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FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their airforce and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, you had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery. As the title suggests, however, Naked in Da Nang is not an angst ridden account of mortal combat. Following in the footsteps of Richard Hooker's classic M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, author Jackson has a keen eye for the absurdities that abound in a combat zone. That the humor is often dark only serves to sharpen its comic edge.- These pilots were considered the "Guardian Angels" of the Vietnam ground soldier- Refers to the "unarmed" nature of FAC (Forward Air Controllers) aircraft- Low-tech aircraft that survived combat on pilot skills only
Naked in Da Nang - Mike Jackson [0600 - Mar 23 2015]"Welcome to Da Nang - You'll Love it Here" -sign over the Air Force in processing office at Da Nang, South Viet Nam. From "Naked in Da Nang" The subtitle for this book is "A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam". It tells a most interesting story of one man's journey from a small town in Ohio - training to become an Air Force pilot - to his year as a Forward Air Controller or FAC in Viet Nam July 1971-2. For those not familiar with the duties of a FAC I will summarize: while flying at low altitudes in a juiced up piper cub the FAC directs air strikes in support of ground troops, assist in locating friendlies/downed airmen for helicopter rescue and searches for enemy emplacements all the while presenting himself as a attractive target for enemy guns and rockets. The aircraft Mike Jackson flew, as a FAC was an O-2A. For the curious it is worth reading an article about this craft. For starters it is a twin-engine prop plane with one propeller in the front and one directly behind the fuselage. It featured no pilot ejection seat or armor but with a trained and conscientious pilot it was a pivot for air to ground support. The author survived 210 missions as a FAC during his year in Viet Nam. This book is not a cover to cover account of Jackson's missions as a FAC, but a detailed story of his Air Force training and his life in a forward army base in South Viet Nam. The author shares many personal details of his experiences and, as such, it provides one more insightful life story of a year spent in Viet Nam during the war by a solider/pilot. The author does detail some of his FAC experiences but that is not the main story told here. The author's buoyant personality and straightforward writing makes this chronological war biography readable and entertaining. A generous selection of the author's family photos and those from his year in SVN adds to the pleasure of reading this book. The odd title makes sense when you read about an incident the author experienced during a typhoon.
