War for the hell of it

Description

Ed "Fast Eddie" Cobleigh served two tours of duty during the Vietnam air war, logging 375 combat sorties in the F-4 Phantom fighter/bomber. In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares his perspectives in a deeply personal account of a fighter pilot's life, one filled with moral ambiguity and military absurdities offset by the undeniable thrill of flying a fighter aircraft ... Cobleigh vividly recounts the unexplainable loss of his wingman, the useless missions he flew, the need to trust his reflexes, eyesight, and aggressiveness, and his survival instincts in the heat of combat. He discusses the deaths of his squadron mates and the contradictions of a dirty, semi-secret war fought from beautiful, exotic Thailand. This in an unprecedented look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star studded night sky, from the illogical political agendas of Washington to his own dangerous addition to risk. Cobleigh gives a stirring and emotional description of one man's journey into airborne hell and back, recounting the pleasures and the pain, the wins and the losses, and ultimately, the return"--Back cover

Description

"During the Vietnam War, Ed Cobleigh served two tours of duty, logging 375 combat sorties and over 1,000 hours of combat time in the F-4D Phantom II fighter/bomber. Unlike so many others, he made it back in one piece. And he returned with an experience - and a perspective - that those of us on the ground could not begin to understand." "In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares that perspective in an account of a fighter pilot's life in a war filled with moral ambiquity and military contradictions. With prose that takes you right into the cockpit, Cobleigh recounts the unexplainable losss of his wingman, the useless missions that he flew, and the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants instincts that take over in the heat of combat. He discusses the deaths of his colleagues, and the absurdities of the semisecret war fought from Thailand. This is a look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star-studded night sky, from illogical political agendas to his own dangerous addiction to risk."--Jacket.

Subjects

Genres

• Personal narratives, American.

Other Editions

• War for the hell of itBerkley Caliber2005-01-01
• War For the Hell of ItBerkley Trade2005-05-03
• War for the hell of itCheck Six Books2016-01-01