STEPHEN COONTS, NY Times best-selling author of Flight of the Intruder -- "D. D. Smith's personal memoir of his years in naval aviation is more than a 'I was there' tale. He captures the myriad of challenges that was Naval Aviation before the Vietnam War. When I arrived in the fleet, D. D. Smith and his compadres were the squadron execs or COs who led us nuggets into the inferno of Vietnam... A huge tip of the hat to D.D. Smith. This book will appeal to every naval aviator or NFO of whatever era. Highly recommended."But the book is much more. It is a cleverly written and refreshingly honest story of the author's life and times as he fought his way from rural Minnesota to the blazing skies over North Vietnam. 138 combat missions. More than 800 carrier arrested landings. As the Navy's first Chief Test Pilot, his tests of the F-14 resulted in the first EVER flat spin in a Tomcat -- and it nearly killed him. No swaggering bravado here; this is a fresh, insightful look at life, luck and guts - in Vietnam and beyond.