was a very good book on the little known warriors who flew the gunships, There valor and results eased the pressure on the American GIs who fought in Viet Nam, I found this first person account to be extremely descriptive and a joy to read, As one of the "combat photographers," a title Mr, Burns mentions in the book, his account of flying that Big Black Bird with the nasty bite brought back many memories of those SPECTRE missions and life at Ubon.
What makes this book so special however, is his memorable account of flying combat from the perspective of an enlisted crew member, Mr.
Burns was a qualified gunner on the AC, has finally been written, The author's description of the different stations that the enlisted members were responsible for and especially the important jobs of the scanners as well as the gunners is Spot on.
Without the "eyes" of those scanners, many a SPECTRE bird would not have returned, or at least not without substantial battle damage and casualties.
As for the gunners, while they may not have "fired" the guns, that was a job for the pilot, they had to make sure all the guns were loaded, any jams or other maintenance completed all this accomplished in a dark, unpressurized very cold and noisy aircraft that is bouncing up and down jinxing and diving to avoid being hit by hundreds of AAA rounds.
His further account of life on base sure brought a smile to me, I vividly remember some similar antics at the enlisted and NCO clubs, The only thing missing from Mr, Burns account is the taste of khao phat washed down with an ice cold liter of SINGHA Beer, WELL DONE Sergeant! This is the true story of Master Sergeant David M, Burns, an aerial gunner assigned to the deadliest squadron in air force history, Aboard the ACSpectre gunship, he flew a total ofcombat missions over Laos, South Vietnam, and Cambodia, in pursuit of the truck traffic coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
His squadron destroyed more than fifteen thousand trucks loaded with war munitions destined for South Vietnam and Cambodia, Despite heavy and constant antiaircraft and missile fire, the loss of six aircraft and the lives of fiftytwo men, the crew never wavered in its dedication to the mission.
Master Sergeant Burns has a distinguished military career that began inat the age of fifteen, He served one tour of duty in Phan Rang, South Vietnam, in, and four tours of duty in theth Special Operations Squadron in Southeast Asia as an aerial gunner, lead gunner, and instructor gunner.
He served in both the United States Navy and Air Force, earning three Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroism, twentyseven Air Medals,
as well as a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Vietnam Service Medal with nine battle, and other decorations from the Korean War.
He was wounded twice and is credited with saving the lives of fourteen crewmembers,
This is his story, .