Ashen Skies of Vietnam A Novel |
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| Author:
| Chase, Thomas A. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-692-00295-7 |
| Publication Date: | Jun 2009 |
| Publisher: | Marazen Publishing
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| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $18.00 |
Book Description:
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This book is dedicated to the men who flew the Lockheed C-130 Hercules during the seemingly endless Vietnam War, and to other forgotten men and women who faithfully served in less publicized roles: nurses, mechanics, clerks, and a diversity of other positions that were essential to the effort.
Ashen Skies of Vietnam begins in 1965, early in the Vietnam War. Capt. Clay Evans is an Air Force pilot with ten years of loyal service. His squadron has transferred from its stateside base to...
More DescriptionThis book is dedicated to the men who flew the Lockheed C-130 Hercules during the seemingly endless Vietnam War, and to other forgotten men and women who faithfully served in less publicized roles: nurses, mechanics, clerks, and a diversity of other positions that were essential to the effort.
Ashen Skies of Vietnam begins in 1965, early in the Vietnam War. Capt. Clay Evans is an Air Force pilot with ten years of loyal service. His squadron has transferred from its stateside base to Saigon for a one-year tour of duty, the culmination of many long deployments that destroyed his marriage. His adversary is the war and, in a related way, his superior, Major Frick.
Clay and his close-knit crew fly the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a multi-purpose, turbo-prop transport (that is still in production). The sturdy “Herk” plays a vital role in the story.
Clay meets a flight nurse, Johnnie, when he and his crew fly a patient to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, her home base. A mutual attraction develops, but when Clay returns to Vietnam he wonders if he’ll ever see her again. Months later, he does. Clay’s aircraft is hit. Two crewmen are severely wounded and the flight engineer is killed. With half a finger shot off, Clay lands at a Marine base. His crewmen are put on a med-evac jet that will hasten them to the States; Clay is flown to Clark to have his fingertip reattached. Johnnie is there; love blooms. Filled with remorse, he tells her, “I’m no hero, Johnnie. My job was to get my men home in one piece, and I failed.”