Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The secret war was a game designed by an enterprising officer to teach new pilots about the Vietnam War. It was modeled after Monopoly, with the first moves covering such dull stuff as aircraft maintenance, radio procedures, and the Rules of Engagement. The briefing officer took the players through the gradual process of developing into an old head instead of acquiring houses or hotels. #2 The comic-strip flyboy, Steve Canyon, was created in 1947. He was a Gary Cooper type with a shock of slicked-back blond hair and a pipe clamped in his jutting jaw. He dressed in flying coveralls, always carried a. 45 automatic in a shoulder holster, and traveled the world undertaking any assignment as long as it's perilous, exciting, and decent. #3 The young pilots who went to Vietnam to fly as forward air controllers arrived pumped up and ready for action. They had a wide range of training behind them and were convinced of their status as an elite. #4 The dream of young romantics who were going to be fighter pilots was to duel with a Russian MiG, one on one, up in the wild blue yonder over North Vietnam. But it is the fate of romantics to be disillusioned, and most would-be pilots were eventually forced to accept that being given a fighter was little more than a dream.