5 comments about Thunderbird Lounge: An Aviator's Story About One Early Transportation Helicopter Company, Along With Its Sister Companies As They Paved the Way in What Was to Become "A Helicopter War".

1. Pi'-o-neer' a noun meaning: "One who goes before, preparing the way, for others to follow." There is no other way to define the original members of the 33rd Transportation Company (Light Helicopter)(CH21), except as pioneers in U.S. Army Aviation history! All original members of the 33rd left their families in the U.S. and quietly departed Ft. Ord, CA with their destination as-"unknown"! The move was classified as Top Secret and no one was able to tell anyone, including families, where they were going under penalty of court-martial. Vietnam was not classified as a combat zone in 1962, but as an advisory zone...but no one told the VC. Thunderbird Lounge is a very good historical book written by a man who experienced it all. 1LT Robert J. Brandt, a National Guard officer newly assigned, became the Commander of the 573rd Maintenance Detachment and, would be the only Commander of the 573rd Maintenance Detachment for the entire year.

   The 33rd was originally to deploy to "unknown" locations in March of 1962. The orders were delayed and many of their helicopters were transferred to two other Transportation Companies (8th and 57th), which did deploy. Then the U.S. was scoured for low time CH-21's to replace the ones given up by the 33rd. The unit was again alerted to move in August of 1962. All aircraft and all other equipment finally departed for Hawaii by ship scheduled to stop in Hawaii to pick up the aircraft and equipment of a sister unit, the 81st, before continuing on. Then, the day before the main body of personnel was to depart Travis AFB, 1LT Brandt was diagnosed with pneumonia! After spending a night in the Ft. Ord hospital and receiving a massive dose of penicillin that led to a rapid improvement, Brandt convinced the Army doctor that he HAD to go with his unit the next day. Convinced by his improvement, the doctor loaded Brandt up with more penicillin and off he went. He recovered enroute with no ill effects.

   The arrival at Tan So Nhut and Saigon was exactly as anyone who has been there remembers...a sensory shock and memorable! The year was 1962 and, Saigon was "unspoiled" by western influences; full of interesting foreign sights, sounds and smells. The USNS Croatan, carrying 40 cocooned helicopters and equipment, arrived within 48 hours, on schedule. Following unpacking, unwrapping and assembly, the 33rd's 20 CH-21s were flown to Tan So Nhut and ultimately to their new home on Bien Hoa airbase about 30 miles north of Saigon. The time was the monsoon season and no member of the unit had experienced the tropics or the problems the heat and moisture would ultimately bring to their aging CH-21 helicopters. The 33rd had arrived and "Wow", were the conditions primitive!

   Throughout the remaining pages of Thunderbird Lounge, MG Brandt tells a complete story of the first year of the 33rd in Vietnam. People, places and incidents are described in very vivid detail. Almost every pilot is mentioned as well as many of the key enlisted men and NCO's. Using letters sent home to his wife along with the help of several comrades he is still in contact with, MG Brandt reconstructs many events that tell the story of their first year. Combat assaults, re-supply and medical evacuations are carried out in two aircraft flights because of engine and maintenance concerns. The red soil and extreme moisture conditions made maintenance of the CH-21 radial engines and wooden rotor blades very, very difficult. Brandt estimates that his engine shop rebuilt a CH-21 radial engine every 8 days! Thunderbird Lounge is a story of missions, maintenance and mayhem.

   Never has a book been written after 40 years that is more complete with dates, names and locations. Every page is brimming with tales relating the many humorous incidents and events that made life in combat and the poor living conditions of Bien Hoa airbase bearable. Great photos are placed at the end of each chapter that compliment and highlight the people and incidents within the chapter. MG Brandt carefully remembers some of the sad events of the year, concluding with the loss of the first two 33rd pilots just after his returning home.

   Thunderbird Lounge is truly a wonderful book. It tells a positive story about men as pioneers overcoming adversity, boredom and the enemy. Some of the participants may have seen things differently than MG Brandt, as he looks back after 40 years. However, no one can say he didn't tell it candidly, and fairly, as he saw it. After all, 40 years is a long time. 1962 was truly a time when real men pioneered the use of helicopters in combat and developed the textbooks for US Army Aviation airmobile operations. Those textbooks, as well as the lessons learned, were effectively used by thousands of pilots over the next 9 years in that "unknown" location so very far away.

   Tom Payne
   Sec/Treas
   VHPA




2. I swapped my book, OUTLAWS IN VIETNAM, for Bob's book at the VHPA reunion in Las Vegas, 2002. This is a great book by Gen. Brandt typifying the events and life-style experienced at this early moment in Vietnam. The H-21's are graphically described in all their quirks and needs, as well as the skillful men who had to fly them. I find the earliest years of VN helicopter warfare fascinating to read, as these men not only laid down the tracks for we later aviators to utilize in mid-sixties on, but they quickly found out the political reality of Vietnam--which never changed. As Halberstam has stated, "the war was lost in 1964, not at the end of its duration." Our aviator job was tremendously enjoyed by all of us, but the Washington administrations never totally got it what a fluky scenario Vietnam was. We helicopter pilots surely got it, though.



3. Bob Brandt did a masterful job of saving, sorting and presenting data as well as remembering so many facts that most of us have long since forgotten.

   The book is a keeper, and supports the efforts and brave acts of the many unsung participants at the outset of this strange venture of our country into a truly foreign land.




4. As one of the men that is very proud and honored to have been mentioned in Thunderbird Lounge, I am absolutely amazed at General Brandt's accuracy and detail. His sentimental chronicle of our personal experiences with the 33rd transportation Company is inspiring and emotional. Moreover, I am sure that this work will be intrinsic to future scholars who realize the historical significance of this unit with respect to both the Vietnam War and Army Aviation, and recognize the value of General Brandt's personal accounts. The scope of General Brandt's work is such that I am completely satisfied that the mission that we accomplished and the sacrifices we made are fully appreciated and realistically portrayed. He has told the story of real men at the beginning of a savage war with the compassion and thoughtfulness of one who was there.




5. It is quite evident that Gen Brandt did considerable research into the events that took place during that time period. Some people might question the facts as presented about some of the operations or events, however, I think the book speaks for itself. The author did an outstanding job depicting how the Company functioned in that environment and how the officers and enlisted men endured the stress and strain of life away from home and family. The humorous side depicted in the book is probly as accurate as can be remembered and certainly contributed to the over all high moral of the organization. The book is well written and a pleasure to read.

2 comments about Jefferson Davis in Blue: The Life of Sherman's Relentless Warrior.

1. This is a biography of an obscure figure from the American Civil War who had a famous name. Jefferson Columbus Davis was no relation to the Confederate president, and stayed loyal to the Union, rising the the rank of brevet Major General. He's probably best known as the culprit in the murder of William Nelson, another Union army general, in 1862. There was, however, more to Jefferson C. Davis than that, as this admirable biography shows.

   ...

   Jefferson C. Davis was from Indiana. He enlisted in the army young, and participated in the battle of Buena Vista as a private in his Indiana volunteer regiment, distinguishing himself so much that he was considered for an appointment to West Point. When that fell through, Davis was directly enlisted in the regular army as a second lieutenant of artillery, and spent the years between the Mexican war and Fort Sumter studying and learning to be a soldier. He was part of the garrison of Fort Sumter, and this notoriety positioned him for a brigade command of Indiana state troops. He led them through the battle of Pea Ridge, and never looked back, concluding the war in command of the Fourteenth Corps during the March through the Carolinas, and during the battle of Bentonville. After the war, he was Alaska's first military district commander, and briefly fought the Modocs on the California-Oregon border.

   The authors do a wonderful job of bringing Davis, and his many contradictions, to life. He was a demanding soldier, and a hard taskmaster, but he appears to have generally been a fair and decent person. There is the one incident where he shot Nelson dead, but the authors lay out the course of events, and frankly the whole thing sounds provoked. Nelson was disliked by a lot of people, apparently, to the point that when he was shot, there weren't very many calls for his killer to be brought to justice. The whole thing is laid out in considerable detail. And where Davis emerges as a surprise is in his competence as a soldier. Though his troops were routed at both Stones River and Chickamauga, at Pea Ridge it was Davis who stopped Louis Hebert's attack on the Union left, and at Jonesboro it was Davis who broke the Confederate front. At Bentonville he again held off the main Confederate assault, though with some help. Frankly I was surprised: he turns out to have been a pretty good general, and generally well-liked by the troops, even though he *never* praised anyone for anything, and apparently thought bravery nothing extraordinary. In his defense, he was brave himself.

   There is one shortcoming in this book. There is a lack of maps to illustrate the text. The authors try to detail battlefield maneuvers from Buena Vista to Bentonville, with no tactical maps at all, and only three general area maps, none of which are particularly helpful. Only one of the maps even deals with the Civil War. This unfortunately makes the text a bit hard to follow at times. Other than that, I would highly recommend this book for the Civil War scholar. It's definitely worth the money.




2. A fascinating and first rate biography of this little known Union leader by newcomer Whitney and veteran writer Hughes.
   The authors follow Jefferson C. Davis from an enthusiastic young soldier in the Mexican War to his outstanding leadership at Ft. Sumter and throughout the Civil War.
   Excellent reading for any history buff!

4 comments about Combat Chaplain: The Personal Story of the WWII Chaplain of the Japanese American 100th Battalion (A Latitude 20 Book).

1. Our present day army has only a relatively few divisions when compared to the 99 divisions it had at the end of World War II. As it has gotten deactivated divisions, it has retained the divisions that hold the highest honor. The 1st Division and the 29th Division went into Omaha on D-Day; they are still Army divisions.
   
   The 100th Battalion of the 442 still exists.
   
   The 100th entered combat with 1,432 men. Its nickname was 'Go For Broke.' It alsoearned the nickname 'Purple Heart Battalion' as it was depleted down to 521 men by 1944.
   
   This book is by the chaplain of the 100th. It is based on letters that he wrote home, the journal he kept while in Europe and comments from members of his family and of the 100th. It was put together by Rev. Yost and was been prepared for more formal publication by his daughter after his death. It's a very worthwhile book, presenting an entirely different view that that usually seen by soldiers or commanders.
   
   If you can read the appendix, which is a memorial speech he gave at a reunion of the 100th without tearing up, you have no soul.
   
   To go with this book, I recommend the old Van Johnson movie 'Go For Broke.'



2. I purchased the book for my mom. Pastor Yost was the pastor at the church where she grew up and he confirmed her. She is enjoying the book very much.



3. When my aunt told me about this book being published, I found and purchased it. The author, Monica Yost, was a high school classmate and friend of mine who I had lost touch with over the years. I started reading the last part of the book first about his family and now have a deeper respect for this Combat Chaplain and admiration for Monica for publishing this labor of love. I plan to read the entire book in the near future. My best wishes go to the whole family whom were blessed with his presence and guidance.



4. This is the greatest book. The Chaplain who lived this experience was very brave, caring and brilliant.

1 comments about Leading by Example: Partisan Fighters & Leaders of New France, 1660-1760, Vol. 1.

1. This is a great book filled with information not generally known about the French and Indian War.I own all of Bob Bearor's books now and find him to be a superb writer and excellent storyteller.History is written by the winners, so there was not much info on the French side of things until recently.I recommend all of Bob's books to anyone interested in the other side of the conflict that really determined our country's future.

2 comments about Gustavus Adolphus.

1. I read this because I really enjoyed Dodge's military biography of Hannibal, but this book, possibly due to the period covered, was episodic, and without knowledge of European political history during the reign of Louis XIV, hard to follow. The first section, covering Adolfus's campaign in the Thirty Year's War, was quite entertaining, mainly because his efforts were dramatic, innovative, and successful against overwhelming odds. However, once into the military exploits of Conde, Turenne, Cromwell, Eugene, and Marlborough, the narrative becomes rather monotonous, describing one siege after another, one uneventful campaigning season after another. (This, too, no doubt reflects the time: the whole period of the post-Adolfus Thirty Year's War and the War of the Spanish Succession was one vast war of attrition.) Dodge does describe the important battles quite well, and offers incisive assessments of the character and abilities of the period's leading military figures. The book is long (about 850 pages), and long on military facts and figures. Dodge, a veteran of the American Civil War, writes in a rather formal and technical style, adding to the difficulties in wading through the text. I would give the book an "A" for information, but a "C-" for readability. If the subject matter really interests you, I'd say give it a try. If not, pass.



2. When I first took this book out of the Amazon.com box, my first thought was, "What have I gotten myself into?" It was a massive tome, covering a century of European warfare in considerable detail. Not only was it huge in size and scope, but I was worried about the prose, given the age of the text.

   Fifty pages into the book, I could not put it down. This is quite simply an extraordinary military classic. T.A. Dodge is an exceptional military historian. Unlike many of those who ply that trade, Dodge was a veteran officer and possessed of exceptional military judgement. This is no chairborne commando, but an insightful and experienced soldier whose wealth of practical military experience brings the reality of 17th Century warfare alive.

   Any understanding of military history from 1618-1815 (yes, that's 1815, even though the book stops in 1712) will be deficient without this book. Dodge tells the critical story of how armies evolved from relatively disorganized and short-term field armies to vast, professional military establishments controlled by the monarchs of Europe. The evolution of the modern state cannot be fully understood if one does not appreciate this facet of the military revolution of the 1600s. Dodge is equally adept at bringing the battlefield tactics of the time to life, and illustrating their development. He skillfully guides the reader along the path of military evolution which ultimately sets the stage for Frederick the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.

   The caveats of this book are that it is long on text and short on maps. The lack of maps makes following the course of marches and counter-marches somewhat difficult. Furthermore, a basic knowledge of the geopolitics of the time is helpful.

   For anyone with the fortitude, this book will bestow upon them a deeper understanding of a seminal period in European history.

No comments about The Military Order of World Wars.

2 comments about The Private Norberg Story: Me and the General WWII at the homefront.

1. I could relate to this collection of memoirs of Mr. Norberg since I grew up in the same town with him and his family and my Dad was also a WWII soldier who spent most of his two years as a "secretary" and was lucky enough to see no active combat. This book shows quite a different take on the life of a soldier in those times. The book is easy to understand and easy to follow. I think that veterans of war and their childlren would enjoy this book.



2. Quoting Robert Walch:
   
   "No matter if you knew the former mayor of Carmel or not, this story of his military service on the home front during World War II is an entertaining read. Those who were welcomed into the service at the Presidio of Monterey or passed through Camp Beale during the war will find this memoir a nostalgic walk down Memory Lane.
   If you ever wondered what life was like for draftees who never made it to the battlefields of WWII, "Private Norberg" provides the answer."
   
   Robert Walch, Reviewer "Central Coast Authors"
   for the Salinas Californian of March 22, 2008.

1 comments about In Their Own Words - WWII: The European Theater (Topics Entertainment-History (Cassette)).

1. Nothing can really substitute for listening to the accounts of the soldiers themselves who fought in war. Much has been written by former soldiers of their trials in combat but rarely are they recorded in an interview. This is an excellent compilation, well recorded and produced, of such accounts from a cross section the various campaigns of WWII. Not many veterans open up to discuss war to their family or anyone so listening to these heroes is a rare exception. My father, a veteran of the ETO, saw horrible combat as he battled through France and into Nazi Germany but never mentioned a word of it to his children. These interviews help fill in some of the gaps in understanding the war from their perspective. Thanks to those soldiers who reopened those painful moments to be recorded for others to hear. Even if you are not a student of history I recommend these just for the inspiring stories themselves.

No comments about Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima.

1 comments about In the Legions of Napoleon: The Memoirs of a Polish Officer in Spain and Russia, 1808-1813.

1. Poles fought gallantly for France, and indirectly for their lost himeland, throughout the French Revoltionary and Napoleonic Wars. The most reliable of Napoleon's foreign troops, they marched the length and breadth of Europe and established a combat reputation second to none. Heinrich von Brandt was one of these, being commissioned into the Grande Armee as a sous-lieutenant shortly after Prussia's defeat in 1806. He quickly was assigned to the famous Legion of the Vistula, humped his pack, and went into Spain, seeing his first action in the famous second Siege of Saragossa. Brandt's fascinating narrative is lively, accurate, and blunt, telling in vivid detail the horrors of war and the lighter moments of garrison duty. He fought his war in Spain assigned to Suchet's Army of Aragon, seeing much action. When Napoleon starting gathering the huge army that invaded Russia in 1812, The Vistula Legion was one of the units pulled out of Spain to go into Russia. His description of the marches across Europe, the thorough preparation for the Grande Armee's invasion, and the trek to Moscow is fascinating-one can literally not put the book down. The best feature of the narrative, however, is Brandt's candid description of some of the notable personalities of the period, including Napoleon, Marshal Davout, and Marshal Suchet, all of whom he met and talked. He was praised by Suchet, interviewed for his commission by Davout, and saw Napoleon more than once, describing both he and Davout as having terrible tempers when provoked. His description of the terrible retreat from Moscow and the brilliant battle at the River berezina on the way out of Russian are fascinating. This is one of the best soldier memoirs I have ever read. It is as colorful as those by Charles Parquin and Baron Marbot, and very accurate. This book belongs on the book shelf of every Napoleonic historian and enthusiast.