ROLLING THUNDER
An Historical Novel of War and Politics
(Wings of War Book 1)
by MARK BERENT
Copyright Mark Berent
(rev 05/07/17)
WINGS OF WAR SERIES
ROLLING THUNDER
STEEL TIGER
PHANTOM LEADER
EAGLE STATION
STORM FLIGHT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Reviews
Map of Southeast Asia
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Image: O-1 FAC Plane
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Image: Mission Card
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Image: III Corps Mike Force
Chapter Fifteen
Image: Flaming Arrow
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Image: F-105s Refueling
Image: Flaming F-105
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Image: Camp Alpha
Image: Captured Pilot
About the Author
Image: Author and F-100
Spotters
Glossary
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The list is long. It starts with Lt. John Williams, a USAF public affairs officer in Los Angeles in the sixties and runs up through Special Forces Captain (Retired) Jim Morris and Ethan Ellenberg in New York in the eighties. In between are writers and editors such as Stefan Geisenheyner, Peter Lars Sandberg, and USAF Colonel John Frisbee, former editor of Air Force Magazine; all of whom played a vital role in convincing me to write. I am indebted to these people.
Yet nothing would have happened had it not been for my wife, Mary Bess, who found me in Paris in the seventies reliving the war instead of writing about it. She brought me back.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the KIA, MIA, and POW aircrew from Air America, the U.S. Air Force; the U.S. Army, the U.S.Coast Guard, Continental Air Service, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and to the men of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
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Cover by Brian Hogan (former Royal Australian Air Force) Queensland, Australia.
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Dear Reader:
This story is not entirely fictional. There are many recognizable characters coupled with many true events and published conversations. In effect, it is factual in content but fictional as relates to the main characters and some events. About my characters: They are composites of various people I have known or read about.
Also, typos and/or poor grammar do slip through. If you note any, I’d be much obliged if you would notify me at fly@markberent.com with the errors. Just list the portion of the sentence with the error and I will use FIND and REPLACE. With your permission, I will list your name under SPOTTERS after I make the correction. Let me know how you want your name presented. However, it may take weeks or months before your name appears due to uploading procedures.
Note there is a GLOSSARY at the end of this book.
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REVIEWS
"A taut, exciting tale of good men in a bad war. Berent is the real thing." --- Tom Clancy
"Rolling Thunder is terrific - a novel of exceptional authenticity that hits like a thunderclap. A decorated Vietnam pilot, Mark Berent knows planes and men and battle, and he whirls them around in a story of uncommon strength. I can't wait for his next book." --- W.E.B. Griffin, best-selling author of Brotherhood of War and The Corps
"Mark Berent writes with great authority and utter realism, immersing the reader in his characters' every sensation and emotion." --- Dale Brown, best-selling author of Flight of the Old Dog and Tiger’s Claw.
"The fighter pilot's war - you love it and hate it at the same time, and Mark Berent writes it that way." --- Stephen Coonts, best-selling author of Flight of the Intruder
"Berent tells it like it was!" --- Chuck Yeager
"The best Vietnam air novel I have read. Berent captures the essence of flying men at war, their agony, emotions, courage, and triumph." --- Brigadier General Robin Olds
MAP OF SOUTHEAST ASIA