War for the Hell of It : One Fighter Pilot's War in Vietnam

War-from 25,000 feet up. During the Vietnam War, Ed Cobleigh served two tours of duty, logging 375 combat sorties and over 1,000 hours of combat time in the F-4D Phantom II fighter/bomber. Unlike so many others, he made it back in one piece. And he returned with an experience-and a perspective-that those of us on the ground could not begin to understand. In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares that perspective in an intimate account of his life in a war filled with moral ambiguity and military contradictions. This is an unprecedented look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star-studded night sky, from illogical political agendas to his own dangerous addiction to risk. With the aviation thrills of Flight of the Intruder and the military pathos of M*A*S*H, Cobleigh gives a stirring and emotional description of one man's journey into airborne hell and back.

Ed Cobleigh earned his pilot's wings with the U.S. Air Force and eventually achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal for his service during the Vietnam War.