Big BUF: Tales of the B-52 Bombers, the SAC pilots Who Flew Them & the Wives They Left at Home in the Era of the Vietnam War

by Chuck Holmes, Merelyn Holmes

Big BUF is a fact-based story of a B-52 crew and their adventures (and misadventures) during the Vietnam war.Although war is in itself not humorous, humorous things happen in war. This is not only true on the battlefield, but is also true at home where the wives and children anxiously await the return of their husbands and fathers.No character in the book is any one living individual, and the story is embellished with a little artistic license, but is based on actual events. For example, there was a Russian spy at Pataya Beach, Thailand. It became a game to see if one could be picked up by the lovely spy. There was also a rumor that a general's wife opened a house of pleasure on Guam. She had found a need and filled it. “Ernie's Hide-Away” resembles Charlie's Hide-Away, a favorite restaurant and watering hole for B-52 guys.Merelyn accurately describes life back home. Wives were close. They helped each other cope and took care of the ones who turned to alcohol or other men. She lived through the panic when an airplane was lost and the blue station wagons cruised through the housing areas, carrying the Chaplain and a senior officer to the home of the new widow.Big BUF is history seen through the eyes of those who lived “Chuck Holmes and his wife give us a unique perspective on the crews that flew B-52s during Vietnam. Chuck covers the action in the cockpit while Merelyn gives us a warm and heartfelt look at the families who waited and prayed for them back home. Great reading for everyone!”Reg Ivory, Author of "There Is No President.""I was Chuck's co-pilot for our first 6 month tour in the Arc Light program and I can say that what he writes may be fiction but he really tells it like it was. His descriptions of life in SAC and around the B-52 are right on and this is a must read for anyone that is interested in the Vietnam experience. It is a book that is hard to put down!”Robert Sheets, Former B-52 crew member “The stories bring back memories, and the book should appeal to B-52 crewmembers and maybe their kids too…. “ Russ Hansen, former B-52 Crew Member

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2012

Reviews

[Regina Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a synopsis of life as a SAC crew member

It is spot on in it's portrayal of life as a SAC crew member,especially during the Vietnam war era. Great job!

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, a former B-52 command pilot primarily during the Vietnam War, brings the war up close and personnel with his accounts of the lives of the pilots, aircrews, and their families. The book is a fictionalized account, but he uses real events and fictionalized people to tell the story. Since I served during this time I enjoyed immensely learning what what was going on in the USAF during the war in Southeast Asia while I was assigned to southern Italy. He delineates his characters so clearly that it is obvious he is actually talking about real people.

[Clinton Biediger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fictional Reality

It's good to read something that has the ring of truth, while being entertaining. Too often we are spoon fed what is purported to be the truth, accepted by the civilian world, while the people who lived the stories roll their eyes. The are the ones who are bewildered at why the supposed experts of what actually happened can't get the real truth into print, in a believable manner. This story, fortunately, is an example of the truth.