Review “An important and comprehensive work on that most American of military imperatives—going in harm's way to get one of our own.” —Dick Couch, author of The Sheriff of Ramadi and Chosen Soldier“For most of the hundred-plus years of manned flight, aircraft have been used in combat and tens of thousands have been lost. When a military aircraft goes down there has always been the desire, but not always the means, to rescue the survivors. George Galdorisi and Tom Phillips have provided a comprehensive, and well-written history of the development of combat rescue up to the present, including dramatic accounts of rescues, among them many never before revealed. Leave No Man Behind is a story of heroism which should appeal to a broad spectrum of readers; historians, serving military, and those who love a good aviation story.” —Norman Polmar, author of Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Impact on World Events“Combat search and rescue -- the ability to save downed pilots -- becomes more important each time the United States uses aircraft in combat. As enemy defenses improve, it also becomes more difficult, and the technology involved becomes more complex. Yet this story has never really been told before. Leave No Man Behind shows how attempts to rescue pilots began as early as World War I, and how modern systems have worked, both in theory and in difficult practice. It offers a unique combination of operational experience and technical description.”  —Dr. Norman Friedman, author of The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons“Leave No Man Behind is a solid piece of history. Starting with the birth of military aviation itself, it tells the story, almost 100 years in length, of the efforts that have been put forth to develop and use rescue forces to recover downed aviators. Focusing primarily on well-documented vignettes from conflicts as recent as Iraqi Freedom, it is the story of sacrifice, valor, and heroic airmen who go forth so that, ‘others may live.’ Well written, well told, well done!” —Darrel Whitcomb, author of The Rescue of Bat 21, Combat Search and Rescue in Desert Storm, and Call Sign - DUSTOFFThe Register-Pajaronian "George Galdorisi and Thomas Phillips provide an account of combat search and rescue (CSAR) from World War I to the conflict in Iraq. This is the story of the unheralded men and women who fly the dangerous missions to retrieve downed airmen and soldiers stranded behind enemy lines. Chronicling nearly 100 years of CSAR history, the authors include stories of previously classified missions and several Medal-of-Honor winning operations in an extensive look at this little known facet of military operations. The books also addresses the ongoing debate of whether the tendency to cut CSAR at the end of a conflict is wise. Without an existing infrastructure, it takes far too long to get these units operational again when the need arises." Read more From the Inside Flap Beginning with the birth of combat aircraft in World War I and the early attempts to rescue warriors trapped behind enemy lines, Leave No Man Behind chronicles in depth nearly one hundred years of combat search and rescue (CSAR). All major U.S. combat operations from World War II to the early years of the Iraq War are covered, including previously classified missions and several Medal-of-Honor-winning operations. Authors George Galdorisi and Tom Phillips (both veteran U.S. Navy helicopter pilots) highlight individual acts of heroism while telling the big-picture story of the creation and development of modern CSAR.             Although individual missions have their successes and failures, CSAR, as an institution, would seem beyond reproach, an obvious necessity. The organizational history of CSAR, however, is not entirely positive. The armed services, particularly the U.S. Air Force and Navy, have a tendency to cut CSAR at the end of a conflict, leaving no infrastructure prepared for the next time that the brave men and women of our armed forces find themselves behind enemy lines.             The final chapter has not yet been written for U.S. combat search and rescue, but in view of the life-saving potential of these forces, an open and forthright review of U.S. military CSAR plans and policies is long overdue. Beyond the exciting stories of heroic victories and heartrending defeats, Leave No Man Behind stimulates debate on this important subject. Read more From the Back Cover From the book: Ron Clarke saw a shadowy figure running toward the helicopter from the right. He wasn’t certain if it was the downed air force pilot or a Vietcong. At the same time, George Armstrong, manning the machine gun in the forward left personnel door, shouted, “Here they come—let’s get out of here.” He opened fire with his M60 [on enemy soldiers running] toward the helicopter. . . . “Full power,” Clarke shouted to [copilot Jerry] Smith, who shoved the two engine throttles to the stops. Clarke eased up on the collective pitch lever, and the helicopter began to get light on the wheels. Back aft, [Jimmy] Conrad identified the running man as friendly and watched him dive past head first, sliding across the cabin deck on thousands of empty 7.62mm shell casings like the floor was covered with ball bearings. He fetched up under the troop seat . . . grabbing the bench leg to stop from slipping down the tilted deck. As the helicopter accelerated and then climbed . . . the adrenaline-charged helicopter crew began to realize that they were safe and had somehow escaped death or worse. Read more About the Author   Author George Galdorisi flew U.S. Navy search and rescue in the early 1970s, manning Vietnam-era helicopters with pilots from the initial cadre of navy CSAR teams. His flying career continued for over a quarter-century, culminating with state-of-the-art CSAR helicopters aboard U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. He has written about naval combat operations in a wide range of articles in professional journals and has published two successful novels of naval combat: The Coronado Conspiracy and For Duty and Honor. Author Tom Phillips began his U.S. Navy career flying attack helicopters in Vietnam, including POW rescue operations with Navy SEALs. He continued flying in squadrons sprinkled with other CSAR veterans of Vietnam before moving into operational staff positions and, after retirement from active duty, was intimately involved in developing training materials for current CSAR pilots. He now works as a Navy tactics analyst and a flight simulator instructor training today¹s rescue crews. Read more
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