Blog, Book Review

Book Review: Fighter Pilot

     In his memoir, Robin Olds describes his journey through 30 years of service in the USAF. The book opens with a scene from the cockpit, as Olds and his wingman face off one against 40 German fighters over WWII Europe. From there the tale only becomes more interesting. 

     Olds’ career took him around the world, and through combat in two wars. He takes us along as his GIB (Guy In Back) as he witnesses the D-Day invasion of Normandy from the air over the beach, through 20 years later in Operation Bolo knocking MIGs out of the sky over Vietnam. 

     Equally as impressive and fascinating are Olds’ experiences as an officer progressing through the ranks of a military bureaucracy intent on stifling individual thought and common sense. His irreverent and unfiltered attitude land him in trouble with the highest ranking officers, including the President. He constantly displayed an utter disregard for military rules and structure, at the risk of his own career. The fact that he attained a general grade rank are a true testimony to his skills as a combat fighter pilot, and his unique ability to get things done while caring for his men. 

     Olds’ memoir is an outstanding achievement, and an American military classic. You will want to read this book.

BZO Rating:

Info:

  • Author: Robin Olds, Christina Olds, and Ed Rasimus
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011
  • 432 Pages
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Blog, Veteran Highlight

John Levitow

     Airmen First Class John Levitow served as loadmaster aboard an AC-47 "Spooky" gunship in the skies over Vietnam. On the night of 24 February 1969, Levitow took off with his crew to support an Army unit under attack. As the aircraft's miniguns rained down a wall of lead around the soldiers, Levitow set 20 second ignition timers on large magnesium parachute flares. He passed them onto a fellow crew member who pulled the pin to start the timer, and heaved the flare out the open side door, illuminating the ground below.

     The pilot of the gunship put the aircraft into a steep bank, turning back across the battlefield. Levitow grabbed another flare, set the timer, and passed it on. Suddenly the aircraft bucked and heaved with a tremendous explosion. Beyond belief, an enemy mortar round falling back to earth struck squarely on the right wing. The explosion blew a hole through the wing, and sent thousands of metal shards ripping through the length of the bird into the crew.

Photo taken inside Levitow's Spooky gunship after landing. USAF Photo.

Outside view of the fuselage. USAF Photo.

Wing photo of the aircraft. USAF Photo.

     Levitow was slammed to the deck with 40 pieces of shrapnel in his legs and back. Though stunned and badly wounded, he immediately came to the aid of another Airmen equally stunned and close to falling out of the open side door. As Levitow pulled the crew member away from the door, he saw something more terrifying. The parachute flare he had just handed off, with safety pin removed, was armed and spewing smoke as it counted down its 20 second timer. The flare rolled wildly around across the bottom of the aircraft. Once it ignited, it would burn hot enough to set off the thousands of rounds of ammunition and other flares still on the aircraft, and even burn a hole completely through the deck.

     Ignoring his pain, and overcoming a partially useless leg, Levitow lunged through the noxious gas grabbing at the flare. It bounded and rolled along the floor, slipping through his blood covered hands. Levitow tried to steady himself as the aircraft held its 30 degree bank. He grabbed once more, again failing to capture the flare. Levitow finally dove forward directly on top of the flare and wrapped himself around it. 

     With the flare clutched to his chest, Levitow crawled through the chaos back to the open door. He musted his remaining strength and heaved the flare out the door. Immediately after exiting the aircraft, the flare ignited. 

     The gunship landed safely, despite the massive hole in the wing and over 3500 holes through the fuselage. Though all crew members were wounded by the blast, none were killed. For his quick, selfless actions which saved the lives of the entire crew, John Levitow was awarded the Medal of Honor. He remains the lowest ranking member of the USAF to receive the award. Levitow lived until 2000, passing away at the age of 55.

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Blog, Veteran Highlight

Joseph McCarthy

     Following the initial assault waves, the 2nd Bn, 24th Marines arrived on the beachs of Iwo Jima in the afternoon on D-day, Feb. 19, 1945. The battalion found itself in the midst of a battle on an island unlike anything it had encountered before. Casualties began mounting immediately as the battalion began its push inland. Beyond the beach waited a barren wasteland teeming with enemy pillboxes, bunkers and underground command centers, all connected by underground tunnels and covering each other with interlocking fields of fire. Through this killing field, the Marines assaulted toward Motoyama Airfield No. 2.

     On the third day of the battle, the attack stalled in the face of withering fire. Marines attempted to find cover in the shallow bomb craters dotting the landscape. Finding himself and his rifle company pinned down, Captain Joseph J. McCarthy organized a plan of attack.

     A member of the Chicago Fire Department and former Marine first sergeant, McCarthy was not unaccustomed to stress in battle. He had fought as a company commander with 2/24 through Roi-Namur, Saipan and Tinian. On Saipan, he earned a Purple Heart, and later a Silver Star for leaving his covered position under intense fire to recover a wounded corpsman and carry him to safety. Upon returning to his position, McCarthy found the corpsman had been shot and killed in his arms.

     Now on Iwo Jima approaching the airfield, McCarthy moved from cover to cover, organizing a combined arms team to destroy the pillboxes that were halting his advance. From their concealed and fortified fighting positions, the Japanese defenders observed McCarthy's movements and zeroed in on him with their machine guns. Having been constructed of steel-reinforced concrete, many of the enemy pillboxes withstood the intense aerial bombardment prior to D-day. Marines found the only way to affectively neutralize one was through direct assault.

Marines of Golf Company, 2/24 on Iwo Jima. USMC Photo.

     McCarthy led his team across 75 yards of open ground through rifle, machine-gun and antitank gunfire to charge the first pillbox. Reaching the fire port, McCarthy pulled the pins on his grenades and tossed them through the opening. While directing the followup attack of his riflemen and flamethrower team, he spotted two enemy soldiers escaping out the back of the pillbox. With rounds cracking overhead, McCarthy moved from cover into the open and shot them both.

     Approaching the next pillbox, McCarthy again directed the demolitions, rifle and flamethrower attack. The ruined fortification now silenced, he found an entrance and went inside. He stumbled upon a Japanese soldier taking aim at one of his Marines. Without hesitation, McCarthy tackled and disarmed the enemy soldier and shot him with his own weapon.

     The destruction of the two pillboxes created a gap in the Japanese line that McCarthy could now exploit. He reassembled his company and resumed the attack, destroying the enemy and capturing a ridge beyond the fortifications. For his "brilliant professional skill, daring tactics, and tenacious perseverance," Capt McCarthy was awarded the Medal of Honor. "I was scared all the time," he would later say of his experiences in battle. "Any man who tells you he wasn't scared was an imbecile. But you dealt with it." McCarthy later was wounded in the battle, earning his second Purple Heart.

"He was not a one-shot hero," stated a Marine who served with McCarthy. "He was a hero at every campaign and everything he did."

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Blog, Veteran Highlight

Karl Taylor

     On the night of 8 December 1968, Marine Staff Sergeant Karl G. Taylor advanced with the Marines of India Company, 3/26 through an open rice paddy. In this final phase of Operation Meade River, the Marines knew the fight would be a rough one.

     A former Drill Instructor at both Parris Island and Officer Candidates School, Taylor served as the company Gunnery Sergeant. He was revered and respected by his Marines, and had proven his mettle time and time again.

     Machine guns opened up, pinning Marines down across the field and cutting them off. Taylor crossed the kill zone in search of the company's CO, Captain Ron Hoover.

     “Skipper, give me that blooper,” he said. “My men are in trouble. I’ve got to go help my Marines.” Hoover handed him a single shot M79 grenade launcher.

     SSgt Taylor took off into the twilight. Turning to another Marine named Larry Gore, Hoover said, “Don’t let him do anything stupid, go with him.”

A Marine advances through flat, open terrain, typical of the entire area  encountered during Operation Meade River. USMC Photo.

     Taylor and Gore moved from cover to cover, finding wounded Marines at each stop along the way. They directed those who could move, and assisted those who could not, back to a bomb crater acting as a casualty collection point. As Gore and the other Marines moved and carried the wounded, Taylor lobbed a steady stream of grenades from his M79 into the enemy machine gun positions.

     After multiple trips from the crater into the field and back with wounded, the two Marines crawled out a final time. They joined some of the others who were furthest ahead and trapped close to the enemy bunkers. By this time, Taylor had successfully silenced two enemy guns, and was out of grenades. A single remaining heavy machine gun maintained a steady rate of fire. 

     The Marines lie trapped on the ground, several already wounded. Taylor took all the M79 ammo the Marines with him had left, and ordered Gore to get everyone else back to the crater. They began to fall back when suddenly, through the darkness behind him, Gore heard the dueling explosions of grenades versus machine gun. “It was horrible just hearing that,” he remembered. “We said, ‘oh my God he’s still alive. He’s still alive.’ We kept hearing ‘BLOOP…BOOM,’ then, ‘BOW BOW BOW BOW BOW!’” Charging through the open rice paddy, Taylor assaulted the NVA heavy machine gun, firing grenades as he ran.

     The Marines heard the blooper fire once more and a final retort from the machine gun, then the field fell silent.  When they finally reached his position later, the Marines found Taylor dead, killed by the enemy machine gunner. They also found with his last shot, Taylor had simultaneously knocked out that machine gun. For his heroic actions, supreme sacrifice, and dedication to his Marines, SSgt Taylor was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. 

     "Karl was a hero that stood out among heroes," reflected Hoover. "He was not the John Wayne type, but he had a dedication to the Marine Corps that all drill instructors have, and his troops were most important in his mind.”

Karl G. Taylor on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Panel 37W Line 70.

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Blog, BZO Update

TBS Class Hotel Co 8-68 50th Reunion

Kyle (left), Terry Arndt (second from left), Chris Tibbs (right) and Robert Skeels (second from right) at the Evening Parade in Washington, D.C., 8 June 2018.

     I recently had the privilege of joining the Marines of Hotel Company, The Basic School (TBS) class 8-68, in Washington, D.C. for their 50th reunion. One of the Marines, Chris Tibbs, invited me to attend, following our conversations and work together on the feature story covering Operation Meade River. 

     These are the Marines of 1968 and 1969. While going through TBS, they watched the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive, and battles like the siege at Khe Sanh unfold. For them, it was not a question of if they would go to war, but when.

     They knew it was likely some of them would not come home. They would not have anticipated though, that some of them wouldn't even make it out of Quantico. Four Marines were killed before they even completed training. Two of these were slain in a tragic expression of the times in which they lived. Following a ceremonial Mess Night, several of the young officers drove to D.C. in full dress white uniforms. At a bar around 3:00AM, several African-American men began ridiculing the white Marines in their white uniforms. The heated exchange boiled over into gun fire, as two of the men pulled pistols and started shooting. Three Marines and one civilian were shot. Two of the lieutenants did not survive.

     In Vietnam, these veterans served as grunts, tankers, artillerymen, supply and Motor T, helicopter and jet pilots, lawyers, civil affairs, and more. For some, the jobs they were trained to do ended up being the opposite of what they found themselves doing in combat. Robert Skeels, a tanker by trade, used his specialty to reassure his parents before going to war, convincing them that he would be safe and sound inside his armored tank. As soon as he set foot in Vietnam, however, he was informed that due to a shortage of infantry officers, he was being assigned temporary duty with the grunts.

     Everyone spoke of Vietnam in a familiar tone. It reminded me of the way I might hold a conversation with an old high school friend, reminiscing about our home town. Hills, roads, rivers, bases, and especially combat zones were all named quickly in passing, with the correct assumption that all knew the places well. 

     Other parts of their Vietnam experience were unfortunately discussed with equal familiarity, and discussed not in past tense but present. The topic of agent orange came up, and its unavoidable presence as the Marines trudged through the jungles, paddies, and hamlets. For many, the chemical's affect lingers still.

     "It gave me cancer, but I got mine cut out," said one veteran.

     "You got your's out?" questioned another. "I got mine nuked."

     Other common ailments of the country were discussed more jokingly. "Underwear? You NEVER wore underwear in Vietnam or you'd get crotch rot!" One of the veterans remembered. "You never wore underwear, and you never took your boots off. Leaches loved to get in your boots."

     Eleven Marines from Hotel 8-68 were killed in action in Vietnam, and a large portion of the 50th reunion served to honor their memory. We travelled to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. At the base of the wall, under each panel containing one of the 11 names, a placard was placed displaying the name and photograph of each Marine killed.

One of the 11 placards placed at the Wall. 2ndLt Duncan Sleigh, killed 6 November 1968, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

     Besides their classmates, all the veterans present had their own list of names on the wall to seek out. I had the privilege of finding the names of India 3/26 Marines, including Medal of Honor winner Karl Taylor, that served with Chris Tibbs in Operation Meade River.

Chris TIbbs, Infantry Officer serving with 3/26, reviewing the names of his fellow Marines killed during Operation Meade River.

Terry Arndt, Infantry Officer with 2/26, finds the name of a Marine who died in his arms.

Robert Skeels, tanker turned grunt, located the names of 3 Marines killed at Mutter's Ridge.

     After the wall, we toured the Capitol building, then later attended the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington. I thought it fitting that also in attendance was Bravo Company 2-18, lieutenants currently in training at The Basic School. 

     I found it amusing and refreshing that, despite the extended period of time since they have worn the uniform, these gentlemen embodied the sentiment of, "Once a Marine, always a Marine." Hearing their talk, their mannerisms and interactions, even seeing the way they all lined up at the bar before taking their seats at dinner, all took me back to my own time on active duty, and made me remember just how much I love being with Marines.

     To the Marines of Hotel 8-68. Thank you for allowing me to take part in your reunion, and welcoming me as a brother. I wish you and your fallen the honor and recognition you all deserve. Semper Fidelis.

- KW

The Marines of Hotel Co 8-68 at their 50th reunion, 8 June 2018.

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Blog, Book Review

Book Review: In Harms Way

     This is the book that inspired the Editor of BZO to begin his own writing.  

     Doug Stanton masterfully recreates the epic and tragic story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and the following saga of her sailors as they fought for survival in the water. After their ship was torpedoed out from under them, the crew of the Indy clung to life for four days in the face of hypothermia, dementia, and a shark infested ocean. Stanton puts the reader in the water alongside the sailors, and makes unimaginable circumstances animate with stunning clarity. Stanton also helps the reader grasp the why and how behind everything going on, giving us an understanding of events the sailors could never possibly known at the time. 

     Another vital piece of this story comes from the "Afterword," now included following the initial publication of the book. Stanton describes what happened to the sailors who survived the ordeal and lived to read his work, and describes what happened to himself as he came to understand the power his writing could have on others.

     This is an important story of service and sacrifice, and Stanton has done a great service as well by telling the story so wonderfully. Don't miss this book.

BZO Rating: 

Info:

  • Author: Doug Stanton
  • Publisher: Macmillan, 2003
  • 320 Pages
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