Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Newman, Rick, and Shepperd, Don

ISBN 10: 0345465385 / ISBN 13: 9780345465382

Published by Ballantine Books, New York, NY, 2007

About this Item

Glued binding. xxii, 480, [6] p. Illustrations. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Foreword by Senator John McCain. Major General Donald William Shepperd (born 1940) was the director of the Air National Guard from 28 January 1994 to 28 January 1998. Shepperd holds a master of science degree from Troy State University and attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1962 as a distinguished graduate. The retired Major General has also functioned as a military aviation analyst for CNN. From co-author's website: "My first book, which I co-authored with Don Shepperd, was Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It s about a fascinating group of pilots who flew extremely hazardous, top-secret missions over North Vietnam in the late 1960s. Researching and writing that book taught me a lot about America's most unpopular war, and about America itself. John McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, wrote the foreword. Very good. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Minor page soiling noted. First edition. First paperback printing [stated].

Seller Inventory # 71495

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Publisher: Ballantine Books, New York, NY
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0345465385
• ISBN 13: 9780345465382
• Binding: Trade paperback
• Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis

They had the most dangerous job n the Air Force. Now Bury Us Upside Down reveals the never-before-told story of the Vietnam War’s top-secret jet-fighter outfit–an all-volunteer unit composed of truly extraordinary men who flew missions from which heroes are made.

In today’s wars, computers, targeting pods, lasers, and precision-guided bombs help FAC (forward air controller) pilots identify and destroy targets from safe distances. But in the search for enemy traffic on the elusive Ho Chi Minh Trail, always risking enemy fire, capture, and death, pilots had to drop low enough to glimpse the telltale signs of movement such as suspicious dust on treetops or disappearing tire marks on a dirt road (indicating a hidden truck park). Written by an accomplished journalist and veteran, Bury Us Upside Down is the stunning story of these brave Americans, the men who flew in the covert Operation Commando Sabre–or “Misty”–the most innovative air operation of the war.

In missions that lasted for hours, the pilots of Misty flew zigzag patterns searching for enemy troops, vehicles, and weapons, without benefit of night-vision goggles, infrared devices, or other now common sensors. What they gained in exhilarating autonomy also cost them: of 157 pilots, 34 were shot down, 3 captured, and 7 killed. Here is a firsthand account of courage and technical mastery under fire. Here, too, is a tale of forbearance and loss, including the experience of the family of a missing Misty flier–Howard K. Williams–as they learn, after twenty-three years, that his remains have been found.

Now that bombs are smart and remote sensors are even smarter, the missions that the Mistys flew would now be considered no less than suicidal. Bury Us Upside Down reminds us that for some, such dangers simply came with the territory.

About the Author

Rick Newman is a writer and editor at U.S. News & World Report who covered the Pentagon for seven years, including U.S. missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Persian Gulf. He has written hundreds of stories on the military, including dozens of exclusives, and more than twenty cover stories.

Don Shepperd (Misty 34) reported for duty at Phu Cat Air Base on December 19, 1967, and flew fifty-eight missions as a Misty during his four-month tour. With a total of 247 combat missions in Vietnam, he retired from the Air Force in 1998 as a two-star general and head of the Air National Guard. In 2001 he joined CNN as one of their principal military analysts.