80th Fighter Squadron
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Books by the Headhunters***************************************
The following is a list, alphabetized by author's last name, of books written and published by our fellow Headhunters. If available, thumbnail pictures are shown along with ordering procedures and other pertinent information. Do you have a book not on this list? If so, send the info to the Webmeister for posting.
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Flying Tiger to Air Commando By Chuck Baisden
Very limited copies left--please contact Chuck directly at avgvet@bellsouth.net
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Three books by Col Jacksel M. Broughton
Thud Ridge documents my eyeball views of leading F-105 strikes against Hanoi, while Going Downtown details how President Johnson's and Robert McNamara's foolish "Gradualism" hit those of us fighting an air war we were not allowed to win. Rupert Red Two is real life on the last of the prop fighters through the Century Series birds - all from the cockpit. Amazon.com is a good order source.
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Three books by CDR Mark W. Danielson
THE INNOCENT NEVER KNEW ISBN 1-930754-49-3 ($15.95 Amazon.com) A city-wide power failure and blinding snowstorm blacks out Albuquerque as Senator Sam Tinsdale is set to arrive on Polaris Airways. Now guided by a false glideslope, the 737 crashes short of the runway, killing everyone except Flight Attendant Erica Hayes. Holding the flights deepest secrets, she runs for her life as mercenaries close in. This political conspiracy thriller, which parallels Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown’s suspicious crash in the Balkans, takes readers through a gauntlet to the highest levels of government.
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DANGER WITHIN ISBN 1-930754-27-2 ($15.95 Amazon.com) This fast-paced thriller tracks the life and death of Global Cargo Express Flight 3217. Over one hundred feet below the ocean’s surface lay the secrets of the DC-10’s cargo, but as Navy divers fin their way down, men begin to die. Author and FedEx MD-11 Captain Mark Danielson tells it like it is as he takes the reader inside the gritty world of commercial aviation.
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DIABLO’S SHADOW ISBN 9780979916755 trade paperback ($14.95 Amazon.com) ISBN 9780979916748 hardback ($29.95 Amazon.com) A father-daughter outing in an East San Francisco Bay park turns tragic when Kerri Connifer disappears in the dense forest. Randy Connifer, the guilt-ridden father, spirals out of control when the ferocious storm delays the search. Neither he nor his estranged wife was prepared for the emotional journey that lay ahead.
Reviews: We don’t usually review fiction works in Airways, but here are two recent exceptions, both novels written by an airline pilot with extensive navy fighter training—and experience as a flight accident investigator. The first, The Innocent Never Knew, just published, concerns the crash of a flight carrying a U.S. senator and the mystery surrounding that event and the seeming disappearance of one of the onboard staff. Danger Within, published two years ago, revolves around a cargo DC-10 fire and crash landing where the crew survives but, again, there are mysterious things afoot.
What makes these especially interesting and even useful to Airways readers is the author’s flight background and knowledge. He knows his way around a cockpit and understands both the lingo and concerns of flight crew. His background in accident investigation adds further to the sense of reality in both of these stories. That said, remember that these books are novels, and have a story to tell. Thus both are very much about characters, motives, and events, in which airliners and aviation play central roles. I won’t go into their plots here–that could spoil your own reading. But rest assured that if aviation (and especially airline-based) fiction appeals to you, these should really do the trick. CHS, Airways Magazine
"Mark Danielson has written a complex, engaging mystery in The Innocent Never Knew. Real-life events are woven into a fascinating tale of betrayal at the highest levels of government. An unlikely group, including an FAA investigator, a flight attendant, a US Marshal, and a truck mechanic, are drawn together and must stand up against a shadowy foe whose resources are almost limitless. This is an adventure you don't want to miss." Bonnie Ramthun, Ground Zero, Earthquake Games, The Thirteenth Skull.
“Danger Within is a fast-paced, good read. Improbable, even unimaginable at one time, but not in an airline world where everything has changed, post 9/11. Danger Within will hold your attention.” Air Cargo News
“Danger Within is a fun, easy read by a FedEx pilot who knows the airline industry, can write a fast-paced tale of intrigue and mystery, and who keeps his reader turning pages in a furious effort to find out what happens next.” Pacific Flyer
“Danger Within” is a well-written suspense/mystery you won’t want to put down . . . I highly recommend this tale to anyone who enjoys a good story! Ginger Johnson – editor DETECTIVE MYSTERY STORIES
CDR Mark W. Danielson (USNR Ret.) Juvat Feb 77-Feb 78 has a limited number of books offered to fellow Juvats at $12.00 each, or two or more for $10.00 each plus shipping. Previews available at www.markwdanielson.com. Contact: www.markwdanielson@msn.com
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PTF: Passing the Flame By Dick Jonas
The aim of this book, along with its predecessor and the associated CD albums, is to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of the warrior musician. They are the people who create and perform primarily what are known as fighter pilot songs. The warrior musician legacy is made up of three elements: people, airplanes, and action. No warrior ever undertakes a mission alone. If he succeeds, if he wins the battle, there are always others who deserve the medals along with him. Similarly, one never writes a book all by himself. Seventeen people helped me create this one. See the Prologue, With Acknowledgements near the front of the book to get acquainted with them. The people are those who fly and fight, along with the support crews who keep them in the air, and those who write and perform the songs. I cannot think of a single instance where any of these warrior songs was written by someone who is not a combat veteran. There’s just something about getting shot at that cranks off the creative juices. The airplanes are those seductive little machines known as fighters. In my generation that was the F-100 Super Sabre, the F-4 Phantom II, the F-105 Thunderchief, and the F-111 Aardvark. I was lucky enough to be on the cusp of the flame passing; I flew the F-16 Viper for my last five years of active duty. For the next generation, to the Viper we add the A-10 Warthog, the F-15 Eagle, the F-22 Raptor, and the F-35 which is yet nameless. The generation which preceded mine flew the F-86 Sabre, the F-84 (with several "Thunder" names, depending on the model,) the F-80 Shooting Star, the P-51 Mustang, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-38 Lightning, and the P-40 ("Hawk" names, depending on the model,). I've probably left some out; forgive me, and refer to Give Me Operations in RBAAB. Action, the third element of the legacy, goes back to WWI, the conflict when airplanes were first used as combat weapons. The rest of the action has taken place in my lifetime — WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Central America, the Balkans, Southwest Asia, and the Cold War. From those stages and the people who played upon them comes the legacy of the warrior musician. The prose and poetry in this song book uses the warrior's
vernacular, which may not be suitable for children. This book and associated CDs
can be ordered from Dick Jonas at: Erosonic; PO Box 1226; Chino
Valley, AZ 86323-1226, or his web site at www.erosonic.com
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RBAAB The Red-Blooded All-American Boy By Dick Jonas
It has been said that Vietnam was the wrong war, and the wrong war doesn't bring out songs. That's bullshit. There were the protest songs and the protest singers of the late sixties and early seventies. Almost every anti-war rally formed around a nucleus of string-players, song-singers, and public address systems. The songs were there because a lot of people thought Vietnam was the "wrong war." Let me tell you about another song-singer: The soldier on the battlefield. The guy with a gun in his hand. The man in the cross-hairs of an enemy rifle. He sang, too. He wasn't singing because it was the "wrong war" or the right war. His songs were neither disloyal nor particularly patriotic. He sang because he was bored, or scared, or because he was deliriously happy that the golden BB with his name on it had misfired. He sang because he was sad and lonely and a long way from home. He sang through his tears as he bade goodbye to a friend in a body bag. He was at war, and war is not the normal human condition. His songs helped him to survive. Humans deliver their most poignant profundities either from the depths of despair or the peaks of ecstasy and when delivered by a poet at the business end of a gun barrel, they end up in a song as often as not. The right or wrong of the war doesn't have a damn thing to do with it. The prose and poetry in this song book uses the warrior's vernacular, which may not be suitable for children. Parental discretion is advised. This book and associated CDs
can be ordered from Dick Jonas at: Erosonic; PO Box 1226; Chino
Valley, AZ 86323-1226, or his web site at www.erosonic.com
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Memories of a Fighter Pilot By Jay E. Riedel
Memories of a Fighter Pilot by Jay Riedel is a collection of as many of his personal recollections as he can remember that would be of a significant interest to most readers. They are as accurate as he remembers them. Many will make you laugh, some will water your eyes, and some will have you gripping your chair with white knuckles. "I have experienced many of life’s ups and downs, and I hope all who read of these episodes will be entertained, yet glean some information that may be of use in their own lives. It was quite a ride." Foreword by Gen Chuck Horner. Paperback 340-page book with many photos is available from the author, or from the link below. Also available on Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com
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Vipers in the Storm By Keith Rosenkranz
Additional details and
ordering information are available on the author's website:
http://www.Vipersinthestorm.com. He also has a Facebook Fan Page -
Vipers In The Storm - Keith Rosenkranz. *******************************************************
Kirby Compiled By Dr. Larry Simpson
When Kirby was still sending out e-mails, his “Kirby Grams” often contained different stories and personal recollections. One of his mailing lists was to friends he met on-line in AvSig; an aviation web site. Two of those close friends are Penny Wilson and Dr Larry Simpson, both of whom literally saved and changed Kirby’s life—at least twice. They are now LTMs of our Association. In August 2009, “Doc Larry” took the initiative to brush the cobwebs off Kirby’s old e-mails that he had saved through the years, pull out all of the different stories and memories, put them together and publish them in a book. Another AvSig pilot, Cory Emberson, is a professional proofreader and editor. She did much of the editing along with Doc Larry’s wife and family. He asked Kirby what he wanted to do with the profits of the book, and Kirby asked that all profits be given to our Headhunter Association. That has come to pass, and Kirby’s 172-page book is now available from the Headhunter Association for $12.99 + $2 postage, or directly from Lulu.com from their link below. Believe me, it’s worth every penny! Many thanks to Doc Larry, and everyone else who helped put this great book together. It needed to be done. Most of all, thanks to Kirby for passing down all of these gems for the rest of us to enjoy. You are greatly appreciated by all of us, Kirby—Thank you.
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Ruff Stuff By Tina Susedik & Norb Ruff
Contact Norb's son, Mark Ruff for ordering details.
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World War Two
Memoirs By Clarence E. Wolgemuth
Clarence "Wogy" Wolgemuth has published an outstanding account of
his memoirs as a P-38 fighter pilot in our 80th Fighter Squadron during WWII.
He would like to donate all proceeds of the sale of his book to our
Headhunters Association. A copy of this 8.5" x 11" 68-page great book,
with photos, can be ordered directly from him
for only $20. + $3. postage.
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