Combat Talons in Vietnam: Recovering a Covert Special Ops Crew (Volume 154) (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) Hardcover – March 27, 2017

It brought back memories of a little known group of heroes. They not only Had the Guts to Try, they regularly trained for and executed missions that put them in the ranks of those who flew impossible missions. Theirs was to insert, resupply and extract covert assets whose lives depended on flight crews who put it all on the line every time they took off.Think back to every military engagement over the last 50 years and these men were there. If you value military history and the unsung heroes who often go unrecognized. You should read this book. They will be in my memory until the day I die. Proud to have served.

I came across this book accidentally while researching another project. As a Combat Talon EWO during the early 80’s I knew the guys I flew with were exceptional crewmembers and courageous, but as a “Youngster” I had no idea the path most of my mentors had walked. My dad was hit during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam and its one of the reasons I served. This book gave me the details, not only of the loss of one of our aircraft, but of the crews, how they lived, planned, flew and returned. Well done to the author, Col. Gargus, and all my other Air Commando brethren out there. Tony Jones, Major, ret. 8th SOS, 1st SOW, CATS, JPRA.

It was a very enlightening story about how our troops lived in Vietnam during that war. It also told a detailed story about the men who lost their lives and the night they went MIA. It is clear that the author is very intelligent, and the writing is very good and holds your interest till the end. My personal interest was of Frank Parker, who was the brother of a childhood friend. Although I was only about 14 when we learned he was MIA, our family felt his loss; I remember the times well.

Probably not what I expected. This book is full of acronyms and would probably have been 50 pages longer without their use. For someone without a military background i had trouble keeping up with their meaning. The book has a lot technical details that I could have done without. It appears to be thoroughly researched and for folks that were in Viet Nam or served in related military capacities it would have been more to their interest. I am glad that the military puts great effort into identifying our lost soldiers.

Today I knew the Van baren family from Roscoe Illinois

Beautifully written with exciting attention to detail that would keep any reader occupied until the end. A secret brotherhood of flying warriors that has been now revealed in an excellent book. This book described the actions of a unit in Vietnam over 50 years ago. A story that needs to be told and not forgotten.

Good book - somewhat technical. What interested m;e was that I was a very good friend of one of the 14 airmen lost in the Combat Talon crash in Vietnam.

As a Combat Talon Loadmaster, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the earlier history of the aircraft. This filled in a few gaps of history I didn't has. A Very good read!