Our Lives "On the Line": The Air War over North Vietnam for a Navy pilot and his Airwing.

by Kenneth Adams

This covers the air war over North Vietnam from August 1966 through November 1968 for a young Naval Aviator, his squadron (VA-163) and Air Wing 16 on the USS Oriskany CVA-34 and the USS Hancock CVA-19.

Genres: Military Fiction, Autobiography

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2020

Reviews

[Christopher Wirth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stark Reminder of the Costs of War

This was a great book. This book reads like a diary, a diary of the human costs of war. It is honest, brutally honest, in the description of US Navy Light Attack A-4 squadron operations off of North Vietnam from one pilots point of view. Highly recommend.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book and was particularly impressed with how well the diary style writing worked in this well researched book.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting account of the air war over North Vietnam from the perspective of a Navy pilot and his airwing. As a former Navy pilot himself, Adams brings a unique and personal insight to the challenges and triumphs experienced by those who fought in one of the most dangerous and intense conflicts of the 20th century. The book follows the journey of a young pilot as he is deployed to Vietnam, facing the harsh realities of aerial combat and the toll it takes on both his physical and mental well-being. He was 24 when he flew his first combat mission, and 26 on his last. Through vivid descriptions and heart-pounding action sequences, Adams captures the adrenaline-fueled intensity of dogfights and bombing runs, as well as the camaraderie and bonds formed among the men who served together.
Adams’ ability to humanize the pilots and aircrew, showing the personal sacrifices and emotional struggles they faced while carrying out their missions makes this memoir unique. The author’s detailed accounts of the daily life on an aircraft carrier, the harrowing missions flown over enemy territory, and the moments of fear and triumph make for a compelling and emotionally resonant read. This book a must-read for anyone interested in military history or the human experience of war.

[John Eric Pollabauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The day in the life of a Vietnam Veteran Navy Pilot

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone thinking of becoming a pilot in their country's military services. The author, Kenneth "Mule" Adams, did a remarkable job of sharing his life experiences while serving his country as a Navy Pilot, and I felt his deep loss and suffering when he wrote about the Navy Pilots he had flown with and who were either KIA or MIA. You've got to be good to be lucky and Mule was extremely good and remarkably lucky.

[Wolf O. Rankis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrier Pilot

A really great read about the little known role Naval Carrier Pilots played in off shore bombing in Viet Nam. I was completely surprised that they could have been, but were not engaged in ground support for our troops. Damn all politicians and political Career officers who use their career vector as a metric in their decisions. How many more grunts could have been spared and made the trip back home, only to be disrespected by the very people these warriors put it all on the line for. I will admit that I'm one of those who will never forgive Hanoi Jane.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that Ai is bringing so many books to the fore by having an audio version. However, the model needs to be tweaked for military language.....the aircraft the author flies....sometime is the A-4, most of the time its the "uh-4".....WWII is W W L L..... abbreviations for rank are a trainwreck..... years are 1, 968 not, 1968..... Please, someone fix this, it detracts so much from some very interesting and informative stories......

[Roger Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing tale

Clearly the Vietnam experience was intense and Capt. Adams' experience was phenomenal. After a while though the book became little more than a bulleted list of "did this, did that, slept and drank a lot."

Not as good as some of the other memoir/autobiographical novels of jet or naval aviation.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very personal memoir, however, it didn’t go deep into a lot of topics like I was expecting but perhaps that is a consequence of the diary style of the writing.

A very good complement to “Dead Men Flying” by Mike Muleman, although, I prefer the latter

[Barbara Beha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Air War from the cockpit!

This pilot was good & very lucky. I was shocked at all the losses of fellow pilots during his tour's. A good read indeed.