From the glider pilots who landed deep behind Jpanese lines, to the gunship crews who hunted over the dark jungle of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, to Desert Storm's Special Operations choppers, al the daring rescues and last-minute landings are here, straight from the Air Commandos' own stories. Includes eight-page photo insert.

"Any Time Any Place" is the motto of the United States Air Force Commandos. Feel as though you are a member of this elite group as you read the history of the Air Commandos as they proudly served from World War II to the present. This book contains the history of the group, numerous aircraft photos, and biographical profiles of the veterans who have served.

Examines the work, weapons and gear, and life of a United States Air Commando.

Air-dropping agents deep behind enemy lines in clandestine night missions during the Korean War, commanding secret flights into Tibet in 1960 to support the anticommunist guerilla uprising, participating in plans for the 1962 Bay of Pigs invasion—even before the escalation of the Vietnam War, Brigadier General Harry C. “Heinie” Aderholt worked at the heart of both the U.S. Air Force and CIA special operations worldwide. In 1964 he became commander of the famed First Air Commando Wing, fighting to build up special operations capabilities among the American and South Vietnamese airmen. In 1966 and 1967 he and his men set the record for interdicting the flow of enemy trucks over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and North Vietnam. Drawing on official records, personal papers, and interviews with Aderholt and many who worked with him, Air Force historian Warren A. Trest details the life and career of this charismatic, unconventional military leader who has become a legend of the Cold War Air Force. He tells how Aderholt’s vigorous support of low-flying, propeller-driven aircraft and nonnuclear munitions pitted him against his superiors, who were steeped in doctrines of massive retaliation and “higher and faster” tactical air power. In the mid-1960s Aderholt’s clash with Seventh Air Force Commander General William W. Momyer reflected a schism that still exists between the traditional Air Force and its unconventional special operations wings. The book also integrates U.S. Air Force and CIA accounts of some of the most pivotal events of the past fifty years.

Parachuting from planes to rescue wounded soldiers. Providing supplies to fighters on the ground. Dropping behind enemy lines for surprise attacks. These missions are the work of the U.S. Air Commandos. These soldiers are trained to fly high-tech aircraft, handle powerful weapons, provide medical care, and carry out on-the-ground combat. Discover how Air Commandos provide support to every branch of the military, "any time, any place."

A memoir of my Military Career flying airplanes in Vietnam and other countries.

They are among the most elite of all U.S. military, special forces subject to a rigorous selection and training process. Air commandos perform highly dangerous and often secret operations. They are involved in special military operations, counterinsurgency, and counterterrorism. In addition, they are called upon to intervene in grave emergencies and natural disasters. This book examines the role that air commandos play in these operations. It covers their dramatic histories, their selection and training regimen, and some of their most exciting missions, including Operation Neptune Spear, the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

Traces the history of the Special Operations Wing of the Second Air Division, and recounts actual combat operations in Burma, Vietnam, and Grenada