Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia

by Jan Churchill

The Forward Air Controller came into his own during the 1960s and 1970s air war in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, FACs were an indispensable part of the air war -- the link between forces on the ground and strike aircraft, "the hub around which the delivery of all in-country ordnance is dependent." Because of the terrain, the Forward Air Controller was a necessity. Author Jan Churchill states . . . the cost to the U.S. was devastating, not only because of the thousands of Americans killed or wounded, but also because of the money spent, and the divisiveness amongst the American public on the home front. For the U.S. Air Force alone, 2,118 personnel were killed, 3,460 were wounded, and 2,257 aircraft were destroyed. . . . And 338 USAF Forward Air Controllers were lost in battle in the skies over Southeast Asia.

220 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997