When Thunder Rolled: An F-105 Pilot over North Vietnam (review)

Former F-105 pilot Ed Rasimus has crafted a war memoir about air combat over North Vietnam during the summer of 1966, one of the most dangerous periods for American pilots in that long conflict. His description of the feel of the F-105 Thunderchief rolling down the runway with a full bomb load and how it was employed in the air battles over the notorious Red River Valley makes for riveting reading.

In his chapters outlining his journey to the combat zone, however, his disdain for the "ugliest stewardesses," "unkempt" billeting clerks, and "two stripers" comes across as a bit shallow, as though the author expected first-class treatment on the way to war. Also, Rasimus worked hard to be near the top of his pilot training class, selected the choicest fighter assignment available, then tries to convince the reader that he does not want to fly it in combat? This doesn't ring true, especially when he opts to skip Jungle Survival School to get into the fray two weeks sooner than necessary.

Once past these distractions, however, the reader is treated to well- written battle descriptions that give the feel of high drama in skies filled with flak, SAMs, and MiGs. Rasimus's closing opinion that, "The real enemy was us, ourselves," is a rare acknowledgment that not all the blame for the tragic outcome of that war rests on the shoulders of any president or administration.