From The Line In The Sand: Accounts of USAF Company Grade Officers in Support of Desert Shield / Desert Storm

As we look at history, we often limit our scope to the deeds and thoughts of those in command during times of crisis. In the case of DESERT STORM, accounts of the contributions of the great newsmakers are hitting the shelves with regularity. Harder to find are the perspectives of the many who contributed their individual pushes to the war effort. This book helps fill that void. It focuses on the contributions of company grade Air Force officers to victory in the desert.

The personal experiences presented here come from the heart of America's fighting force. They are but a few of the thousands of stories produced by the war. Some contain a bit of humor. Some are deadly serious. All are interesting and revealing. They reflect the continuing commitment and capability of America's military to protect and defend US interests. They also reflect the pride and individual skill of the men and women who comprise the world's finest fighting force.

Today's United States Air Force is one of the most complex of human endeavors—many thousands of people working together in hundreds of different specialties to defend America through control and exploitation of air and space. These specialties are interlocked and mutually supporting. This book may help you better understand how all that works as you read firsthand the experiences of the men and women who perform many of the specialties. In reading their stories, you'll also gain a better appreciation for the men and women themselves. They're real flesh and blood people who traveled a great distance to take on a very difficult task—and succeeded spectacularly. You'll experience their fear, frustration, fatigue, and boredom as well as their exhilaration and triumph.

SUPPORT OFFICERS * Chapter 1 * Men of the Stratofortress * Chapter 2 * Wings over Britain: A Model for Our Next War? * Chapter 3 * Desert Storm Chapstick * Chapter 4 * Engineering from Rock to Sand * Chapter 5 * Tracking Personnel in Camel-Lot * Chapter 6 * An Air Force Flies on Its Stomach * Chapter 7 * Creating an Attitude: A Security Police Perspective * Chapter 8 * Red Horse in the Desert * Chapter 9 * Transportation and Maintenance at King Fahd * Chapter 10 * Nightshift * Chapter 11 * Establishing a Forward Operating Location * Chapter 12 * Geeks Go to War: Programming Under Fire * Chapter 13 * Kinneard, Doug * Public Affairs Liaison for Military Airlift Command * Chapter 14 * An Officer First * Chapter 15 * Tactical Deception in the Desert— Scathe Mean * Chapter 16 * You're in the Army Now? * Chapter 17 * War: My Reality * Chapter 18 * Dragon City, Saudi Arabia, 9 January-9 March 1991 * Chapter 19 * NAVSTAR GPS Operations * Chapter 20 * O'Connell, Edward P. * A Captain's Perspective on the Gulf War * Chapter 21 * Eanes, Greg * Crusade against Tyranny * RATED OFFICERS * Chapter 22 * Desert Rescue * Chapter 23 * Through the Eyes of a Buff Driver * Chapter 24 * Killing from the High Ground * Chapter 25 * Tactical Airlift Operations * Chapter 26 * One Long Night * Chapter 27 * C-141 Operations * Chapter 28 * Desert Journal * Chapter 29 * The First Day * Chapter 30 * A View from the Cockpit * Chapter 31 * From Leader to Follower to Leader * Chapter 32 * A Tanker Navigator's Experience * Chapter 33 * Once Upon a "Mist''y Night