Review
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“An important and comprehensive work on that most American of
imperatives—going in harm's way to get one of our own.”
—Dick Couch, author of The Sheriff of Ramadi and Chosen Soldier
“For most of the hundred-plus years of manned flight, aircraft
have been used in combat and tens of thousands have been
lost. When a aircraft goes down there has always been
the desire, but not always the means, to rescue the
survivors. George Galdorisi and Tom Phillips have provided a
comprehensive, and well-written history of the development of
combat rescue up to the present, including dramatic accounts of
rescues, among them many never before revealed. Leave No Man
Behind is a story of heroism which should appeal to a broad
spectrum of readers; historians, serving , and those who
love a good aviation story.”
—Norman Polmar, author of Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier
Aviation and Its Impact on World Events
“Combat search and rescue -- the ability to save downed pilots --
becomes more important each time the United States uses aircraft
in combat. As enemy defenses improve, it also becomes more
difficult, and the technology involved becomes more complex. Yet
this story has never really been told before. Leave No Man Behind
shows how attempts to rescue pilots began as early as World War
I, and how modern systems have worked, both in theory and in
difficult practice. It offers a unique combination of operational
experience and technical description.”
—Dr. Norman Friedman, author of The Naval Institute Guide to
World Naval Weapons
“Leave No Man Behind is a solid piece of history. Starting with
the birth of aviation itself, it tells the story, almost
100 years in length, of the efforts that have been put forth to
develop and use rescue forces to recover downed aviators.
Focusing primarily on well-documented vignettes from conflicts as
recent as Iraqi Freedom, it is the story of sacrifice, valor, and
heroic airmen who go forth so that, ‘others may live.’ Well
written, well told, well done!”
—Darrel Whitcomb, author of The Rescue of Bat 21, Combat Search
and Rescue in Desert Storm, and Call Sign - DUSTOFF
The Register-Pajaronian
"George Galdorisi and Thomas Phillips provide an account of
combat search and rescue (CSAR) from World War I to the conflict
in Iraq. This is the story of the unheralded men and women who
fly the dangerous missions to retrieve downed airmen and soldiers
stranded behind enemy lines. Chronicling nearly 100 years of CSAR
history, the authors include stories of previously classified
missions and several Medal-of-Honor winning operations in an
extensive look at this little known facet of operations.
The books also addresses the ongoing debate of whether the
tendency to cut CSAR at the end of a conflict is wise. Without an
existing infrastructure, it takes far too long to get these units
operational again when the need arises."
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From the Inside Flap
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Beginning with the birth of combat aircraft in World War I and
the early attempts to rescue warriors trapped behind enemy lines,
Leave No Man Behind chronicles in depth nearly one hundred years
of combat search and rescue (CSAR). All major U.S. combat
operations from World War II to the early years of the Iraq War
are covered, including previously classified missions and several
Medal-of-Honor-winning operations. Authors George Galdorisi and
Tom Phillips (both veteran U.S. Navy helicopter pilots) highlight
individual acts of heroism while telling the big-picture story of
the creation and development of modern CSAR.
Although individual missions have their successes
and failures, CSAR, as an institution, would seem beyond
reproach, an obvious necessity. The organizational history of
CSAR, however, is not entirely positive. The armed services,
particularly the U.S. Air Force and Navy, have a tendency to cut
CSAR at the end of a conflict, leaving no infrastructure prepared
for the next time that the brave men and women of our armed
forces find themselves behind enemy lines.
The final chapter has not yet been written for U.S.
combat search and rescue, but in view of the life-saving
potential of these forces, an open and forthright review of U.S.
CSAR plans and policies is long overdue. Beyond the
exciting stories of heroic victories and heartrending defeats,
Leave No Man Behind stimulates debate on this important subject.
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From the Back Cover
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From the book:
Ron Clarke saw a shadowy figure running toward the helicopter
from the right. He wasn’t certain if it was the downed air force
pilot or a Vietcong. At the same time, George Armstrong, manning
the machine in the forward left personnel door, shouted,
“Here they come—let’s get out of here.” He opened fire with his
M60 [on enemy soldiers running] toward the helicopter. . . .
“Full power,” Clarke shouted to [copilot Jerry] Smith, who
shoved the two engine throttles to the stops. Clarke eased up on
the collective pitch lever, and the helicopter began to get light
on the wheels.
Back aft, [Jimmy] Conrad identified the running man as friendly
and watched him dive past head first, sliding across the cabin
deck on thousands of empty 7.62mm shell casings like the floor
was covered with ball bearings. He fetched up under the troop
seat . . . grabbing the bench leg to stop from slipping down the
tilted deck.
As the helicopter accelerated and then climbed . . . the
adrenaline-charged helicopter crew began to realize that they
were safe and had somehow escaped death or worse.
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About the Author
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Author George Galdorisi flew U.S. Navy search and rescue in the
early 1970s, manning Vietnam-era helicopters with pilots from the
initial cadre of navy CSAR teams. His flying career continued for
over a quarter-century, culminating with state-of-the-art CSAR
helicopters aboard U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. He
has written about naval combat operations in a wide range of
articles in professional journals and has published two
successful novels of naval combat: The Coronado Conspiracy and
For Duty and Honor.
Author Tom Phillips began his U.S. Navy career flying attack
helicopters in Vietnam, including POW rescue operations with Navy
SEALs. He continued flying in squadrons sprinkled with other CSAR
veterans of Vietnam before moving into operational staff
positions and, after retirement from active duty, was ly
involved in developing training materials for current CSAR
pilots. He now works as a Navy tactics analyst and a flight
simulator instructor training today¹s rescue crews.
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