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Just released!
Air Commando Chronicles:
Untold Tales from Vietnam, Latin America,
and Back Againby Colonel Robert L. Gleason - Retired U.S. Air Force - (TLC member)
Sunflower University Press
This is a nonfiction story that has waited too long to be told. It traces the seminal events surrounding the recruitment and training of a unique USAF tactical unit (code name JUNGLE JIM) and its deployment as the first United States combat unit to enter Vietnam in 1961 (code name FARM GATE). It illuminates a notch in the history of America's involvement in Vietnam that has generally been ignored, that is the formative period of 1961 thru 1962.
The story begins with an incident, previously unreported, which occurred during a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, (JCS) in very early 1961. This incident, and the trail of subsequent Air Staff actions, resulted in the formation of a tactical unit composed of volunteers sworn to secrecy and asked to commit themselves to a mission that went well beyond the oath of duty normally administered to members of the US military. The book is introduced by General "Pete," Piotrowski, formerly the Vice Chief of Staff. USAF, who was also one of the original members of this elite group.
Although the genre of the book is military history, the manuscript is written from a human interest perspective with many tales containing either humor or poignancy. The book is not an autobiography. It is mostly the story of others. It does, however, reflect the experience of the author who was a unit commander in the early commando movement and who later served on the Air Staff before becoming Deputy MACVSOG.
Much of the narrative revolves around untold stories associated with two great military leaders one is quite renown, Gen. LeMay, The other, General Ben King, has received little credit for his considerable accomplishments, Just as Col. Phil Cochran and Col. John Allison were hand picked by Gen. Hap Arnold to be the commanders of the WW II Air Commandos, Gen Ben King was interviewed and hand picked by Gen. LeMay to form and lead a unit which in effect was a resurrection of the Air Commando movement..
An essay written by Jimmy Butler for the TLC network giving a thumbnail summary of some positive aspects of the Vietnam war is included in the annex.
Read an excerpt from the book, "A Christmas Story"
The price of the book is $24.99 plus $3.50 s/h. A sales tax of 6% will apply if sold to a NC resident or if bought at the ACA reunion in FL. There is no additional charge for author's endorsement or signature. Expect delivery in two to three weeks.
ORDER FROM:
Robert L. Gleason
3775 Brookdale Drive
Clemmons, NC 27012
(336)766-9974
RLGleason21@cs.com
