Bou Pilot

Drop into one man’s world of transport flying at the height of the Vietnam War and experience the good, the bad, and the ugly—with character and compassion.Humorous, compassionate, and tragic day-to-day experiences of a transport pilot in combat.When Jon Drury was shipped to Vietnam with 90 percent of his graduating class, he was assigned to the short field C-7A Caribou by De Havilland. His challenging mission carried troops into combat, air dropped live chickens in crates, ferried cows to Special Forces camps, and dodged .50 caliber fire. On the more compassionate side, Jon served the Vietnamese in civic action, drove an ambulance to a free dispensary, and escorted those killed in action on their final journey home.Jon’s style of writing grabs the reader, holds their interest, and makes them want to read more about the deeds of the warriors called up on to fight a long, cruel, and frustrating war . . . Reading the stories brings out his flying skills, human compassion, and faith to a degree one might not expect from a warrior. These elements reflect the skills, passion, determination, and generosity of a man sent to war who found a deeper meaning inside himself than he anticipated.                                                                        —E. Patrick Hanavan Jr., Ph.D.Colonel, USAF (Ret.), Chief Test Pilot, 483 Tactical Airlift Wing, Cam Ranh Bay, RVN, President, the C-7A Caribou Association Heart-stopping combat and risk mixed with incidents of human compassion, history, sorrow, and lessons for life.