Moral Imperative: 1972, Combat Rescue, and the End of America's War in Vietnam (Modern War Studies) - Softcover

Book 129 of 183: Modern War Studies

Darrel Whitcomb (author)

 
9780700630066: Moral Imperative: 1972, Combat Rescue, and the End of America's War in Vietnam (Modern War Studies)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0700630066 ISBN 13: 9780700630066
Publisher: University Press of Kansas, 2020

Synopsis

In 1972, America was completing its withdrawal from the long and divisive war in Vietnam. Air power covered the departure of ground forces, and search and rescue teams from all services and Air America covered the airmen and soldiers still in the fight. Day and night these military and civilian aircrews stood alert to respond to 'Mayday'; calls. The rescue forces were the answer to every man's prayer, and those forces brought home airmen, sailors, marines, and soldiers downed or trapped across the breadth and depth of the entire Southeast Asia theater. Moral Imperative relies on a trove of declassified documents and unit histories to tell their tales. Focusing on 1972, Darrel Whitcomb combines stories of soldiers cut off from their units, advisors trapped with allied forces, and airmen downed deep in enemy territory, with the narratives of the US Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, contract pilots, and special operations teams ready to conduct rescues in Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam. All of these missions occur against the backdrop of our withdrawal from the war and our diplomatic efforts to achieve a lasting peace. In detail, Whitcomb shows how American rescue forces supported the military response to the North Vietnamese's massive three-pronged invasion of South Vietnam, America's subsequent interdiction operations against North Vietnam, and ultimately the strategic bombing of Linebacker II.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Darrel D. Whitcomb graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1969. He served three tours in Southeast Asia as a cargo pilot and forward air controller, logging combat missions over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. He retired from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel in 1999 and is the author of The Rescue of Bat 21 and three other books on military rescue and aviation.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
University Press of Kansas
Publication date
2020
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0700630066
ISBN 13 
9780700630066
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
368