Synopses & Reviews
In I Always Wanted to Fly Wolfgang Samuel presents a book on a neglected subject, the U.S. Air Force men and women of the Cold War. These are the people who won the Cold War-not by themselves, obviously, but don't ask me how it could have been done without them. Colonel Samuel is a yer, rst of all, but he is also a historian. In this book he concentrates on people. Through Samuel's work, we learn how it was done and by whom.-Stephen E. Ambrose, author of Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944 to May 7, 1945I Always Wanted to Fly displays the clarity that comes from ying on the hot end of the Cold War and, as a consequence, tells us much about the sociopolitical evolution of our recent era as well as revealing how these Air Force missions were own. Any readers who have marveled at the last half-century's magni cent military aircraft and the supremely professional yers at their controls will be attracted to this book.-Jerome Klinkowitz, author of With the Tigers over China 1941-1942 and Yanks over Europe: American Flyers in World War IIWolf Samuel uses personal experiences to underscore American airpower's formidable role in winning the Cold War. Framed by his own excellent prose, Samuel lets the pilots, navigators, and air and ground crew tell their own tales. The result, of course, is a series of ripping good war stories-bona de 'there I was . . .' narratives-that paint for us a yer's life during the many separate con icts that combined to make up the Cold War. I Always Wanted to Fly is a bonanza for airmen to come, and a rich source of satisfaction for those of us who sat alert on cold, windswept air elds, not knowing if today would be the day.-Don Higgins, Colonel, USAF, pilot of the F-111 Aardvark, EF-111 Raven, F-117 Nighthawk, and the B-2 SpiritCol. Wolfgang W. E. Samuel is a distinguished graduate of the 1960 Air Force ROTC, and served in the Air Force until his retirement in 1985. He is the author of German Boy: A Refugee's Story; The War of Our Childhood: Memories of World War II; American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets; and Coming to Colorado: A Young Immigrant's Journey to Become an American Flyer, all published by University Press of Mississippi. Ken Hechler is the author of The Bridge at Remagen.
Synopsis
This was the first book to cover all of Cold War air combat in the words of the men who waged it. In
I Always Wanted to Fly, retired United States Air Force Colonel Wolfgang W. E. Samuel has gathered first-person memories from heroes of the cockpits and airstrips.
Battling in dogfights when jets were novelties, saving lives in grueling airlifts, or flying covert and dangerous reconnaissance missions deep into Soviet and Chinese airspace, these flyers waged America's longest and most secretively conducted air war.
Many of the pilots Samuel interviewed invoke the same sentiment when asked why they risked their lives in the air-"I always wanted to fly." While young, they were inspired by barnstormers, by World War I fighter legends, by the legendary Charles Lindbergh, and often just by seeing airplanes flying overhead. With the advent of World War II, many of these dreamers found themselves in cockpits soon after high school. Of those who survived World War II, many chose to continue following their dream, flying the Berlin Airlift, stopping the North Korean army during the "forgotten war" in Korea, and fighting in the Vietnam War.
Told in personal narratives and reminiscences, I Always Wanted to Fly renders views from pilots' seats and flight decks during every air combat flashpoint from 1945 to 1968. Drawn from long exposure to the immense stress of warfare, the stories these warriors share are both heroic and historic. The author, a veteran of many secret reconnaissance missions, evokes individuals and scenes with authority and grace. He provides clear, concise historical context for each airman's memories. In I Always Wanted to Fly, he has produced both a thrilling and inspirational acknowledgment of personal heroism and a valuable addition to our documentation of the Cold War.
Synopsis
Pilots and crewmen remembering the Berlin Airlift, Korea, Vietnam, and secret flights over the Soviet Union
About the Author
Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, Fairfax Station, Virginia, is a 1960 distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC at the University of Colorado and served in the U.S. Air Force until his retirement as a colonel in 1985. He is the author of German Boy: A Refugee's Story, The War of Our Childhood: Memories of World War II, American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets, and Coming to Colorado: A Young Immigrant's Journey to Become an American Flyer. Ken Hechler is the author of The Bridge at Remagen.