colombia, too, as only twenty percent of the country's potential has been explored due to the violence. Even so, Colombia's petroleum production now rivals Kuwait's on the eve of the Gulf War in 1991. The U.S. currently imports more oil from Colombia and its neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador than from all Persian Gulf countries combined.
When an American geologist is sent to Bogota to investigate the horrendous 1999 Colombian earthquake, he lands in the middle of a war, a war about oil. Adding to his troubles, he falls for a woman living with a dual identity, each vastly different than the other.
Order from any bookstore, or place your order through the Internet with any on-line bookseller. Available in hardback (ISBN 1-4134-1589-X),Trade paperback (ISBN 1-4134-1588-1), or in ebook format. Prices may vary.
Commander Pelkofski is author of "Defeat al Qaeda on the Waterfront" in the June 2004 Proceedings. He currently serves at U.S. Fleet Forces Command in the operations directorate.