On November 18, 1965, U.S. Navy pilot Willie Sharp ejected from his
F-8 fighter after being hit while positioned over a target in North
Vietnam. With a cloud layer beneath him, he did not know if he was
over land—where he would most certainly be captured or killed by
the North Vietnamese—or over the Gulf of Tonkin. As he ejected,
both navy and air force aircraft were already heading toward him to
help. What followed was a dramatic rescue made by pilots and other
airmen with little or no training or experience in combat
search-and-rescue. Told by former military flight test
engineer Eileen A. Bjorkman, this story includes nail-biting
descriptions of air combat, flight, and rescue. Bjorkman places
Sharp's story in the larger context of the U.S. military's bedrock
credo—No Man Left Behind—and calls attention to the more than
eighty thousand Americans still missing from conflicts since
World War I. She also explores the devastating aftershocks of
the Vietnam War as Sharp struggled with post-traumatic stress
disorder. Woven into this gripping tale is the fascinating
history of combat search-and-rescue missions that officially began
in World War II. Combining the cockiness and camaraderie of Top Gun
with the heroics of Sully, Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin is a
riveting tale of combat rescue and an unforgettable story about the
U.S. military's commitment to leave no man behind.