This book is well written, and enjoyable to read. It presents a convincing, if not complete argument for the Air Force.

The work of the Air Force is well detailed and the author presents a huge amount of information about tactics that are not commonly known. All of this in a language that anyone can understand.

Even so, one can not help but feel that the book is presenting the Gulf War as the first war won by air power alone.

A strong read, if you accept the prejudices, and realize that the land forces, and sea forces, and special forces also have a legitimate claim to the Gulf War victory.

Richard Hallion has produced a book which provides one of the best overviews available on the evolution of US air power and strategy in general, and in the 1990-91 Gulf war in particular.

Previous reviewers' comments on the rather sterile text that Hallion uses are not without truth, although I didn't find this a particularly important shortcoming of the book.

One of the book's key strengths is that it places the 1990-91 Gulf war into a detailed, well-explained context. He fully describes how US air power and military strategy reached the position it was in in 1990, and how this affected the ability of the US to fight the Gulf war.

The main shortcoming of the book - and this is a serious problem, in my view - is when Hallion tries to talk about Middle East politics and the arguments for and against Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. These issues are peripheral to the subject of his book, and he displays a serious lack of knowledge about them (or an unwillingness to discuss and acknowledge them). Hallion talks about matters such as Iraqi aggression, its WMD program, its relations with its neighbours pre-August 1990, and the like, in simplistic terms. If he really thought that these subjects needed mention, he should have included some discussion of Iraq's claims against Kuwait, of Iraq's domestic political situation in the period 1988-1990 and how this may have influenced Saddam's decision to invade Kuwait, and of allied objectives in the region (ie: political economy factors other than oil - the US's desire to see and protect free markets, the UK's need to protect Kuwaiti investments in the UK lest the Pound plummet if Iraq 'cashed in' Kuwaiti assets abroad etc).

Worst of all, he seems to have fallen for the 'Sadddam as another Hitler' theory. If he wanted to look at the political phychology of Saddam, mention should also have been made of the 'Saddam as another Bismark', or 'Saddam as another Napoleon' or 'Saddam caught in a power vacuum' theories as well - these are all important explanations behind Saddam's political behaviour. Mr Hallion, stick to the subject of air power, strategy, theory, and history - for which you have an flair and knowledge.

Having said all of this, it is the role of a book reviewer to be critical of the work he or she is reviewing. Overall, this book is excellent, and highly recommended for readers looking for an introduction to the history, strategy, and tactics of air power.

Richard Hallion's work isn't a blow-by-blow account of the events of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Rather, its a very well-documented study of the changes in U.S. military and political thinking since World War One with a particular focus on the period following the Vietnam War. The author chronicles the changes in leadership and policy as the veterans of Vietnam were promoted up through the ranks into command positions, how they changed the way the military is utilized in political crisis, and the decisions which affect military weapons procurement. For example, the workhorse of the Vietnam air campaign was the F4 Phantom II, a supersonic missile platform that wasn't particularly maneuverable, that was developed by the US Navy and thrust upon the US Air Force by a budget-conscious Robert McNamara, head of the Department of Defense at the time. The Phantom became the darling of the services over the skies of North Vietnam, succeeding in just about every role assigned to it. Buoyed by this success, McNamara tried to apply the converse theory - take a land-based US Air Force aircraft and apply it to the Navy - which resulted in the failure of the F-111A. It was this failure which prompted the Navy to develop its own jet fighter - the F-14 Tomcat. This touched off a long line of fighter aircraft which controlled the skies of Kuwait and Iraq some 20 years after their introduction into the US military: the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Falcon, and the F-117 stealth strike fighter. The F-117, by its deployment in a single battle, managed to render 50 years of Soviet military technology development obsolete. It may have indirectly contributed to the fall of the Soviet regime. Until I read Mr. Hallion's book, I was not aware of the facts surrounding the development of these fine fighters. I think the reader will be just as much surprised and educated by the events described in the book as I was.

Although originally published in 1992, the concepts described in this book are still very much current as we watch arguments unfold around the F-22 stealth air superiority fighter. Questions concerning the need for a new military aircraft and the expense of a single unit when more units of a lesser quality weapon could be purchased for the same money are reminiscent of the arguments which arose during the development of the F-14 at the end of the Phantom's career. Mr. Hallion's book lays the groundwork for readers to develop their own opinions concerning military spending - he avoids the trap of forcing his own opinions upon the reader - and he documents his sources liberally throughout the text. I found it necessary to keep two bookmarks: one for the main text and the second for the notes at the end of the book.

Accompanying the text are a series of brief essays which discuss particular elements of modern combat theory, such as air power, battlefield, and missile technologies. I truly enjoyed reading them following the education I received from the main text of the book. There is also a brief photo section which illustrates several points of the book, including radar screenshots of Iraqi troops fleeing from Kuwait along the Highway of Death, recon photos, the weapons used in the conflict, and the leaders of the forces involved in the fighting.

This is not a book to take on a trip to the beach and would probably not appeal to those seeking tales of aviation adventure. Rather, this is a book for enthusiasts and students of air power, strategy, history, and military technology. For this audience, this is an indispensable resource. I found the book easy enough to read and not as dry as most other books on this subject area tend to be. Overall, a good read and a good education.

As a member of Charlie Company, it is my opinion that the author was overly critical of Charlie Company. And I did notice one major discrepancy with the participants and their roles in one specific event. However, having said that, it was also a refreshing reminder of names and places I thought I would never forget, but had. I also think it's encouraging to see an NCO take the initiative of publishing something like this, and am curious as to how this reflects on his current enlistment. I really give the book a 4 but felt obligated to defend Charlie.

I was in the author's unit as well. He depicts the events so realistically it brought back many memories once thought forgotten. I enjoyed the book and think it should be a 'must read' for all those interested in the Gulf War as well as any who served 'over there' specifically in 1st LAI Bn. Check my member page for information in seeing my seb site, lots of LAI Bn photo's.

I was a M1A1 tank platoon leader with the Army over in Desert Storm, but I picked up a copy of this book to see how the Marines did things over there. This book was a very good book and I was surprised at some of the similarities the Marines had with the Army. The author did a great job, in my opinion, in showing how a company size element operated during wartime. My only complaint is I wish he had included more diagrams depicting various company actions, especially around OP 4 and OP 6. That part kind of got confusing at times trying to figure out where each company in the 1st LAI was located. Overall this is a great book and small unit leaders in the Army would benefit from this book, even though it is about the Marines.

While there are some good quotes in this book, I don't think this book is really about the Gulf War. It is more about a soldier's struggle to deal with his duties. I will not criticize the author for his views on the army and the war itself, but the book really sheds little light on the war. The author is an artist educated at Columbus College of Art and Design, from my reading he is against the war. There a couple of good photographs but most of them are of troops and trucks sitting in the desert. This is not a book for someone looking for a comprehensive look at the Gulf War.

The excellent photography and open writing of this young man creates a book worthy of any coffee table. This book offers a unique view of the war that is far from the CNN portrayal we recieved on television. Good photography makes it a powerful document of his experience.

I WAS AMAZED AT THE INDEPTH LEVEL A HUMAN MIND CAN REACH. GEOFFREY FRANKEL WAS ABLE TO DOCUMENT A UNIQUE, CREATIVE EXPRESSION OF A N EXPERIENCE MOST PEOLE SAW AS A VIDEO GAME. VERY IMPORTANT AS A HISTORIC DOCUMENTATION OF A N IMPORTANT EVENT

One would expect the harrowing experience of living in Kuwait through seven months of Iraqi occupation to have produced a flood of memoirs. But it's been a mere trickle, perhaps because those who survived the ordeal wish to put it behind them and rebuild normal lives. As Rajab's title states, she is a Briton; but having married a Kuwaiti and lived in Kuwait for thirty years, she experienced the occupation as a Kuwaiti (that is, she could remain in her own house, without fear of being taken hostage). From this perspective she could observe the Iraqi soldiers, involve herself in Kuwaiti organizations, and participate in the festivities upon liberation. Her story takes on added drama due to the fact that in her husband had built a well-known private museum in the basement of his compound, filled with antique and valuable items. The museum had been open to the public for years and was much-visited; to make matters worse, her husband was out of Kuwait when Saddam Husayn invaded. Will the author succeed in keeping the museum from being pillaged? (Yes, by sealing off most of it and displaying some third-rate items to marauding Iraqi troops.) First-hand accounts of warfare from the Middle East reveal a pattern of normal life mixed with searing violence (kibbutz children attending school in bunkers; Beirutis at the beach with snippers a few blocks away) and the Kuwait experience is no exception. To those of us not on the scene, this combination remains enduringly mysterious.

Middle East Quarterly, December 1994

In the plethora of Gulf War books covering the grand strategy of generals, presidents and prime ministers, this book, like so very few others, presents a unique and fascinating account of life in Iraqi-occupied Kuwait both in the first five months of the occupation, prior to Desert Storm, and then during the war itself. It is truly the 'inside' perspective, in no uncertain terms.

Mrs. Rajab and several members of her family - long-term residents of Kuwait, and with the special perspective of a mixed Western-Kuwaiti family - did not have the protection of a large military organisation. They lived day-by-day alongside occupying Iraqi troops and the feared Mukhabarat (Iraqi Secret Police), surviving by the grace of God, sheer good fortune, and their wits. The prospect of sudden and possibly brutal death was ever-present. The fact that many others did not survive the same risks visited upon her gives the book a gravity which strikes home. This is the perspective of the crisis that was forgotten by the world's media in the rush for TV footage of fireworks displays over Baghdad, and bodies on the Basra Road. Soldiers, airmen and Marines of the Gulf War, with all credit due to them, generally lived the fear and danger of combat in periods of minutes or, at most, hours. Mrs. Rajab coped with extraordinary circumstances over seven long months with a strength of will which can only be described as inspirational. Yes, she could have left the country, but she stood by her home against incredible odds. This book is in the class of my own DAYS OF FEAR: The Inside Story of the Iraqi Invasion and Occupation of Kuwait (Motivate Publishing, London/ Dubai, 1997).

Mrs. Rajab has down a great service to the history of Kuwait and the Middle East with this book. Anyone who ever doubted the rightness of the Allied campaign to free Kuwait should read this, and know what horror and terror the people of Kuwait and those who lived there were delivered from. any serious scholar of the Gulf War cannot claim to have his or her library complete without this very readable little book. Thank you, Mrs. Rajab, for a truly relevant book from a remarkable woman.

Mrs. Rajabs style is sincere and human. Her account, unlike other books on the subject, not only talks of strategy, but day to day accounts and problems faced by the people of occupied Kuwait. A masterpeice. I suggest this book not only to those people intrested in the Gulf War, but to those poeple who are intrested in reading about the strength of the Human Will as well.

As you probably know, Michael Kelly was killed in Iraq during the late war, at the height of a truly distinguished journalistic career.

This book was written in the aftermath of Desert Storm. It is, as Kelly states in the forward, an impressionistic account of his experiences during the run-up to the war, the hostilities themselves, and the aftermath. With politics and military science largely excluded, it all adds up to a superior piece of travel writing.

Kelly had a great eye for scene-setting, for the telling anecdote, the incongruous detail, and the contrasting pair of viewpoints. Also for the pithy description: he describes a gorgeous couple he met in an elevator in Israel thus: "She looked like Darryl Hannah, and he looked like money and tennis."

The people's tales he tells are sometimes funny, and sometimes haunting. The funny ones often involved himself, as when he records himself gaping across a restaurant in Baghdad for a glimpse of the TV news. No one else shows any interest, and it dawns on him that it's because the Iraqi TV newscast is just a series of Saddam's Great Leader proclamations, boringly familiar to everyone. Some scenes are funny and haunting, as in one where a British TV crew is filming an interview with a Kuwaiti man who is describing his torture ordeal at the hands of the Iraqis. The tearful man is repeatedly interrupted by the blasé producer, to amend some technical difficulty or other.

It's a fine wartime travelogue, and it is a great pity that there won't be any more such from Michael Kelly.

Mike Kelly's account of the Gulf War in Martyr's Day: Chronicle of a Small War, is informative and interesting. The Gulf War was carefully planned, undertaken and won by the United States in little over a month. Kelly has carefully written about the war from behind the lines and places we weren't able to see on CNN. I am quite amazed at one point, that Mike Kelly actually swam across a river into Turkey with smugglers. Courage and bravery Mike Kelly must be commended with. His book should be given the same credit for what he went through to write it.

An amazing account of Desert Storm. Rest in Peace Michael Kelly, for those who are familiar with his wonderful writing in The New Republic, an Atlantic Online, and Washington Post. A conservative thinker with a liberal's heart. True blue.

I found this book to be rather interesting and fresh look at the war and the TV coverage. It is also interesting given the current events in the Gulf. Reading a book like this you really get a good feel for how countries look after themselves in international affairs. The book takes a bit of a dissenting look at the war with a cautious eye at the news media. Basically the author does not have a lot of good things to say about President Bush and his administration. There are some conspiracy theories floated in the book, but not enough to make the document fall into the "unbelievable rant" category.

The overriding direction the book takes is the argument that instead of debating the issues of public concern surrounding the war, the mainstream media uncritically promoted the policies of the Bush administration and military. The author goes on to try and prove that the media was managed by the US government in one of the best-managed media propaganda campaigns in history. The author certainly believed this theory; it was just that I as the reader was not convinced that there was the large conspiracy.

It just seamed to me that the issues the author highlighted could also be explained as the media needing to fill 24 hours a day of breaking news so they grasp at anything they can get. Also the claims he makes that the new outlets were in the Bush back pockets because they were so excited to be at war, I came away thinking it was just natural to be excited when reporting about such issues as a war. The one complaint I do have is the authors almost debilitating hatred for all things large and bureaucratic, he dislikes the government and big media. The problem is that it tended to shade his writing and I found myself skipping past some of the nastier comments or sections. This took away from what otherwise was an interesting and unique look at the war and the TV coverage it received.

I found this book on my girlfriend's bookshelf (she had it for a class at UT while in undergrad), and I really enjoyed it and have recommended it to many people. Kellner brings a lot of interesting footage from the first Persian Gulf War to light and puts it in historical context. I read it before the start of the war in Iraq, and felt much more educated and objective when watching the countless hours of footage from all the major news networks. Kellner accurately questions the objectivity of our news sources, news anchors, and the media conglomerates that own them. Any person serious about perserving a democracy in which the public is accurately informed should give it a read.

This book is an important contribution to the clearer comprehension of media coverage of a major US foreign intervention. Douglas Kellner has unearthed some rather ugly truths that make democracy and freedom of the press appear mere illusions. Kellner analyzes "official" media presentations and compares them to more reliable sources, producing a nuanced treatment of US imperialism in the Persian Gulf. An excellent source for critical perspective and analysis, Kellner consistently poses the important questions pressing politicians and policy-makers for answers.

Kellner leaves the reader to continue questioning fundamental issues regarding foreign policy and how our blind acceptance of the professed goals further the power of our interventionist state. I highly recommend any of Douglas Kellner's books.

This was a good book. A little predictable and corny at times, but the overall plot was a good one. There were several small stories all happening at the same time. Nance kept you hopping from one group of characters to the next.

Scorpion Strike may start off a little slow, but a few chapters in, the action picks up its pace to the point where you cannot put it down. I turned the pages of this book very quickly, wanting to see what the next event would be. The flight scenes are very realistic and full of technical details that a reader educated in aviation would enjoy, but still understandable for readers that don't know aviation jargon. I recommend this book to anybody.

Scorpion Strike is the first book I have read by John Nance, but it will certainly not be the last. As one of the foremost experts on avaition safety in the world (you always see him interviewed on Seattle TV after a major airline accident) Mr. Nance does a brilliant job of detailing all aspects of aviation. Not being an airplane enthusiast like the author , I did get a little lost with some of the terminology. But even then I never lost the sense of suspence and desperation the characters felt as they carry out there mission. Though probably a little too technical for the casual reader, this book has all the makings of a NY Times bestseller.

The reviewers leave the impression that the movie White Squall was based on this book. In fact it was based on the 1962 book _The Last Voyage of the Albatross_ by Charles (Chuck) Gieg and Felix Sutton. It is a shame the book wasn't reprinted as it is a great account. If you can find a used copy it is a great coming of age adventure story.

After watching the movie 'White Squall' I was fasinated by the concept that a sailing provided. It sounded like the best of all worlds. That to explore the world, life and attempt the music and rythum of the sea.

Mr. Langford writes about a ship that spoke of all that with a lively narrative of places that we call ports of call. Quite frankly I wish it had been a longer book. For 8 months of sailing he leaves so much out. In my mind I already knew the sad out come but I wanted more. Even the mundane.

I recommend this book for those who watched the movie or even those who did not. It adds depth. I would hope at some point that Captain Sheldon would also write one.

White Squall: The Last Voyage of Albatross, is the true story that was the inspiration for the 1996 movie by the same name staring Jeff Bridges.

For more than three decades Richard Langford's story of the last voyage of the brigantine Albatross laid silently beneath his desk, almost as long at the ship herself has laid beneath the sea. In 1960 Langford answered an ad for an English teaching job on a square-rigged sailing vessel, the brigantine Albatross. Thus began a journey that would change his life.

In his story we meet the real Captain and crew of Albatross and sail with them across the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico, through the Panama Canal and to the Galapagos Islands. The school ship Albatross was crewed by inexperienced teenaged students. Captain Christopher Sheldon, Ph.D. and his wife Alice Sheldon, M.D. started the Ocean Academy believing that the ship and the sea would be better teachers than any school on land. On their return trip home, after almost a year at sea, nature tested what they had learned.

As your turn the pages of this book, you'll long to reach out for a nautical chart to see where Albatross is and where her crew is going. Langford's descriptions of the many islands, coves and beaches along the way will get sand in your shoes as you feel the gentle sea breeze on your face.

Read this book with some vacation time, because when you're done you'll want to explore some of the many ports of call Albatross visited. Like Peter Island near Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands "where we enjoyed our first powder-soft Carribean beach, gin-clear water, light yellow sand and coconut trees that looked as if they had been painted on a wide canvas."

"The Caribbean," Langford writes "is a photographer's paradise. All the colors are deep and rich, and every street corner and beach present a hundred opportunities. Skies are clear, blue and high, and clouds take on shapes that confuse the imagination. Plants shine green and yellow and red. Sunsets and sunrises are beautiful, beyond description, ....

Langford's book takes the reader ashore many times but it is at sea, aboard Albatross that he is truly at home.

Langford writes, "I set aside one section of my journal for a list of the differences between life ashore and life at sea."

"Motion was the basis for many of the differences. At sea, one is never completely still and must learn to sleep while bracing his body in his bunk. Also, one must eat in rhythm with the roll and pitch of the ship .... At sea one walks slowly and carefully, placing a foot when and where the ship allows, .... One learns to move in bent position below decks to avoid banging his head on protruding objects, ...."

"On ship one learns a new language quickly. If he does not, he will be confused and something of a danger to his shipmates .... One cannot simply choose to eat, sleep, dress, start or stop an engine, put up or take down a sail, without considering the weather, the tides, the currents and the winds."

"The ship, not the individual, is primary. One learns to serve the ship, anticipate her needs and fulfil them constantly. If he does not, the ship will not serve him. A ship has no highways or traffic signals to make her progress easy, at the mercy of the crew and the indifferent, uncaring seas, she sails under elemental conditions laid down by nature."

"At sea one lives in a world of few people and the same scenes repeated day after day. Strong affections and stronger animosities can develop quickly. Personal habits of dress, speech and manner that could be ignored on land cannot be ignored on a ship. A ship makes a man tolerant or it drives him mad."

"For its crew, the ship becomes the entire world. International affairs are inconsequential. The evening meal, the book one reads, the chair he wants to sit on, ... - these and a hundred other commonplaces become absurdly significant."

"At sea there exist no stores, no markets, no repair shops. One learns to mend and make do or do without. Constant preparation is required, preparation for wind, rain, fog, sun, stormy seas, one never lets down his guard except at his own peril. A ship and her crew are most exposed to danger when her crew feels most secure. .... Albatross and her crew felt secure nearing the end of her voyage, 180 miles west of Key West, Florida when the storm hit her.

Perhaps President John F. Kennedy best described the lure of the sea which captured the imaginations of those who sailed Albatross when he said, "I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, ... in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, .... We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came."

Richard Langford's book will take you back to the sea every time you read it. It will leave you longing to meet the remarkable crew of Albatross and the exotic ports of call they explored on their nine-month voyage.

I found this book fascinating, especially the chapter having to do with the island of Guam. I was a B-52 crew chief for approximately 12 years and I have stood on Pati's Point and looked across Andersen's flight line at the forest of B-52D "tall tails". I simply couldn't put it down until the end. We, my wife and I, did find several errors in the book, but to the novice/civilian reading it they are of no consequence as they concern the organizations and not the plane. I also am a member of the B-52 Stratofortress Association.

Good Points: Over 200 photos of which about 1/2 are previously unpublished. Personal comments from a number of actual crew members let you know you're getting the facts. Technical accuracy is better than most other B-52 books I have read. Bad Points: Index is too brief and leaves a lot to be desired. Interview with the USAF Reserve Bomb Squadron was good but the Authors should have featured one of the older units with a lengthy history.

Where Kaplan's "Coral Reefs" manages to take a difficult field guide topic and conquer it, "Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores" Takes an impossible task and muddles it. I don't know what the people at Peterson's Field Guides was thinking! The topic is far to broad to include in one book, and Kaplan seems to try and make it broader. He includes coral reefs and things distinctly NOT on the shore as well as including topics already in other field guides. I do NOT want to belittle Kaplan (whom I enjoy) or Peterson's (who I think makes the best mass consumption field guides available) but unless you really need it, I would stay away from this book. It does win points for it's illustrations and Kaplan's knowledge and writing style.

I have taken Kaplan's field guide to seashores to Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the USVI, The BVI, Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Curacao, and have found the book to be indispensible. No matter which island, each seashore seemed familiar, and with a little judicious reading beforehand,I understood whatever natural phenomena I saw, from snorkelling in the shallows to walking the rocky shore to crawling around the red mangrove roots. I would no sooner leave this field guide home when I go to the Carribbean or Florida, than leave home my Michelin Guide to Europe when I go there. I recommend the Field Guide to Seashores to all nature lovers and snorkelers who want to make the best of their trip to the the Caribbean or Florida.