Book Recommendations

AFA members, Congressional Staffers, Civic Leaders, and DOCA members, there are two recent books, both just out, to bring to your attention.

The first is entitled: Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds by Robin Olds, Christina Olds, and Ed Rasimus. For those of you who knew General Olds, this book will tell you things about him that I'll bet you didn't know. For the rest of you, this is a fascinating insight to the man, his movie star wife, and his combat – in WWII, in Viet Nam, and in a "peacetime" Air Force. He was truly a man who was larger than life. The book is available on 13 April – and I read the pre-release manuscript … and could not put it down.

The second book is entitled: A History of Air Warfare edited by John Andreas Olsen. This book is remarkable in both its depth and breadth. It is organized chronologically with 16 chapters starting with Airpower in the First and Second World Wars; then Korea, Vietnam, Middle East, and the Falklands; then Desert Storm and the Balkans; then OEF, OIF, and Lebanon. The last part offers wider perspectives by focusing on air and space power in both unconventional and conventional warfare from 1913 to the present, and includes some speculation about the future. Each Chapter has a different author – all noted airpower experts – such as Richard Overy, Wayne Thompson, Ben Lambeth, Martin van Creveld, and Richard Hallion … as well as a few authors you should get to know … such as Air Vice Marshal (Ret) Tony Mason, UK Royal Air Force and Col (Ret) Shmuel Gordon, Israeli Air Force. All said, this book is a remarkable survey of Airpower … for both the professional and the general student of history.

If you decide to read either of these books, give me some feedback on them.

As a reminder – the link below is to the President of AFA's reading list.

http://www.afa.org/EdOp/2009/ReadingList_1209.asp

For your consideration.

Mike

Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association