Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This autobiography of a retired USAF F-16 pilot will remind seasoned readers of Jack Broughton's classic Thud Ridge (1969). It certainly offers the same gripping cockpit view of modern air combat, in this case over Iraq in two wars and patrolling U.S. skies after 9/11. Hampton recounts his training as a pilot, then his selection for F-16s officially the Fighting Falcon but known in the USAF as the Viper and finally his training for the most demanding flying done in the F-16, the Wild Weasel missions. These missions are dedicated to the neutralization or, preferably, destruction of enemy air defenses and date back to the first encounters with SAMs, in the Vietnam War. As the radars and missiles on the ground have improved, so have the technology and skills of the Wild Weasel pilots, who must keep themselves and their comrades alive in an air full of high-tech hostility. Hampton is a vivid writer and an unabashed warrior, and, like most such, he has doubts about the future of American armed forces if they are to be commanded by men who are neither warriors themselves nor particularly empathetic toward those who are. An outstanding work.--Green, Roland Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hampton, one of America's most renowned fighter pilots-a retired, decorated Air Force lieutenant colonel-shares a brash and bold account of his 20 year military service in this fast-paced adventure memoir. He recounts his early education at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, his personal experience of September 11th, and the hair-raising missions of two Gulf wars. A member of the Wild Weasels, an elite group of pilots who fly into enemy territory to draw fire so that threats can be exposed and eliminated, Hampton has amassed an almost unbelievable collection of tales, including how he survived the Khobar Towers bombing and countless other experiences "seeing the Elephant" as he engaged in close calls that forced him to acknowledge the probability of his demise. While military buffs and those who have endured combat will enjoy Hampton's fast, unfiltered tales, civilian readers may have a more difficult time, as each chapter contains so much military jargon that a glossary of terms has been appended at the end of the book. Still, Hampton's honest, audacious style makes for an entertaining read, and those instances where the author digresses, offering unfiltered opinions or a rare glimpse of life outside of the cockpit, are especially intriguing. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A colorful memoir of a pilot who had a great deal of fun during his career, which included 726 career combat hours flown and service throughout the world, including Iraq during both wars. Hampton emphasizes that he performed a fighter pilot's most dangerous assignment--and it wasn't air-to-air combat, which is probably a dying profession. He was a Wild Weasel, a member of the group of first planes sent into a conflict whose mission it is to suppress surface-to-air missiles. Barely mentioning his personal life, the author delivers 300 pages of aviation fireworks and strong opinion--noncombatant airmen, politicians and most foreigners do not come off well--accompanied by a torrent of technical details and military acronyms that will mystify military buffs but not discourage them. Hampton is not shy about recounting brushes with death, many of which involved mechanical failure, bad weather or human error (occasionally his). Though the Iraqi air force struck fear into no one's heart, the author's accounts of fending off anti-aircraft missiles during the 2003 Iraq invasion provide the book's most dramatic combat experiences; however, none of the enemy missiles reached their targets. As a result, Hampton never describes a routine occurrence in memoirs of earlier wars: the deaths of comrades. A patriot and a warrior, the author expresses incomprehension that America's crushing victories over evil Saddam Hussein have brought so little satisfaction. The author concentrates on the fighting and does a fine job communicating the camaraderie, adolescent horseplay, conservative politics and hair-raising incidents of service in the elite macho fraternity of American fighter pilots.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
