My Secret War:

From Front Jacket: "Now that all the 'broad overviews' have been written about that small parcel of ugliness called, 'Nam,' here is the story of just one pilot's part of it. It's a very personal story, a narrative that flows like the hot rain that kept the jungle green, and the Mekong River that divided the 'friendlies' from the 'bad guys.' It is a razor-edged treatment of war as seen through the gunsight rather than through the newspaper. More than that, "My Secret War' is a love story...the story of one man's intimate feeling for a machine, the massive Skyraider. The book shows that in this nuclear, supersonic age, the work of dirty little wars is still done by a few sweaty guys whose airplanes swing giant, four-blade propellers. Mr. Drury tells a first-rate, firsthand story. The night ride down the ground fire to hit an enemy convoy in the mountains is, merely, unforgettable. The description of flight through fleecy clouds is breathtaking, and the agony of a failed 'Sandy' (rescue) mission is gut-wrenching. "My Secret War' tells it like it was, and maybe somewhere, still is." ************ From Preface by Author: "I started this book to express what it was like to fly in our different sort of aerial combat, to document a combat aviator's life, allowing the reader to be a part of the pristine love affair of a man and his medium, in this case, the sky. To accomplish that goal I wrote after nearly every flight, after any significant incident. My journal thus recorded my thoughts, the words -- what affected me. I believe those ends have been accomplished. But something else became evident as the thoughts and words came to paper and a design emerged. I began to see a 'slice of life' portrait of a young man fulfilling his dreams yet losing his faith and trust in the system that put him in the sky he wanted."

Richard Drury's My Secret War is a must read for Vietnam aviation buffs. As one who flew in that ill fated war I can attest to Mr. Drury's views and experiences. It was indeed the best of times and the worst of times. We were immortal and believed only in ourselves and our fellow comrades. We fought, laughed, and sometimes died longing to return home to the land of the "Big BX", only to be ridiculed once we got home. Mr. Drury brings home the sights, smells, and feels of that far away war fought in secret places that no one talked about. He highlighted the daily drudgery that we thought of as fun. The small, damp rooms with the constant AC, the smiling Momma-sans, the happy local drivers, and the sad but cute children that seemed to be everywhere. The flying was fun, deadly, and exhilarating all at the same time. Only in combat can one feel all this at once. Mr. Drury did an excellent job of bring this to the reader. Highly recommended if you want to know what it was like to fly, fight, and possibly die in a land far away which the average American only glimpsed on the CBS evening news with Uncle Walter.

I am currently an Air Force pilot and this is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend this book. Mr Drury's writing is top-notch and puts you in the cockpit of the Skyraider. Reading this book was a sobering view through his window of the Vietnam War.

I am an avid fan of flying and military history. Of the hundreds of books I have read on flying in the military, this is the best! My book is worn out from the many readings. Each and every time I read it, I become Drury as he experiences the sights, sounds and sensations of flying the Skyraider in Vietnam. I can almost smell the aviation fuel, feel the humidity, enjoy the completion of another mission along with him. After all, isn't this what we want from a good book? You won't be disappointed with "My Secret War!"

One of the very best combat memoirs I've ever read. The author is not only an experienced combat pilot, but a highly gifted writer as well.