Cheating Death: Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos

by George J. Marrett

They flew low and slow, at treetop level, at night, in monsoons, and in point-blank range of enemy guns and missiles. They were missions no one else wanted, but the ones all other pilots prayed for when shot down. Flying the World War II-vintage Douglas A-1 Skyraider, a single-engine, propeller-driven relic in a war of “fast-movers,” these intrepid US Air Force pilots, call sign Sandy, risked their lives with every mission to rescue thousands of downed Navy and Air Force pilots.

With a flashback memory and a style all his own, George J. Marrett depicts some of the most dangerous aerial combat of any war. The thrilling rescue of “Streetcar 304” and William Jones's selfless act of heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor are but two of the compelling tales he recounts. Here too are the courages Jolly Green Giant helicopter crews, parajumpers, and forward air controllers who worked with the Sandys over heavily defended jungles and mountains well behind enemy lines.

Passionate, mordantly witty, and filled with heart-pounding adrenaline, Cheating Death reads like the finest combat fiction, but it is the real deal: its heroes, cowards, jokers, and casualties all have names and faces readers will find difficult to forget.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: War, History, Nonfiction, Military History, Biography, Military Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2003

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, not what I was expecting at all and I was pleasantly surprised by it. The memoirs of a Skyraider pilot performing combat rescue missions in Vietnam and Laos. The book was written 30+ years after the events as his memoirs so there's parts that lack great detail however you get a real feeling for what it was like going into a hot area in the last generation of turbo prop fighter bombers. Well worth a read great entertainment.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite combat aircraft, A1 Skyraider. Interesting narrative of the harrowing, desperate and dangerous rescues of downed pilots in Southeast Asia. The Skyraider was a "load." Difficult to master, slow but packed with maximum firepower.
The book was written in such a way that the author makes peace with himself about the struggle that was the war in Vietnam and the "secret war" in Laos.
"Sandy 7, this is 8..."

[George Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting piece of what went on in a largely overlooked part of our vietnam experience

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about the Sandy pilots who flew the Spad, or A-1 Skyraider, performing high-risk rescue missions in North Vietnam and Laos as well as conducting strike missions throughout Laos as part of America's "secret" war on the Pathet Lao and Ho Chi Minh trail. Marrett describes his year-long tour in southeast Asia with little apparent embellishment. His straight-forward accounts were enough to keep me riveted. Enemy forces using downed airmen as bait to lure in rescue forces for the kill, Sandy pilots loaded down with fuel and ordinance flying low and slow over triple canopy jungle trying to pinpoint survivors and draw AAA fire to locate enemy defenses, dead-stick landings in enemy territory, and the unforgiving nature of low altitude flight even without being shot at. Marrett constantly praises the Jolly Green helicopter crews and PJs who recovered downed airman while recounting the triumphs and tragedies encountered by his Sandy squadron and Jolly Green crews. I also enjoyed how Marrett describes the sense of camaraderie shared by those who were there as well as his feelings of duty. He writes, "I still wanted to rescue every pilot shot down in the snake-infested and enemy-controlled jungle; it was the only mission that made any sense in this screwed-up war."

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as being a pilot in Vietnam went, being a Thud (F-105) driver was probably the worst, and being a Spad (A-1) pilot was a close second. This book focuses on the men that flew the A-1 Skyraider. These were WWII era attack planes that flew low and slow over hostile territory as search and rescue escorts. Their job was to locate the position of a downed pilot, get in contact with him, and then literally destroy any and all enemies that may be near by so that the super slow and mostly defenseless Jolly Green rescue choppers could retrieve the downed pilot. It took brass balls to do what the Sandy pilots did, and as you'll learn, it was very hazardous, but also very rewarding. You will come away understanding that the Sandy pilots were scared, but more of failing to rescue a downed pilot than of being killed. I respect the men that flew these plans.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are into this type of thing you might find this book interesting. For me, It was just too dry, too short on deeper information around the year the airman spent risking his life. Not the rescue and bombing missions those are well covered. I wanted to know more bout the mundane, the day to day, the normal stuff and the dichotomy between resting in Thailand and a few hours later getting shot at. What is not a question is regardless of whether you think the way was justified or not (not), these rescue airmen were very brave putting themselves in to very dangerous situations to save fellow airmen.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

George also wrote "Howard Hughes, Aviator," the book on which the movie was based.

[Sid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and truly amazing stories!

[Jrt6 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best combat aviation books.

I didn't know what to expect with this book and while it's not a behind the rifle sight type memoir the author none the less gives an incredibly compelling and emotion provoking recount of a year spent literary flying combat and rescue missions non stop. I spent hours at night reading this book because it wss so hard to put down.