This is a very comprehesive account of the air campaign during America's involvement in vietnam. VERY comprehensive- covers operational, deployment and political details for a very indepth look into this period. This is a great resource but it is not for the casual reader and even for serious research not something to read from cover to cover in one sitting. A great book to read if you are interested and you have the time to spare. Earlier reviews have already covered much of its contents very well- not much more to add there except for my own reading "experience"

Having flown combat missions over North Vietnam in 1968-1969, I was especially interested in this book. One of the great strengths of the American Air Force is that it has a history office with well qualified historians who are committed to pursuing the truth even though this often means criticizing the Air Force. Hallion and Thompson have both worked in this office for many years. They are truly experts and whatever they say or write you can take to the bank. I salute them for writing a first rate book. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in the evolution of combat airpower.

The book, as its title suggests, is a history of the United States Air Force in Vietnam during these years, but it offers the reader much more than an operational narrative. It is written chronologically during the seven years that encompassed Operations Rolling Thunder, Linebacker I, and Linebacker II, as well as the many other minor operations during and in between the larger ones. The real value of the book though, for the airpower strategist, is the skill with which Dr. Thompson weaves the contextual elements that ultimately decided how effective airpower could be during this period. As each operation unfolds we are given not only the details of the air campaign itself, but also the personalities and relationships among the various three and four star flag officers charged with planning and implementing the strategies. The political considerations and the lenses through which the president and key cabinet members viewed the conflict are important factors that affected operations down to the tactical employment of individual units and aircraft. Dr. Thompson smoothly transitions between the macro and micro view of how these pieces are related.

Dr. Thompson amply illustrates the political, technological and geographical constraints which have an often-underestimated effect upon airpower employment. The goal of precision engagement of ground targets from aircraft has a long history. Billy Mitchell described it in his Provisional Manual of Operations of 1918. Army Air Force planners in World War II hoped to achieve unprecedented bombing accuracy with the Norden bombsight. In Vietnam, as today, the goal of accurately bombing the desired target was also highly sought after but the right technology had not yet emerged. Thompson traces the parallel development of Navy and Air Force weapons systems, from the Navy's TV guided Walleye bomb, to the use of LORAN to guide aircraft to their bomb release points, to the final employment of Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) with warheads large enough to take down the bridges that helped supply Hanoi with materials from the north. But perhaps more than any other factor, Dr. Thompson clearly shows us the enormous effect that weather had on the effectiveness of the air campaign over North Vietnam. Planners on both sides understood the affects of the large block of time lost during the monsoon season. Thompson even states that, "the most effective North Vietnamese air defense had always been weather" (pg. 244). This is an operational reality that can easily derail even the most elegant air strategy and can preclude political leaders from effectively controlling the application of force they require to achieve their stated objectives as well.

Overall To Hanoi and Back is a very well researched and documented history, composed in a very readable style. It is written with the operator in mind, giving future air strategists, planners, and users a very comprehensive view of not only the restraints under which one must operate in a war of limited objectives, but also in an environment where, although airpower's effectiveness may not be optimal, it is still the main instrument chosen to deliver the message we wish to send our adversary. The only possible improvement a reader could wish for would be more maps and charts in the text to visualize the many battlefields and data that an average operator needs to appreciate the area of operations. Even so, this is an excellent book that every professional should add to their personal library.

If you need to laugh, and who doesn't(?) get these tapes! They are too funny to describe here - just trust me on this. You'll feel better in the morning if you take two of these before bed!

This stuff is hilarious! I don't know how they do it. John Pinette at the buffet and his hottest day of the year in the amusement and water park are some of the funniest things I've ever heard, and each tape is somehow better than the previous one, Brian Regan, Pablo Francisco, Richard Jeni - just thinking of them makes me want to listen again. I laughed so hard I cried. I needed that. Don't miss this set. Beg, borrow, (well, don't steal), but get them.

I've always had much respect for Tom Koulopoulos and the Delphi Group. But I expected going into this book that there would be a sales pitch embedded into the book of some sort. Not so.

The book is a very readable, very practical guide to enabling your organization to develop instict. What does "instinct" mean in the context of a business you ask? It means that when the market shifts, your company is structured in such a way that it can shift immediately to accomodate and exploit it. Rather than observing market changes and reacting to them retrospectively, you are there from the beginning.

To accomplish this, companies must balance their characteristics according to a grid of:

* INTERNAL AWARENESS

* EXTERNAL AWARENESS

* INTERNAL RESPONSIVENESS

* EXTERNAL RESPONSIVENESS

The book is all about the specifics of this grid and how you can acheive balance. At the end of the book is a very helpful Corporate Instinct Assessment test for use on your company.

For those who desire to put feet on KM theory, I recommend, as a start, reading "Corporate Instinct" and "The Character of a Corporation" (Goffee and Jones) together. The latter fills in many of the Cultural elements not treated in the former.

A riveting murder mystery involving race and sex in the Old South, "Death of an Overseer" is equally fascinating for what it reveals about the historian's craft. Besides this, it is beautifully written. Historians and the general reader alike will find this book hard to put down.

Following God--Life Principles of the New Testament Men of Faith is a great study tool for those wanting fresh insights into some of the most important characters during the life of Christ and the early-Church era. Color maps including one of Paul's Missionary Journeys and snazzy looking charts are a big plus for this title. Well worth reading!

This is a fantastic bible review of the men of the OT. It is well written and very current on the biblical thinking as related to current times. Looking forward to studying all five of Barber, et al Following God Series.

If you're interested in the cultural landscapes associated with mining, this book is a must. Great stuff on Bisbee, AZ. Fantastic maps show the development of that mining landscape over time.

A vivid tale of horrifying torture told by a man who experienced it all. Richard Sakakida was a true hero. For those who love books on survival, war, adventure, or the American spirit.

Used the text to teach intro this past fall. students found it readable (so did I). Will use it again.

This study guide was wonderful, it helped me to get an A in my general psychology class. If you read the material and then follow it up with answering the questions in the guide you too may do well in this class. This study guide is a must!!!

I used this book for a course called general psychology. This book is full of knowledge and explains each term in everyday language so the reader can grasp the concept. I felt that the book explained everything so well that I would easily got a A in the class without ever having to have the teacher explain anything to me.

While the author is redundant through-out the book, he has certainly brought to the public the oppor- tunity to look into the case of another "trial of the century". In taking the position that Richard Hauptman was wrongfully exicuted, Mr. Jones does show much evidence to demonstrate his claim, and I have been moved into the same opinion. The book is over 1200 pages, and at times tedious, but I found it to be well worth the time spent. Mr. Jones is into his eighties,and I think he should be commended for the accomplishment of his life's goal.

Jones documents more information in his book than any other thus far. While he presents his conclusions about who was responsible for the kidnapping, he leaves many avenues for other verdicts that may eventually come along. While the book is difficult to put down, there are times when the author presents needless details. On several occasions, he leads us through several pages that eventually go nowhere when a brief paragraph would have been sufficient. I have read dozens of books on the Lindbergh kidnapping case but this is the most complete so far. The book will make the reader very cautious concerning police and prosecuting practices in capital cases.

Sad to report that Mr. Wayne Jones passed away on Saturday, July 4, 1998. Although at times this book is tedious reading and, when needed, repetitious, it is a book that must be read if one is interested in the true story of the Lindburg kidnapping.