San Antonio College Library

Beyond the Wild Blue is a fascinating look at fifty turbulent years of Air Force history. From the prop-driven armada of World War II to the most advanced Stealth weaponry, from pioneers like General Henry "Hap" Arnold to glorious conquests in the Gulf War, Beyond the Wild Blue is a high-flying study of the triumphs (and failures) of leadership and technology.

Richard Bong was the top scoring ace of WWII, shooting down 40 enemy aircraft. He began flying his P-38 in the Pacific Theater in late 1942 and had already surpassed Eddie Rickenbacker's 26 kills by April of 1943. Bong achieved his 40th and final kill in 1944. He went on to become a test pilot of jet fighters, but died tragically on a routine flight when his P-80 malfunctioned after takeoff, on the same day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima....

A prisoner of war in Vietnam for over six years, Sam Johnson nevertheless was able to rise from his desperate situation to become a Texas congressman. This Legend served his country for over 50 years, flying F-86 Sabre jets in Korea and the F-4 Phantom II in Vietnam. After his release in 1973, Johnson stayed in the Air Force until his retirement in 1979. Today, the Honorable Legend serves the Third District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives....

Amelia Earhart's remarkable aviation career was tragically cut short when Earhart and her navigator went missing over the Nukumanu Islands. Before her disappearance, Earhart's name became a household one, in 1932, when she was the first woman to make a solo-return transcontinental flight. Earhart flew her Lockheed Vega from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Ireland, on the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's famous flight. In the remaining...

He was born in 1915 to a Norwegian-Scots family in South Dakota. Though he grew up poor, Joe Foss was able to scrape together $65 for flying lessons, and from then on he was hooked. After joining the Marines, Foss fought in WWII, racked up 26 aerial victories, and was awarded the Medal of Honor. After the war, this intrepid Marine helped organize the South Dakota Air National Guard, fought in the Air Force during the Korean War, was elected Governor...

He was born in the small town of Waterproof, LA, but from an early age Claire Chennault thought big. He launched the theory of "defensive pursuit," and practiced what he preached as a leader of the Flying Tigers in China. A chain-smoking, hard-living man, Chennault seemed to come from another generation, but was beloved by all-even the notorious Chinese leader Chaing-kai Shek.

Albert Scott Crossfield's military career spanned from flight and gunnery instructor to test pilot and record-breaking flyer. After attending an experimental flight test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base, the outbreak of the Korean War left him to take full responsibility for the Edwards test program. Under his leadership, the program flourished. Undaunted by any plane, he made his first flight in the X-1 rocket plane in 1951 and when the windshield...

Carl "Tooey" Spaatz is one of the genuine characters of American aviation. In the wild and woolly days of flight, he was a guitar-strumming free spirit who often offended the military establishment. But over the course of his career, Spaatz did as much to shape the modern Air Force as any other single person. He trained most of the American pilots who fought in WWI, pioneered air-to-air refueling, and his command of WWII's strategic air forces forever...

Discusses major developments in aircraft, doctrine, training, and operations. The author also provides discussions of airlife, in-flight refueling, military budgets, industry, and inter-service squabbling. He deftly sketches the evolution of the air arms of each of the different services and provides clear analyisis of military budgets.