Page 1
Article Type: Book Review
Article Date: October 17, 2001
The goal of John Sherwood's Fast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience, is to offer a panoramic view of the jet pilots in the Vietnam War. If readers take the subtitle literally, they'll find the book leaves some aspects untouched, and encounter odd bias in the ones included. Fast Movers is a comfortable read and though the title's quirks make it hard to define the right audience, it supports Sherwood's central thesis that a sense of professionalism inspired pilots to fly in hazardous environments.
Sherwood is a U.S. Navy historian, and this brings up a curiosity. Fast Movers covers the major military branches, but favors the U.S. Air Force. For example, Air Force ace Richard S. "Steve" Ritchie practically has his own chapter, but Sherwood ignores Navy ace Randy Cunningham. Cunningham's story is perhaps the more famous of the two, Cunningham having published his Vietnam flying memoir in the book Fox Two. Sherwood appears aware of this and on page 218, he identifies that Ritchie is one of the Vietnam War's two pilot aces.
It is almost as if Sherwood is resisting mention of the other pilot's name. If this is due to a personal preference or ignorance, the omission is surprising and debatably inexcusable. If due to the unlikely event of legal restriction, it is understandable but should have been noted. Perhaps Sherwood recognized Cunningham's publicity and chose to bypass roads well traveled; one of the book's strengths is its selection of lesser-known players in the war. In the scope of what Sherwood is doing with Fast Movers, the Cunningham point is minor, but an example of his sometimes puzzling choices.
Fast Movers accommodates in its anecdotal approach, with each chapter focusing on a pilot or pilot category. Sherwood goes to a colorful personality in chapter one with the story of Air Force fighter pilot Robin Olds. It's here he begins to establish one sub-theme of the book, in describing the courage and sometimes irreverent outlook common to many fighter pilots. Chapter two follows with the story of Air Force Pilot Ed Rasimus, and three with a long look at Marine pilot Roger Sheets. The prisoner-of-war experience fills chapter four, a sometimes gruesome and heartbreaking section. Navy F-8 Crusader pilot John Nichols is the star of chapter five. The book closes recounting air-to-air scores made by Air Force pilots and weapon-systems operators (WSO) Robert Lodge, Roger Locher, Steve Ritchie, and Charles DeBellevue.
Sherwood introduces the reader to the subjects of each chapter, then delves into their history. He observes similarities and differences in their upbringing. In the following passage, he notes a contrast between Robin Olds and Roger Sheets.
As readers progress through Fast Movers, they discover that when Sherwood refers to "the Vietnam experience," he is writing about war experiences and also the psychology and sociology of pilots. Tactical aviation historians commonly emphasize the experience of flying, with occasional reference to life outside the cockpit. Sherwood views the pilot as a whole and notices both good and bad.
This honesty is commendable, but can also be a source of criticism. Sherwood includes candid comments from various interviewees, on occasion permitting criticism of a person by someone he interviews, but is inequitable in giving the addressed party opportunities for response. When Air Force pilot Ed Rasimus is quoted berating operations officer Jim Gormley for refusing Rasimus command of a flight despite his high experience level but low rank, Sherwood only briefly writes that,
Sherwood is supposing a defense rather than letting Gormley directly address the Rasimus claims. In the same chapter, pilot Cal Tax claims the force commander, Dale Leatham, endangered flyers in one mission by making navigational errors. Leatham is never given an opportunity to address the story. These are the types of discrepancies one expects in oral histories, and most authors reconstructing past battles acknowledge this. Interviewees may perceive an event differently and retellings can suffer from bias, but perhaps Sherwood could have tried harder to address this.
Sherwood's other efforts do not appear to lack for research. Footnotes and attribution are plentiful and thorough, and Fast Movers includes both a glossary and index. The book's Air Force bias is somewhat balanced by references to arguably the top name in naval aviation research, Barrett Tillman, and such others as John Nichols and Paul Gillcrist. Sherwood also, however, references S.L.A. Marshall and David Grossman in searching for connections between air combat and the methods and psychological effect of killing. The reader can make their own decisions about such references, but both of the aforementioned authors have legitimate detractors. Marshall only minimally impresses the outspoken David Hackworth in Hackworth's book About Face, and COMBATSIM.COM's readers are already aware of Grossman's assertions about the relationship between video games and violence (they can also read interesting thoughts about Grossman's work from COMBATSIM.COM's own Dr. Simon Ng).
Fast Movers' style is accessible and clear though sometimes too colloquial. Sherwood's prose isn't profound or poetic, and could sometimes afford more efficiency, but it is competent. Transitions are strong and Sherwood segues nicely from one chapter to the next.
The book's content selection, again, is uneven and misses several sections of the jet community. There is only fleeting reference to strike workhorses of the Navy, the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and the Vought A-7 Corsair II, though the one A-4 story about Mike Estocin is a powerful one. References to pilots in support roles such as tanking, reconnaissance, strategic bombing, and transport are also rare, though the primary title 'Fast Movers' implies a focus on the fighter and strike roles.
A pilot is always a chapter's marquee character, but many navigators or weapon systems operators add color and insight to the proceedings. Sherwood does well here as the "guys in back" are often overlooked in narratives of military aviation. Fast Movers' use of lesser-known players yields some surprises. Readers learn that thriller author Tom Wilson was an Air Force F-105 back seater.
Other quirks include a seeming fascination with sexual references and symbolism, and more importantly, some hyperbole. One is this surprising statement, in which Sherwood suspects fighter pilots found killing distasteful.
Every Vietnam fighter pilot I ever read about wanted to first, kill MiGs and second, kill more MiGs. The reasons US fighter pilots didn't achieve more kills are usually attributed to training, lack of experience with dissimilar air combat, lack of the F-4 Phantom's internal gun, unreliable technology, and the Vietnamese strategy of hit-and-run attacks. Sherwood mentions these other factors, but the quoted statement is befuddling. Rarely is morale or the desire to succeed a documented issue for pilots, who were among the most motivated of all troops in Vietnam.
Sherwood visits this idea only briefly, but it is a sentiment contrary to the book's most persistent theme. Sherwood identifies that some pilots may have had questions about the war and the decisions made by politicians behind it. Many pilots were dismayed with incompetent and/or inexperienced leadership, careerism, and a hostile home population. But regardless of branch, feelings about the war, or rank, most pilots drew motivation from the desire to perform with honor, and to know they could trust and be trusted by teammates.
It's hard to define an audience for Fast Movers because the book isn't the best choice for a novice of Vietnam air war history. There are too many odd omissions and statements. The same reasons make it an imperfect choice for more experienced Vietnam readers, though there is certainly worthy material here. It is not the first book that comes to mind in recommending a single book on the subject, yet few books offer such breadth, made more impressive considering the book's moderate 268 pages.
Few would contest Sherwood's primary thesis, but other entries about the Vietnam air war hold greater significance. Many, from Jack Broughton's Thud Ridge, to the Tillman and Nichols classic On Yankee Station, Cunningham's Fox Two, Frederick Blesse's Check Six, or even the fictional Stephen Coonts epic Flight of the Intruder, are important works that also reveal something of pilot personality. Fast Movers is best for readers able to find the collectable nuggets.
Availability
Free Press published Fast Movers in 1999, ISBN 0-684-84784-1. It is available from Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback, Adobe digital, and Microsoft Reader digital editions.
Printer Friendly
Fast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience
by Bernard DyArticle Type: Book Review
Article Date: October 17, 2001
The goal of John Sherwood's Fast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience, is to offer a panoramic view of the jet pilots in the Vietnam War. If readers take the subtitle literally, they'll find the book leaves some aspects untouched, and encounter odd bias in the ones included. Fast Movers is a comfortable read and though the title's quirks make it hard to define the right audience, it supports Sherwood's central thesis that a sense of professionalism inspired pilots to fly in hazardous environments.
 |
| The book's breadth doesn't deny simulation fans useful material |
Sherwood is a U.S. Navy historian, and this brings up a curiosity. Fast Movers covers the major military branches, but favors the U.S. Air Force. For example, Air Force ace Richard S. "Steve" Ritchie practically has his own chapter, but Sherwood ignores Navy ace Randy Cunningham. Cunningham's story is perhaps the more famous of the two, Cunningham having published his Vietnam flying memoir in the book Fox Two. Sherwood appears aware of this and on page 218, he identifies that Ritchie is one of the Vietnam War's two pilot aces.
| "…the Vietnam War didn't produce a single ace until 1972…three out of five of these aces were weapons-systems operators…" |
It is almost as if Sherwood is resisting mention of the other pilot's name. If this is due to a personal preference or ignorance, the omission is surprising and debatably inexcusable. If due to the unlikely event of legal restriction, it is understandable but should have been noted. Perhaps Sherwood recognized Cunningham's publicity and chose to bypass roads well traveled; one of the book's strengths is its selection of lesser-known players in the war. In the scope of what Sherwood is doing with Fast Movers, the Cunningham point is minor, but an example of his sometimes puzzling choices.
Fast Movers accommodates in its anecdotal approach, with each chapter focusing on a pilot or pilot category. Sherwood goes to a colorful personality in chapter one with the story of Air Force fighter pilot Robin Olds. It's here he begins to establish one sub-theme of the book, in describing the courage and sometimes irreverent outlook common to many fighter pilots. Chapter two follows with the story of Air Force Pilot Ed Rasimus, and three with a long look at Marine pilot Roger Sheets. The prisoner-of-war experience fills chapter four, a sometimes gruesome and heartbreaking section. Navy F-8 Crusader pilot John Nichols is the star of chapter five. The book closes recounting air-to-air scores made by Air Force pilots and weapon-systems operators (WSO) Robert Lodge, Roger Locher, Steve Ritchie, and Charles DeBellevue.
Sherwood introduces the reader to the subjects of each chapter, then delves into their history. He observes similarities and differences in their upbringing. In the following passage, he notes a contrast between Robin Olds and Roger Sheets.
| Olds grew up in relative privilege under the tutelage of an iconoclastic Army Air Corps general, attended all the right military schools, including West Point, and was groomed practically from birth to become a military officer. Roger Sheets, by contrast, was the son of a humble Navy chaplain. To him flying in the military was always a privilege, not an entitlement. He therefore treated his superiors with more caution and respect than did Olds. Being the son of a chaplain taught him early how important discretion and subtlety can be in a military environment. |
As readers progress through Fast Movers, they discover that when Sherwood refers to "the Vietnam experience," he is writing about war experiences and also the psychology and sociology of pilots. Tactical aviation historians commonly emphasize the experience of flying, with occasional reference to life outside the cockpit. Sherwood views the pilot as a whole and notices both good and bad.
This honesty is commendable, but can also be a source of criticism. Sherwood includes candid comments from various interviewees, on occasion permitting criticism of a person by someone he interviews, but is inequitable in giving the addressed party opportunities for response. When Air Force pilot Ed Rasimus is quoted berating operations officer Jim Gormley for refusing Rasimus command of a flight despite his high experience level but low rank, Sherwood only briefly writes that,
| Jim Gormley…probably saw no problem in assigning other retreads [a higher ranking officer rotated into the unit for leadership, but lacking Vietnam tactical experience] to command roles in the unit. |
Sherwood is supposing a defense rather than letting Gormley directly address the Rasimus claims. In the same chapter, pilot Cal Tax claims the force commander, Dale Leatham, endangered flyers in one mission by making navigational errors. Leatham is never given an opportunity to address the story. These are the types of discrepancies one expects in oral histories, and most authors reconstructing past battles acknowledge this. Interviewees may perceive an event differently and retellings can suffer from bias, but perhaps Sherwood could have tried harder to address this.
Sherwood's other efforts do not appear to lack for research. Footnotes and attribution are plentiful and thorough, and Fast Movers includes both a glossary and index. The book's Air Force bias is somewhat balanced by references to arguably the top name in naval aviation research, Barrett Tillman, and such others as John Nichols and Paul Gillcrist. Sherwood also, however, references S.L.A. Marshall and David Grossman in searching for connections between air combat and the methods and psychological effect of killing. The reader can make their own decisions about such references, but both of the aforementioned authors have legitimate detractors. Marshall only minimally impresses the outspoken David Hackworth in Hackworth's book About Face, and COMBATSIM.COM's readers are already aware of Grossman's assertions about the relationship between video games and violence (they can also read interesting thoughts about Grossman's work from COMBATSIM.COM's own Dr. Simon Ng).
Fast Movers' style is accessible and clear though sometimes too colloquial. Sherwood's prose isn't profound or poetic, and could sometimes afford more efficiency, but it is competent. Transitions are strong and Sherwood segues nicely from one chapter to the next.
The book's content selection, again, is uneven and misses several sections of the jet community. There is only fleeting reference to strike workhorses of the Navy, the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and the Vought A-7 Corsair II, though the one A-4 story about Mike Estocin is a powerful one. References to pilots in support roles such as tanking, reconnaissance, strategic bombing, and transport are also rare, though the primary title 'Fast Movers' implies a focus on the fighter and strike roles.
A pilot is always a chapter's marquee character, but many navigators or weapon systems operators add color and insight to the proceedings. Sherwood does well here as the "guys in back" are often overlooked in narratives of military aviation. Fast Movers' use of lesser-known players yields some surprises. Readers learn that thriller author Tom Wilson was an Air Force F-105 back seater.
Other quirks include a seeming fascination with sexual references and symbolism, and more importantly, some hyperbole. One is this surprising statement, in which Sherwood suspects fighter pilots found killing distasteful.
| …[John Nichols] did not seek nor desire to kill additional pilots after he had made his first kill. This may be one significant reason why the vast majority of MiG killers in both Korea and Vietnam achieved only a single aerial victory. |
Every Vietnam fighter pilot I ever read about wanted to first, kill MiGs and second, kill more MiGs. The reasons US fighter pilots didn't achieve more kills are usually attributed to training, lack of experience with dissimilar air combat, lack of the F-4 Phantom's internal gun, unreliable technology, and the Vietnamese strategy of hit-and-run attacks. Sherwood mentions these other factors, but the quoted statement is befuddling. Rarely is morale or the desire to succeed a documented issue for pilots, who were among the most motivated of all troops in Vietnam.
Sherwood visits this idea only briefly, but it is a sentiment contrary to the book's most persistent theme. Sherwood identifies that some pilots may have had questions about the war and the decisions made by politicians behind it. Many pilots were dismayed with incompetent and/or inexperienced leadership, careerism, and a hostile home population. But regardless of branch, feelings about the war, or rank, most pilots drew motivation from the desire to perform with honor, and to know they could trust and be trusted by teammates.
It's hard to define an audience for Fast Movers because the book isn't the best choice for a novice of Vietnam air war history. There are too many odd omissions and statements. The same reasons make it an imperfect choice for more experienced Vietnam readers, though there is certainly worthy material here. It is not the first book that comes to mind in recommending a single book on the subject, yet few books offer such breadth, made more impressive considering the book's moderate 268 pages.
Few would contest Sherwood's primary thesis, but other entries about the Vietnam air war hold greater significance. Many, from Jack Broughton's Thud Ridge, to the Tillman and Nichols classic On Yankee Station, Cunningham's Fox Two, Frederick Blesse's Check Six, or even the fictional Stephen Coonts epic Flight of the Intruder, are important works that also reveal something of pilot personality. Fast Movers is best for readers able to find the collectable nuggets.
Relevance to Combat Simulations
The book's breadth doesn't deny simulation fans useful material. The chapter recounting Ritchie's aerial kills sports exciting detail about the combat. There's also an interesting recollection where Roger Sheets uses his A-6's low speed maneuverability to outwit a MiG-21 Fishbed. Finally, the discussion of Robert Lodge's downing illustrates the dangers of target fixation.Availability
Free Press published Fast Movers in 1999, ISBN 0-684-84784-1. It is available from Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback, Adobe digital, and Microsoft Reader digital editions.
Printer Friendly