Naked In Da Nang: A Forward Air Controller In Vietnam

by Mike Jackson, Frank Borman, Tara Dixon-Engel

FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their airforce and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, you had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery. As the title suggests, however, Naked in Da Nang is not an angst ridden account of mortal combat. Following in the footsteps of Richard Hooker's classic M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, author Jackson has a keen eye for the absurdities that abound in a combat zone. That the humor is often dark only serves to sharpen its comic edge.- These pilots were considered the "Guardian Angels" of the Vietnam ground soldier- Refers to the "unarmed" nature of FAC (Forward Air Controllers) aircraft- Low-tech aircraft that survived combat on pilot skills only

Genres: Aviation, History, Military Fiction, Memoir, Nonfiction

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Manray9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Jackson's Naked in Da Nang started off with a bang and petered out. It contained interesting accounts of Forward Air Controller flight operations in support of U.S. and ARVN forces near the DMZ in 1971-72. Unfortunately, such gripping tales were interspersed with tiresome self-obsession, rationalization of personal decisions, irrelevant and ill-considered political opinions, and generalized navel-gazing. Jackson was a little too impressed with himself. The first account, very well rendered, of calling in the F-4 strike in the A Shau was just powerful enough to push the book past the Three Star threshold.

[Landon Wilkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a light, fast, and entertaining chronicle on the Vietnam War, yet it has an amazing depth as it explores the humanity of those subjected to such circumstances as a war deemed wrong and altogether immoral by those politicians and civilians back home. Mike Jackson conveys his willingness to serve his country and help out his fellow man in situation after situation as he fulfilled his tour of duty over and surrounded by the jungles of Vietnam. All the more to his credit, Jackson maintains perspective, and that despite the awful conditions and circumstances he faced, there were always those who had it worse off.
Jackson has a wonderful sense of humor and really let's you in his head as he faces the enemy, or worse, an illogical superior. A great read for any aviation or military history buff, or even those who have a desire to learn about and attempt to understand the war in Vietnam and those who fought it.

[Hal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no trouble at all giving five stars to Mike Jackson's account of his service as a forward air control pilot in Vietnam. Anyone who has the slightest interest in Vietnam or the military in general would enjoy this book. It is fast-paced and extremely well edited from the forward by astronaut Frank Borman to the epilogue. It gives valuable insight to guys like me who served at the same time but not "in country." It is a situation and environment of which we were completely unaware.

I'll write a review later after I gather my thoughts. Mike is a Facebook friend who I met in the USAF veterans group. I didn't know he was an author when we became friends. I came away from this book proud to be a USAF veteran.

One note: If you look up the author on Amazon or Goodreads, there is another author/veteran by the same name. But you can ignore him. He is ex-Navy. (Just kidding!)

[Bruce Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naked in Da Nang, A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, by Mike Jackson, Lt. Col., retired, USAF. (2004, pp 280. I finished this book seven days after my father, a commander of a FAC squadron in Vietnam, passed away. While not a perfect book, it offered me insight into the job of flying a small aircraft often at tree top level over jungles dotted with people trying to shoot you down. FACs’ primary responsibility was to scout out enemy targets—men and materiel—and direct fighters, fighter-bombers, and bombers to their targets. This was typically, but not always, done in support of ground troops. It is hazardous work, and involves no small amount of courage, flying skill, and deft multitasking. Author Mike Jackson was in Vietnam after my father left and flew in a different sector; their experiences and duties were similar but not the same. Moreover, the writer was a lieutenant largely responsible for himself while Dad was a commander responsible for about 50 aircraft. Importantly, the story told in this book is one that my father did not talk about in any detail beyond “they shot at me nearly every day, but luckily they weren’t very good shots.” This is a good book for anyone interested in Vietnam generally, in combat aircraft, and in forward air controllers specifically. The author tells his story with interesting detail, personal insight, and with a sprinkling of good humor. It is a nice complement to another good about FACs in Vietnam: Da Nang Diary: A Forward Air Controller's Gunsight View of Flying with SOG, by Tom Yarborough. I recommend both.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much agree with Manray9's review. Where Jackson's and my experience flying for the USAF overlapped, several of his descriptions were quite accurate in detail, sometimes as if from the same script. Thus, I credit his descriptions of other experiences as being equally accurate.

His description of one event while in Air Force Survival School at Fairchild AFB, was so precisely similar that it reinforced my long-held suspicion that it did not actually happen as it seemed (out of sight, but with lots of sound effects and screaming). Rather, it was contrived and acted out to reinforce student learning. If my suspicions were warranted, that also meant that Jackson's description of what he had heard happened to the student afterward, was accurate in that he heard it, but based on an instructor-planted rumor rather than reality.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story of one man’s journey through a year in Vietnam. Vietnam was a war fought by stupid politicians, which is why it lasted so long and ended the way it did. This is not necessarily an action-packed, blood and guts story, but more of a story about committing to your job the best way possible, surviving your tour without too much damage and finding the humor wherever you can. FACs had an important and perilous job, which included a lot of boredom, interrupted by moments of shear terror. Many military jobs are like that. I knew the author later, as my squadron commander at OTS. Jackson continued his story in “From Vietnam to Operation Welcome Home.” I recommend both of these books.

[RL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the weakest of the FAC books I had the opportunity to read. Not much flying in here. Lengthy writing sometimes bordering on rambling. Low on factual stuff, high amount of feelings. I have immense respect for the guy though, hence three stars.

[Robert Lewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a page turner. A very interesting and at times humorous telling about a forward air controller in the Vietnam war. If you like history and heroes this is a book for you.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as The Ravens. Book has it’s excellent and mediocre parts. The excellent parts win out. Author’s view on the political bungling is spot on.

[Mountain343 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. You learn a lot about his personal thoughts, flight school and just about everything else other than flying actual FAC missions.

[Jimmie Kepler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mike Jackson and Tara Dixon-Engel’s “Naked in Da Nang.” Jackson was a Forward Air Controller flying over Vietnam in 171 to 1972. He flew 210 combat missions.

I appreciated the humanity of the pilots and soldiers that ran through in his book. It was I picture that related more to my own experience in service during the same era.

I enjoyed reading “Naked in Da Nang.” The stories of flying left me feeling I was in the aircraft with the author. I learned respect for the difficulty of just getting the aircraft support on station and the key roll the FAC had to keep friendly fire off the good guys.

I loved the way this wasn’t a typical hubris memoir. The word humanity kept coming to mind as I read the book. The human story was the thread running throughout the book. I loved the “Other Voices” being included in the story. I was especially touched by his then eighth grade sister’s recollection of Mike’s going into the Air Force after college, his parents crying, and the map she hated in the basement. His sister sharing her outburst at school when the flower child teacher calls the troops in Vietnam baby kills is touching. We feel the fear her family had in not hearing from Mike for two weeks prior and the family love she had in defending him. The chapter that the book draws its title from is humorous. We have the power going out causing the lights to go out while Mike Jackson is stuck outside, naked, in the typhoon.

My research found the book is now in its third printing. That is amazing for a military memoir. It also tells you something is different about this one – it tells the human story. It will touch your emotions. It really felt at times like I was sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee and the author sitting across reminiscing about his time in Vietnam, both how he got there, how it touched his family, and what he has done since. I highly recommend the book.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read every book I can find written by Vietnam-era FACs, and after a second read, this one stands out for focusing less on the flying and the FAC mission.

Instead, Jackson tells a lot of great, often funny stories about the ordeal of getting away from an Army draft so he could volunteer for the Air Force, getting through Officer Candidate School, struggling through flight school, jungle survival school in the Philippines, and finally his life at the northern edge of South Vietnam (Camp Eagle, I Corps) in the laughably horrid living conditions.

Not too many Vietnam memoirs bring a smile or a laugh as well as Jackson's.

[Walt Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pulled this off a shelf on vacation and read it in about 24 hours (record time for me). Very entertaining, and will allow you to see the world of the FAC. I throughly enjoyed this book, and recommend it anyone who is a history buff or who is looking for a fast, entertaining read.