Firehammer

MWSA Review

The F-4 Phantom was originally designed to be a close air support bomb platform to be used in support of Marine Corps ground operations. It evolved into an extremely fast, maneuverable fighter with missile launch, and later, mini gun air to air capabilities, and was mightily feared by the North Vietnamese Mig pilots.

Flown by the best of the best, it responded technically to men at the stick who knew how, and were not afraid to push this sleek beast to the limits of its design capabilities. Firehammer is a work of fiction, but based on the actual experiences of an outstanding pilot during the Vietnam War.

Reading this book is not only an education in the art of flying fast moving combat aircraft, but a journey through the vernacular of flying. The reader is placed in the aircraft, and can feel the heat and excitement of split second decision making upon which lives depend.

The warmth of friendship and the respect for one’s fellow pilots is in keeping with the same reverence felt by all soldiers, sailors, and flyboys who have had the honor of being the best that they can be in the presence of kindred spirits.

Fittingly, the book ends with an epilogue of emotion at The Wall. Where veterans have gathered daily for thirty years to try and make sense of what they did by remembering those that they did it with.

Reviewed by: Bob Flournoy(2014)

Author's Summary

FIREHAMMER is a novel based on a true story about the final battle of the Vietnam War. Written by Ric Hunter, a fighter pilot who participated in this event, this book educates, entertains and excites the reader. It also honors those who served including the author's high school friend, Tim Davies, USMC -- who died earlier in the war.