Naked in Da Nang ─ A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam

FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day, because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets, and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their air force and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, they had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery.

Mike Jackson retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 1991 following 23 years on active duty. Formerly, he was executive director of the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. He and coauthor Tara Dixon-Engel are founders of the American Veterans Institute. Colonel Jackson and Ms. Dixon-Engel live near Dayton.