ZSU-23: A 23-millimeter antiaircraft artillery cannon with either two or four barrels built by the Soviets. In its radar-guided configuration, it is very effective and feared by pilots.
Acknowledgments
This novel is a work of fiction that I tried to root in reality. In it, I branched far beyond my own area of expertise and owe much to those who shared their time, knowledge, and experiences. I am indebted to Mr. Randy Jayne and the crew at McDonnell Aircraft Company who introduced me to the complexities of one cosmic jet — the F-15E. To John York, Gary Jennings, Mike Boss, Bill Kittle, Gary McDonald, and Dave Vitale, many thanks.
On the operational side, I must thank Colonel Dave “Bull” Baker, Lieutenant Colonel Skip Bennett, Major Keith Turnbull, and Captain Steve Farrow, all of the 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, for showing me how the F-15E really works.
I had no idea what tanks were all about until I met the First Battalion, 149th Armor, of the California National Guard. To Master Sergeant Doug Krelle, Staff Sergeant Lee Harner, and Sergeants First Class David Hooper and Kerry Harris, I can only say thanks and I hope I got it right.
A word about the F-15. The battle damage an F-15 can take and still fly, and which I depicted in Chapter Twenty-seven, is based on a true incident. During my last tour in the Air Force, I logged quite a few hours in the pit of the Eagle, but only in an air-to-air role. I was impressed. But what the E model of the F-15 can do in a ground attack and interdiction role defies the imagination, and that is what I wanted to capture. The jet does have its faults; but then, all aircraft do.
FURRY’S RULES FOR SURVIVAL
The collected sayings of Major Ambler Furry, USAF, are not the product of his wit and experience, but the distilled wisdom of men who have fought in combat since time immemorial. Without doubt, many of Major Furry’s rules were in well-developed form when the Hittites first smote the ancient Egyptians. They were certainly around when Mr. Murphy discovered them and were alive and well in Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf. It is important to remember that there is no priority to the importance of these rules. Whichever one is applicable immediately becomes number one.
1. Always remember your jet was made by the lowest bidder.
2. Train like you plan to fight.
3. If you’re up to your eyeballs in Gomers, you’re in combat.
4. When in doubt, use industrial strength deterrence.
5. Never fly in the same cockpit with someone who is braver than you.
6. Priorities are man-made, not God-made.
7. A plan never survives the first thirty seconds of combat.
8. If it’s stupid but works, it ain’t stupid.
9. Only turn to blow the opposition away; otherwise, run away and fight another guy.
10. Always honor a threat.
11. Know the opposition.
12. Know when it’s time to get out of Dodge.
13. Always know how to get out of Dodge.
14. The important things are always simple.
15. The simple things are always hard.