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Published by Patriot Media, Inc. An
almost true story of naval aviators fighting a vicious air war over North
Vietnam in the fiery autumn of 1967 ... and of the families waiting for them
back home "in the world." The
novel covers a two-week period in a day by day account of flight operations
and the heroic acts of men flying the hostile skies of North Vietnam. Many of
the exploits in the book are based on the author's Vietnam War experiences as
an A-6 Intruder pilot. The cover art, Moonlight Intruders, is
courtesy of Craig Kodera, a famed aviation artist whose work is on display in
the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
REVIEWSThe
Association of Naval Aviation reviewed Those '67 Blues in the fall
2011 edition of their magazine, Wings of Gold, as follows: Those ’67 Blues by B.K. Bryans. As one reviewer wrote, “This my kind of book.
It has the accurate detail that satisfies the guy who’s ‘been there and done
that’ and intrigues the guy who wishes he could have. Blues takes you through
virtually every aspect of the carrier war in 1967 and does it so precisely
you feel as if you are right there getting shot at.” This
is a story about the aviators who went in harms way big time. “At night,”
writes Bryans, “Navy all-weather A-6 Intruders went in low and alone.” A
brief excerpt: “The SAM that hit their A-6 right after weapons release
knocked out everything electrical, set the port engine on fire, and caused
the plane to shake like a dice cup.” Bryans
knows his subject. He flew A-6s during the war earning a Silver Star and DFC,
and commanded VA-35 aboard USS Nimitz. * *
*
‘I
loved Those ’67 Blues, but it touched nerves that I thought were long
buried. It has the authentic feel of someone who has actually flown combat
missions in that war that I’ve found missing in most of the books I’ve read
on the subject. The emotion conveys so well.’ by Tony Tambini, Vietnam War
A-4 / A-7 pilot. ‘Those
’67 Blues is my kind of book. It has the accurate detail that satisfies
the guy who’s “been there and done that” and intrigues the guy who wishes he
could have. Blues takes you through virtually every aspect of the carrier war
in 1967 and does it so precisely you feel as if you are right there getting
shot at. Those readers who flew into the flak, missile, and MIG mess in North
Vietnam will relive the adrenalin rush that comes from dodging SAMs, and feel
the heartbreak of seeing our guys going down in flames or swinging under a
chute (if they’re lucky). To the curious readers, you can’t get any closer to
being there than Those ’67 Blues.’ by Phil Waters, Vietnam-era A-6
Bombardier/Navigator * * *There are five-star and four-star
reviews of Those '67 Blues at Amazon.com. Click here and then scroll down to read them.AUTHOR'S COMMENTThere
is also a review of Those ’67 Blues on Amazon.com that claims the
stories in it are nothing like real combat. Hogwash! Here are some
facts: The
Alpha Strike against the Kep Airfield described in the book took place on
June 11, 1967. (It has a big asterisk in my flight log.) The actions “Mike”
takes in the book were exactly the ones I took, including the low-level
pull-out over the flak sites. The
flight into Laos to save some Green Beret’s is a true story, except that my
wingman and I were flying A-6’s, not A-4s. The
story of blowing up a church is true. One of my wingmen hit the church and
got the secondary explosion described in the book. President
Johnson really did come up on the radio as our flight of four A-6’s neared
the target bridge near China. He dictated dive headings, dive angles, and
bombs-per-pass. (You cannot make stuff like that up.) On
the night of October 26, 1967, my B/N and I flew the night mission into Hanoi
exactly as “Mike” and “Terry” fly it in the book … except that we were not
hit. We were both awarded Silver Stars for the mission. These
missions are detailed in my memoir Flying Low. B.K.
Bryans * *
*
Click
here to read a sample from Those '67 Blues.
Amazon.com has a Kindle e-book of Those '67 Blues for only $3.99 US. There is also a glossy paperback version published by Patriot Media, Inc. available at the publisher's web site and Amazon.com.Click here
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