Da Nang Diary: A Forward Air Controller’s Gunsight View of Combat in Vietnam

Col. Tom Yarborough

St. Martin’s – Military Nonfiction

Used Paperback

Cover has wear mostly around the edges and corners. Inside cover is tanned. Spine has creasing. Pages are clean no internal tears, marks, or creases.

THEY FLEW LOW, SLOW, AND INTO THE FACE OF ENEMY FIRE…

In Vietnam, an elite group of air force pilots fought a secret air war in Cessna 0-2 and OV-10 Bronco prop planes-flying as low as they could get. The eyes and ears of the fast-moving jets who rained death and destruction down on enemy positions, the forward air controller made an art form out of an air strike-knowing the targets, knowing where friendly troops were, and reacting with split-second, life and death decisions as a battle unfolded.

For Tom Yarborough, the risk was constant, intense, electrifying. A member of the super secret Prairie Fire unit, Yarborough became one of the most frequently shot-up pilots flying out of Da Nang-engaging in a series of dangerous secret missions in Laos. This is Yarborough’s adrenaline-pumping chronicle of heroism, danger, and brotherhood in Vietnam. From the rescuing of downed pilots to taking out enemy positions, to the most harrowing day-long missions, here is the dedication, courage, and skill of the fliers who took the war into the enemy’s backyard…

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