ONE TRIP TOO MANY : A PILOT'S MEMOIRS OF 38 MONTHS IN COMBAT OVER LAOS AND VIETNAM

One Trip Too Many, A Pilot’s Memoirs of 38 Months in Combat over Laos and Vietnam, is an autobiography about my life as a pilot in Southeast Asia during the conflict in Vietnam. It is primarily a story to share with family and friends about my personal involvement in the conflict and the turbulent decade of the 60s and does not attempt to question the politics of the era. It begins with a brief description of my quest to gain admittance to the United States Air Force Academy, my four years at the Academy, and the subsequent year of pilot training. I flew three different types of aircraft in combat and the book provides insight into the training that took place for the C-130 Hercules, the F-105 Thunderchief, and the A-1 Skyraider. Each of the three tours in combat over Laos and Vietnam is described with emphasis on the more memorable flights including a bailout in the A-1 and the final crash on takeoff that ended my active duty Air Force career. My time in various hospitals is described at the end of the book and the epilogue tells briefly of my life after retirement from the United States Air Force. The book has been described as a combination of Band of Brothers, Top Gun, and Forrest Gump.

Wayne A. Warner graduated in 1963 from the United States Air Force Academy. After receiving his wings at Craig AFB, Alabama in 1964 he flew combat missions over Southeast Asia in the C-130 Hercules, the F-105 Thunderchief, and the A-1 Skyraider. In March 1969 he crashed on takeoff in an A-1H and was critically burned. Following medical retirement from the United States Air Force in September 1969, he graduated from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 1974. He then worked as a weapon systems acquisition attorney in the Federal Civil Service for the United States Air Force at Eglin AFB, Florida until his retirement in 2004.