Review (PDF)

Sailors In The Sky: Memoir Of A Navy Aircrewman In The Korean War

“On previous flight ops, when a launch was delayed, we usually passed the time telling jokes or exchanging the latest scuttlebutt. Tonight was different. Each of us sat silently with our own thoughts. All of us, I’m sure, made impossible promises to God, and I was one of them. My gut was wound so tight, it was hard to breathe, no less talk. For the umpteenth time, I tightened the harness of my chute. I remember praying, ‘Whatever else happens, don't make me bail out of this thing!’” With little to no recognition from the general public, navy enlisted aircrewmen performed heroically in the Korean War. Manning radios and radar, they were indispensable to the success of missions. Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class Jack Sauter was one such aircrewman. Assigned to the USS Midway and the USS Lake Champlain, he flew twenty-one early warning and antisubmarine missions from the backseat of a Douglas Skyraider with Task Force 77 off Korea in support of our troops.From the excitement and thrill of being catapulted from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the tedium of service at sea, the author describes in detail his service in the Korean air war.

Paperback: 318 pages

Publisher: Bison Books (November 1, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0803238312

ISBN-13: 978-0803238312

Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #2,530,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #80 in Books > History > Military > Korean War > Personal Narratives #130 in Books > History > Military > Korean War > Aviation #192 in Books > History > Military > Korean War > Campaigns

So many books have been written about the adventures of military pilots that you'd think that only commissioned officers flew. Actually, there were and are many non-commissioned flyers as well. These enlisted gunners, radio operators, navigators, flight engineers, and technicians...who were sent into the air right out of high school...had many interesting stories to tell too. Until recently, their adventures have been largely ignored. Thanks to authors like Jack Sauter, however, the story of the enlisted military aircrewman is finally seeing light of day. Sauter was a Navy enlisted man who flew as a radar operator on Douglas Skyraiders around the time of the Korean War. It is so refreshing for this modern day naval aircrewman to read an aviation book written from the long-suffering enlisted man's perspective, instead of from from the typical 'pampered' officer's perspective. Its a great book and I highly reccommend it to all my brother aircrewmen. White hats off! to Jack Sauter!

I loved the book mainly because I had exactly the same experience as Jack Sauter only I was one year ahead of him. I was an AT3 attached to the CAG11 Air Group Commanders' staff. I was loaned to VC35 and flew in AD4Ns. This book could have been my memoir. I did two tours off Korea on board the Philippine Sea CVA 47, and was stationed at North Island San Diego, and Miramar.(before Top Gun)Great story Jack, and very well written.

I joined the navy in 1949 right out of high school, at age 17. Jack Sauter's accounts of Boot Camp at Great Lakes, service school and subsequent struggles at sea brought back many memories.Being a destroyer sailor and screening for the carriers occasionally when we weren't working over targets along the Korean coast or supporting ground troops, I can relate to much of what the writer presented regarding flight operations in Korean waters. However, we "can" sailors, who made up the dungaree navy, always felt that large ship sailors with their recreational conveniences, libraries, ice cream and coke machines mess facilities/menus etc. served in a navy foreign to us. The author supported those notions by relating many of his personal observations and experiences.My bias aside, I found the book to be enjoyable and well written. Service and combat experiences from the perspective of "white hats" are rarely encountered. Mr. Sauter did a masterful job in presenting our concerns, anxieties, feelings, challenges, frustrations etc. I also appreciated his critical comments regarding leaders who fail to understand the need to keep their crews informed. In my 21 months of combat in Korea I never served under officers who saw the need to have the crew feel like they were a part of an important fighting team by sharing with us our missions and our accomplishments.

Gift for my father, great book. He enjoys reading these and this one he can relate to. Would recommend it to Navy enthusiasts

Good book

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