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The Squadron Shelf
BogiDope team,
A group like this is always on the hunt for new knowledge and expanded horizons. I would be willing to bet there are a lot of readers in the group. This discussion thread can serve as the “squadron shelf” where you can leave your aviation/military book recommendations or stop by for your next read. Title/author works great; if you can give a one-sentence summary even better. -
5 Replies
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I’ll go first: “A Nightmare’s Prayer”. Great account of the first USMC Harrier unit to stand up ops at Bagram in 2002.
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Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram
This book was an awesome deep dive into old-school fighter culture and the behind-the-scenes politics that shaped some of the most iconic jets still flying today, including the F-15, F-16, and B-1. It really highlights the value of doing your homework and being prepared, but maybe even more so, it shows the importance of treating other with kindness and respect. Boyd was probably one of the most influential figures the Air Force ever had, but he spent most of his career fighting uphill battles, partly because he practically insisted on being difficult to work with. It’s a fascinating mix of a brilliant mind and a complicated human and left me thinking about what it means to be a leader and what I want my legacy to be when all is said and done.
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The Unsubstantial Air by Samuel Hynes, about American fighter pilots in WW1, was really good. He flew TBMs in WW2 and you can definitely tell it’s a book written by a pilot who really understood why they did what they did. Into the Teeth of the Tiger by Donald Lopez is another good WW2 one, he flew in China. An Officer, Not a Gentleman by Mandy Hickson covers her training and time as an RAF tornado pilot, really great descriptions of fast low-level flying. For non-military aviation Success on the Step, which is a history of Kenmore Air, is amazing—they have done some absolutely insane mountain flying and bush flying around the northwest. Not in print anymore but you can find it pretty cheap on eBay. For non-aviation military The Junior Officer’s Reading Club by Patrick Hennessy is one of the best accounts I’ve read of early 21st century war(s) from the non-SOF ground troops side.
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A couple of my favorite books in the last couple years are Across the Fence and On the Ground by John Stryker Meyer. John is a Vietnam-era Green Beret. These books are about the cross-border operations conducted by MACV-SOG during the 8-year secret war during Vietnam. MACV-SOG, or SOG for short, primarily operated by sending small teams, usually 6-10, of American SF and their indigenous counterparts. They would operate in Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam doing recon, wire taps, POW snatches, etc. along the Ho Chi Minh trail. The stories are absolutely insane. These small teams often engaged against enemy forces numbering hundreds and thousands. Time and time again, they found a way to extract. In large part to the air assets providing cover for them. SOG often used Marine Corps and Army gunships, and the A-1. Very cool to learn how significant this CAS was to their survival. If you are ever at WPAFB for FC1, make sure to stop by the National Museum of the US Air Force because in the Southeast Asia conflict hangar there is some awesome history about this secret war and they actually have some aircraft on display that were in-service providing the support. John Stryker Meyer has also appeared on a handful of episodes of Jocko Podcast where he goes into more detail of these crazy stories.
https://www.amazon.com/Across-Fence-John-Stryker-Meyer/dp/0983256705
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The Fighter Pilot’s Fighter Pilot!
Robin Old’s memoir is a must-read!
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