Taking Fire: Saving Captain Aikman-The Heroic Rescue of a Phantom Pilot from North Vietnam by the Air Force's Guardian Angels

by Kevin O'Rourke, Joe Peters

Overview

This gripping chronicle of an aerial rescue during the Vietnam War offers a vivid example of the heroism of US Air Force pararescue jumpers.

In June of 1972, Capt. Lynn Aikman was returning from a bombing mission over North Vietnam when his F-4 Phantom was shot down. He and his backseater Tom Hanton ejected from their aircraft, but Hanton landed near a village and was quickly captured. Badly injured during the ejection, Aikman landed some distance from the village, making it possible for an American aerial rescue team to reach him before the enemy.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Aikman saw his guardian angel in the sky: USAF Pararescue Jumper Chuck McGrath. But as Sgt. McGrath prepared to hook the Aikman to a hoist line, hostile fire on the rescue helicopter damaged the hoist mechanism. As A-1 Skyraiders kept an enemy militia away from Aikman and McGrath, the helicopter crew scrambled to come up with a plan.

More than a chronicle of the events of June 27, 1972, Taking Fire provides an up-close look at the little-known world of the US Air Force’s elite aerial rescue force.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612001388
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	01/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	217
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kevin O'Rourke specializes in historical non-fiction.

Table of Contents

Foreword 7

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 The Long Ride In 13

Chapter 2 The Mission 33

Chapter 3 Making the Best of a Tough Situation 54

Chapter 4 The Good Mission 77

Chapter 5 A Bad Day for F-4s 103

Chapter 6 Four Is on Fire! 118

Chapter 7 Taking Fire 144

Chapter 8 So That Others May Live 165

Chapter 9 All the Way Home 195

Epilogue 199

Acknowledgments 208

Glossary 211

Editorial Reviews

"The authors fully researched the action and verified everything with extensive interviews with all of the participants. … gives an excellent picture of Pararescue and of Air Rescue."

Marine Corps Aviation Association - James R. Casey

The authors fully researched the action and verified everything with extensive interviews with all of the participants. … gives an excellent picture of Pararescue and of Air Rescue.

Marine Corps Aviation Association James R. Casey

"...a tribute to airmen who are dedicated to saving lives. The authors have created a vivid, page-turning narrative of war from the first to the final page. A few times I thought I was watching a movie and not just reading about loyalty, courage, sacrifice, and true heroism..."

The VVA Veteran

"...provides an up close look into the heroism and mystique of this little known segment of the Air Force Special Tactics community by focusing on one of the most dramatic rescues of the Vietnam War...

Airfix Model World

"In what is above all a gripping illustration of the bond between pararescue jumpers during the Vietnam War, this work covers in detail the dramatic rescue of airforce pilot Lynn Aikman on June 27th, 1972. Readers get an inside look at the Air Force Special Tactics team as they also struggle to save pararescue jumper Chuck McGrath, who because of damage to the hoist mechanism also gets stuck on the ground. O'Rourke (producer/instructional designer, U. of Massachusetts) has produced a number of documentaries, while Peters (information systems security professional) has years of experience as a journalist and freelance writer. The volume contains several black and white photographs per chapter and closes with a helpful glossary of specialized military terms.

Inc. Book News

...a tribute to airmen who are dedicated to saving lives. The authors have created a vivid, page-turning narrative of war from the first to the final page. A few times I thought I was watching a movie and not just reading about loyalty, courage, sacrifice, and true heroism...

VVA Veteran

"In what is above all a gripping illustration of the bond between pararescue jumpers during the Vietnam War, this work covers in detail the dramatic rescue of airforce pilot Lynn Aikman on June 27th, 1972. Readers get an inside look at the Air Force Special Tactics team as they also struggle to save pararescue jumper Chuck McGrath, who because of damage to the hoist mechanism also gets stuck on the ground. O'Rourke (producer/instructional designer, U. of Massachusetts) has produced a number of documentaries, while Peters (information systems security professional) has years of experience as a journalist and freelance writer. The volume contains several black and white photographs per chapter and closes with a helpful glossary of specialized military terms.

Book News