Misty: First Person Stories of the F-100 Fast FACs in the Vietnam War

This is the companion book to "Bury me Upside Down". Any complaints that you might have about that book not staying on message are immediately dispelled in the more than 600 pages and 81 personal "stories" by the Misty pilots. The stories would seem fantastic if fictional, but these are real life stories. From the training in the US to the POW camps in Hanoi, from the multiple ejections to the "Mig sweeps" at the officer clubs, you will be fascinated by each person's stories. The references in the back are beyond useful. I found myself constantly flipping back to see what this pilot was doing today or who the other pilots were in his "generation" at Phu Cat. And the ultimate farce of war is also present. Joseph Heller did not even com,e close to the truth in "Catch 22". When Colonels from Saigon would complain about the FACS getting their F-100 "damaged" by ground fire and write up the pilots and maintenance people for not taking better care of the US Government equipment, you had to wonder how we ever made any progress in that war. If you want a read on what the "real" war was like for the US Air Force in Vietnam get this book and read it. You will not be disappointed.

The only problem with this book is putting it down! I enjoy reading military history written by the people who saw it firsthand, and this book is an excellent example of a group of men who put together their stories and published them using a print-on-demand publisher, enabling them to preserve this history that may have gone otherwise forgotten amid the big publishing houses that are only focused on the big-name stories and opinions. The FAC pilots flew a tough mission, trying to find SAM missiles and other targets and them mark them so the fighters with the big bombs could come in and take care of business. Sounds easy, but it isn't when you're in a slightly out-of-date plane with everyone and their brother shooting at you. These pilots would come in low, "jink" around to avoid ground fire (and often they didn't!), and mark the targets with a smoke rocket. The Misty pilots used the F-100 2-seater jets, which were faster than older attempts with the O-1 birddog (basically a Cessna prop plane) and there were many close calls, bail-outs, captures, and some losses, but these guys kept at it until they could see a totally camoflauged ammo dump in their sleep. This huge volume covers personal stories from many pilots, with Shepperd collecting the information and writing his own tales. It tells of the persecerence of these brave men, how they missed their loved ones back home, how they joked around on their time off, and how they did their job at 110%. I know this was all before my time (my dad actually worked on the older O-1 planes when he was in Vietnam) but I am amazed at the stories of what happened and that any of these guys made it back. This is an excellent book and well worth the time it takes to read all of the information, especially since you can't put it down once you start!

My husband and I have shared the reading of this authentic account of pilot's lives during the Vietnam war told by the pilots themselves. Each startling account astounds the reader because it's hard to believe what these men went through and survived. We personally know Gen. Sheppard and his wife Rose having been neighbors when Don was the Commanding General at the Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. But it is only by reading this factual account of what Don and other Forward Air Control (FAC) pilots went through in that terrible war that you can appreciate what they faced each day. It will make you believe in miracles when you read the first-hand accounts of the MISTY pilots who fought so bravely and survived and those pilots who were taken prisoner and survived the brutal beatings and torture.

I am a prolific reader of military fiction. I have read everything written by Griffin, Coonts,Coyle,Herman,Berent, Harrison, Scott and Wetterling. All tremendous, engaging writers. "Misty' is the first factual, book that I have ever read that held my interest in the same way as the above writers can."Misty" is a compilation of "true" stories that could not have been made up. I could not put the book down and I read it in two days, locked in my recliner, sweating as they wove through the AAA or worked a SAR.I knew a lot of these guys and was stationed with them in England and Tuy Hoa, RVN. I respected them then and I respect them even more now. Ya just gotta RUN not walk out and get this book! GREAT reading!Don Schmenk, USAF Retired

I know Gen Shepperd from his work on CNN, but now I know so much more about how he got to where he is today. What a wonderful collection of first hand stories -- a living history of some of the bravest pilots in the Vietnam War. These true heroes are often overlooked, but when you look at who they were, and where they went after the war, some of our most notable leaders came from within their ranks. The accounts are chilling, humorous, startling and sincere. What was it really like to fly and fight in combat over Vietnam? Read these priceless stories and you will have a new admiration for a generation of pilots who quietly went about doing the job their country asked them to do. These true patriots -- these true Americans, deserve to have their stories read. I highly recommend this book to all who care to read and know the truth about real heroes.