Going Downtown the War Aga Han

Several years ago I read Thud Ridge, and ever since I've wanted to pick this one up to learn more about the Turkistan incident and Broughton's court martial. This is an angry book, and not only is that anger rooted in feelings of righteous indignation, but there is also something of the old hunter in there, which is a forceful force indeed. I am struck by both Broughton's can-do, gung-ho attitude and the counterpoint of Air Force and Washington politics. While I am in sympathy with Broughton's criticisms of Johnson and McNamara, I am also leery of Broughton's mindset, which is after all that of a professional soldier. There is to me something incompatible between that professional mindset and what I believe American military culture is supposed to be about. The irony, perhaps, is you can't operate complex weapons systems like the F-105 with citizen amateurs, but you also can't have a democratic country along the lines of the American model with a military as professionalized as we had then (and have today). Strike that. You can operate F-105 wings with citizen amateurs, but you can't get citizen amateurs to follow bad policies formulated by people like McNamara and Johnson. The type of military that fought WWII was a thing of the past by Vietnam. Broughton and the operations people at that time were more in step with that WWII mindset than the professional machine that Johnson and McNamera exploited (and in the case of the Thunderchiefs and their crews) almost completely destroyed. Broughton's actions during the Turkestan incident amounted to mutiny, and the way the generals went after him shows he sent a shock wave behind the closed doors in the Pentagon and the Whitehouse. Now one of their best boys on the track to General was kicking loose from their control, and they were worried more were going to follow. Broughton sacrificed his promotion to General, took an early retirement, and spent nearly two decades going through doubt and bitterness afterwards, but through his mutiny and through leaving the Air Force he crossed over from being a professional soldier to becoming an American-who-had-fought-for-his-country. I'm not sure you can call a lock-step professional soldier a true American. Could be mutiny is at the root of our political identity? Reading Melville, Hawthorne and Jefferson, one might believe so. I've also read Ed Rasimus's books on his experiences flying Thuds and Phantoms, which provide further evidence of the corruption possible in a professional military, especially a professional military that's cynically used as it was by politicians like Johnson. What is striking about people like Rasimus and Broughton is their combination of intelligence, expertise, aggression and boy scout naiveté. That was one heck of a cultural shift we went through between 1945 and 1965. Although Broughton is talking about the American military in the mid-nineteen-sixties, his story has implications for understanding the cultural shifts that

This is an EXCELLENT book written by an amazing pilot about the mess that was Vietnam. So many pilots died as a result of the idiotic "Rules of Engagement" that clearly stacked the deck AGAINST our pilots. This book and "THUD RIDGE" tell the cold hard and ugly facts how Washington made our pilots fight with both hands tied behinds their backs. America would've been out of Vietnam victoriously in a few months if our soldiers had been able to what they have been trained to do, and NOT be told how to fight a war by a bunch of politicians.

I was fortunate that a good friend gave me this book. One of the best damn books I've ever read. It should be part of civics instruction for every high school student because, in real life and dramatic fashion, it teaches us two great lessons. First, in a Republic such as ours, the voting citizen needs to be vigilant of the political use of our military. Vietnam was a tough lesson, costing 60,000 young Americans their life. Second, in times of peace in the military, the flotsam rises to the top. Again, it requires vigilance from the citizen, demanding our politicians provide the civilian leadership that will promote and nurture the warrior class. We owe our freedom to warriors such as Jack Broughton, who during times of war, rise to the call. They understand loyalty, leadership and sacrifice. They are of the nature and fortitude to bring intense, ferocious focus to incredibly tough times when answering the call of duty. If Vietnam had been a real war instead of a political fiasco, Jack would be a well-known American Hero. Instead, he is just an American Hero, not well known, but like so many of his type.

This book captures the true spirit of a fighter pilot and why they are such special people. His war on Hanoi, waged with one hand tied behind his back by McNamara and President Johnson needed to be told. And he told it as only a fighter pilot could. You could be reading fiction, but it's real. Where do we get men that court death and face losing friends every day. Colonel Broughton is busy telling us about his fight with Hanoi and Washington. But, what also comes through is the daily struggle of men strapping on an airplane and doing their duty against great odds. The rules of engagement are discussed and how they affected the lives of those charged with enforcing them. Colonel Broughton had over 200 missions. He is a true American hero.

I've read both this book and the predecessor "Thud Ridge" as well as several book written by Vietnam war era pilots. Col Broughton knows his stuff and tells it like it was. If you ever wondered why we failed in Vietnam ,you will understand why after reading this book. Poor leadership by Air Force Generals( one couldn't be sure whether the enemy was the N.V. or the upper level command) from 5000 miles away, telling wing commanders how to do their jobs ( and having no clue as how a tactical fighter wing works), Washington's tying their hands behind their back with target selection and restrictive rules of engagement, micromanagement from above, all added up to a winnable war that they were not allowed win( except the guys risking their butts flying to Hanoi). I heartily recommend reading this book and also Thud Ridge for some fascinating insight of this era. Also I'd recommend Phantom over Vietnam , John Trotti and PAK SIX by G.I. Basel.