BURY US UPSIDE DOWN(ISBN=) 英文原版

　　They had the most dangerous job n the Air Force. Now Bury Us
Upside Down reveals the never-before-told story of the Vietnam
War’s top-secret jet-fighter outfit–an all-volunteer unit composed
of truly extraordinary men who flew missions from which heroes are
made.
　　In today’s wars, computers, targeting pods, lasers, and
precision-guided bombs help FAC (forward air controller) pilots
identify and destroy targets from safe distances. But in the search
for enemy traffic on the elusive Ho Chi Minh Trail, always risking
enemy fire, capture, and death, pilots had to drop low enough to
glimpse the telltale signs of movement such as suspicious dust on
treetops or disappearing tire marks on a dirt road (indicating a
hidden truck park). Written by an accomplished journalist and
veteran, Bury Us Upside Down is the stunning story of these brave
Americans, the men who flew in the covert Operation Commando
Sabre–or “Misty”–the most innovative air operation of the
war.
　　In missions that lasted for hours, the pilots of Misty flew
zigzag patterns searching for enemy troops, vehicles, and weapons,
without benefit of night-vision goggles, infrared devices, or other
now common sensors. What they gained in exhilarating autonomy also
cost them: of 157 pilots, 34 were shot down, 3 captured, and 7
killed. Here is a firsthand account of courage and technical
mastery under fire. Here, too, is a tale of forbearance and loss,
including the experience of the family of a missing Misty
flier–Howard K. Williams–as they learn, after twenty-three years,
that his remains have been found.
　　Now that bombs are smart and remote sensors are even smarter, the
missions that the Mistys flew would now be considered no less than
suicidal. Bury Us Upside Down reminds us that for some, such
dangers simply came with the territory.
　　From the Hardcover edition.

　　Rick Newman is a writer and editor at U.S. News & World
Report who covered the Pentagon for seven years, including U.S.
missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Persian Gulf. He has written
hundreds of stories on the military, including dozens of
exclusives, and more than twenty cover stories.
　　Don Shepperd (Misty 34) reported for duty at Phu Cat Air Base on
December 19, 1967, and flew fifty-eight missions as a Misty during
his four-month tour. With a total of 247 combat missions in
Vietnam, he retired from the Air Force in 1998 as a two-star
general and head of the Air National Guard. In 2001 he joined CNN
as one of their principal military analysts.
　　From the Hardcover edition.