VIETNAM COMBAT An Attack Pilot's Diary, the Four Freedoms Betrayed

Vietnam Combat An Attack Pilot’s Diary As a very young man, Captain Leue’ prayed to be a fighter pilot. He cautions you be careful what you pray for. Instead of the promised peace after WWII, he flew a hundred missions in Corsairs and F9F Panthers from USS Boxer, Valley Forge and Philippine Sea, dodging red balls of fire over Korean. These tales are recorded in Volume 1, “Korean Combat.” Now, in Vietnam, you are in his A4C Skyhawk cockpit as he dives through flak and missiles, surviving over two hundred more combat missions. In this volume, he leads Navy Light Attack Squadron 153 as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer, flying from the carriers USS Coral Sea and Constellation. His Light Attack Squadron loses many of its aircraft and pilots, all close friends, to massed anti-aircraft fire and missiles. His tales of personal combat are masterfully woven into the political drama and tragedy of Vietnam.

About the author Captain David Leue' joined the Navy while a senior at Buffalo Technical High School. In his thirty-two year naval career he moved through the ranks from Apprentice Seaman to Captain. As a fighter/attack pilot he survived 329 combat missions flying from the decks of the aircraft carriers USS Boxer, USS Valley Forge, USS Philippine Sea, USS Coral Sea and USS Constellation, fighting for freedom in Korea and Vietnam. Significant commands were: Commander Carrier Air Wing Seven; Squadron Commander Attack Squadron One Fifty-Three; Captain of USS Canisteo AO-99, a 650 foot armed replenishment ship; Chief of Staff Carrier Group Three; and Chief of Staff, Light Attack Wing, Pacific at NAS Lemoore, California. His education includes the Armed Forces Staff College, a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master's of Science in Engineering/Industrial Technology, California State University, Fresno, emphasizing solar energy. Following naval service, he established Leue' Solar Inc., designing and installing many unique solar systems in the San Joaquin Valley. He then served as Professor of Engineering/Construction Management, California State University Fresno followed by twenty years as an Engineer with Pacific Gas & Electric working on energy efficiency projects in the food and agriculture industry. He flies his own aircraft and lives with his wife, Stella, in Clovis, California.