Seawolf 28

MWSA Book Review. Seawolf 28 – A True Story. Author: Al Billings. Publisher: Booksurge. Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA.
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The sight of her dear wet cheeks, her flying hair, and her brave brown eyes convinced me that my vision was still healthy. Again I turned my face to leeward, and again I saw the jutting promontory, black and high and naked, the raging surf that broke about its base and beat its front high up with spouting fountains, the black and forbidding coast-line running toward the southeast and fringed with a tremendous scarf of white. But we must be quick, most quick -- and sure. I spoke with a confidence she knew I did not feel, for she looked at me with that unfaltering gaze of hers and said:.

We are not going to die. We shall land on that island, and we shall be snug and sheltered before the day is done. I spoke stoutly, but I did not believe a word. Nor was prompted to lie through fear.

Seawolf Pilothouse

I felt no fear, though I was sure of death in that boiling surge amongst the rocks which was rapidly growing nearer. It was impossible to hoist sail and claw off that shore. The wind would instantly capsize the boat; the seas would swamp it the moment it fell into the trough; and, besides, the sail, lashed to the spare oars, dragged in the sea ahead of us.

As I say, I was not afraid to meet my own death, there, a few hundred yards to leeward; but I was appalled at the thought that Maud must die. My cursed imagination saw her beaten and mangled against the rocks, and it was too terrible. I strove to compel myself to think we would make the landing safely, and so I spoke, not what I believed, but what I preferred to believe.

I recoiled before contemplation of that frightful death, and for a moment I entertained the wild idea of seizing Maud in my arms and leaping overboard. Then I resolved to wait, and at the last moment, when we entered on the final stretch, to take her in my arms and proclaim my love, and, with her in my embrace, to make the desperate struggle and die. Instinctively we drew closer together in the bottom of the boat. I felt her mittened hand come out to mine. And thus, without speech, we waited the end. We were not far off the line the wind made with the western edge of the promontory, and I watched in the hope that some set of the current or send of the sea would drift us past before we reached the surf.

The oath left my lips in my excitement -- the first, I do believe, in my life, unless "trouble it," an expletive of my youth, be accounted an oath. I had seen a distant headland past the extreme edge of the promontory, and as we looked we could see grow the intervening coast- line of what was evidently a deep cove. At the same time there broke upon our ears a continuous and mighty bellowing.

It partook of the magnitude and volume of distant thunder, and it came to us directly from leeward, rising above the crash of the surf and travelling directly in the teeth of the storm. As we passed the point the whole cove burst upon our view, a half-moon of white sandy beach upon which broke a huge surf, and which was covered with myriads of seals. It was from them that the great bellowing went up. There must be men and cruisers to protect them from the seal-hunters.

Possibly there is a station ashore.

Seawolf 28

But as I studied the surf which beat upon the beach, I said, "Still bad, but not so bad. And now, if the gods be truly kind, we shall drift by that next headland and come upon a perfectly sheltered beach, where we may land without wetting our feet. And the gods were kind. The first and second headlands were directly in line with the southwest wind; but once around the second, -- and we went perilously near, -- we picked up the third headland, still in line with the wind and with the other two.

But the cove that intervened! It penetrated deep into the land, and the tide, setting in, drifted us under the shelter of the point. Here the sea was calm, save for a heavy but smooth ground-swell, and I took in the sea-anchor and began to row.

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From the point the shore curved away, more and more to the south and west, until, at last, it disclosed a cove within the cove, a little land-locked harbor, the water level as a pond, broken only by tiny ripples where vagrant breaths and wisps of the storm hurtled down from over the frowning wall of rock that backed the beach a hundred feet inshore. Here were no seals whatever.


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The boat's stem touched the hard shingle. I sprang out, extending my hand to Maud. The next moment she was beside me. After Billings' Officer in Charge heard this group's clamor, he stood up and announced: I never understood the truth could be considered a character flaw in real life. Billings was assigned to "Detachment Lima," aboard the U. Bon Homme Richard, where he was about to find this vessel was officiated by an individual whose presence dictated a most difficult challenge.

His Officer in Charge was a complicated individual that suffered from a "Napoleonic Complex. This Officer simply could not control a helicopter and no one else in the group wanted to fly with him. When Billings warned the Officer in Charge of this, he was rudely rebuffed. As the reader will find out, this would ultimately result in tragic and fatal consequences. Prior to departing on his first tour in Vietnam, Billings was once again let down as he experienced the frustration of trying to escape when no one else wanted to from "Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape" training at Warner Springs,California.

The whole purpose of this school is not to get captured by one's enemy, and if that possibility occurred, to evade, resist and escape. He spent a frustrating week with a timid group of junior officers that let themselves get captured and wound up taking him along with them. Then, in mock POW camp, he was betrayed by these mercurial junior officers that first promised to help Billings escape, then hypocritically reneged as a result of being ordered by the erratic imprisoned Commander. Rescue of Streetcar Billings also alerts the reader of the following: Burials would become commonplace.

With the Bon Homme one day away from sailing into Hawaii, the detachment was informed that two destroyers had collided out at sea with casualties. Billings was ordered to fly his helicopter 78 miles to the damaged destroyers, pick up two of the wounded and them transport them via his "H2B Sea Sprite" to a hospital in Hawaii. The medevac went without a hitch. However, upon landing at the hospital, an ambulance driver carelessly shot up to Billing's Sea Sprite, almost colliding the ambulance with his helicopter's rotor blades.

Instinctively, Billings raised up the helicopter quickly to avoid this. Things would quickly get worse, as the author took off again and landed at a nearby refueling point, desperately needing fuel without which they wouldn't be able to fly seaward back to the destroyer to pick an additional casualty. When the guy running the fuel truck learned Billings didn't posses the right form he required for gas, he refused a refill.

Billings, packing a pistol with his face an inch away from the driver's nose, responded as follows: Billings would witness another four officers would lose their lives on the Bon Homme before the next calamity, the July 29, U. This tragedy would claim an additional sailors lives, and severely injure The description of the rescues Billings flew, as well as his recollection of the odor of burning flesh he was forced to inhale left an indelible mark on his senses and even today is a very hard read. This memoir includes Al Billings tour of with the Seawolves.

This took place during and after the most important incident of the Vietnam War, the "Tet Offensive. Eight days later, on January 30th, the North Vietnamese Army played their trump card. Viet Cong forces, in a desperate attempt to inspire the civilian population of South Vietnam to join them in their military efforts of overthrowing the South's government, unifying the country and forcing the withdrawal of U. Armed Forces, violated the previous day's agreed upon cease-fire. They were subordinate, yet part of the NVA in its ultimate goal of reuniting the two countries as one.

The previous week's battle at Khe Sanh was the curtain-raiser for the Tet Offensive of January 31, and was similar to the battle of "Dien Bien Phu" in which the Viet Minh now called the NVA had surrounded their enemy and cut off all land routes for supplies and evacuation. On January 31, the V.

With the focus on Hue and Saigon, the former, in the northern part of South Vietnam, was taken over by the V. This scene would later adversely affect American public opinion to the point of no return in regard to the desire to end the war.


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    6. According to the U. Secretary of Defense, Clark Clifford, the reaction of the U. Washington Post reporter Peter Braestrup belittled the General more by asking: Hollywood Al's staunchness and convictions saw him stand up to any Naval superior that acted towards his men or himself with impropriety regardless of the situation or consequences. The Tet Offensive had other deleterious consequences on the U.

    The negative coverage gave the citizenry of America the false impression that the U. In reality, the VC suffered such high casualties that they were no longer considered a fighting force and their ranks would have to be replaced for the rest of the war by NVA regulars. The civilian population of South Vietnam, for the most part indifferent to both the Northern and Southern regimes, did not as predicted join with the VC during the Tet Offensive. This was ignored by the American media, with the most conspicuous comment coming from Walter Cronkite, who declared on February 27, that: Cronkite's call for disengagement did influence the President, with Johnson lamenting: On national TV, millions of television viewers learned that LBJ now sought negotiations to end the war and would not run again for president.

    The North Vietnamese interpreted the U. Billings voiced his opinion that America had won the war on Vietnam's battlefields but lost it back home on the college campuses and city streets. The year of was the wrong year to pick up a false label Billings would never shake, with distrust of commanding officers in Vietnam and domestic upheaval at an all time high.

    Riots erupted nationwide, lasting for several days afterwards. On June 5th, U. In July, the CIA officially started their "Phoenix Program" in Vietnam, which ultimately killed 40, civilians between and mid and in late August, 10, antiwar group demonstrators clashed with 23, police at the Democratic Convention in Chicago.

    The results were ugly, with a horrified nation watching as bystanders and press were beaten by police officers in a melee depicting graphic police brutality. While America had gone mad, Al Billings flew missions, and Americans were hurt, taken prisoner and killed. Equal to this injustice was the branding of Al Billings as a "Maverick", which stifled his career.

    The very system that this author cherished closed it's doors to his advancement by a questionable fitness report. However, Al Billings next obstacle, the substandard medical care he received, and the collusion that he perceived was directed against him by the Orthopedics Department at Balboa Naval Hospital was a tragic injustice. It is a true affront to a dedicated man that gave his heart and soul to an institution he loved and revered, the Navy, and an intolerable outrage in terms of the disrespect this warrior was reciprocated with for his selfless contributions.

    In every single instance of his career, he persevered and rose above misfortune and adversity, and is able to translate his experiences for all to read. See all 45 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. Published 4 months ago. Published 7 months ago. Published 9 months ago. Published on August 24, Published on August 13, Published on January 3, Published on November 21, Published on October 3, Brought back memories of my experiences as Published on October 2, Published on September 14, Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.

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    With the focus on Hue and Saigon, the former, in the northern part of South Vietnam, was taken over by the V. This scene would later adversely affect American public opinion to the point of no return in regard to the desire to end the war. According to the U.

    Secretary of Defense, Clark Clifford, the reaction of the U. Washington Post reporter Peter Braestrup belittled the General more by asking: Hollywood Al's staunchness and convictions saw him stand up to any Naval superior that acted towards his men or himself with impropriety regardless of the situation or consequences.

    The Tet Offensive had other deleterious consequences on the U. The negative coverage gave the citizenry of America the false impression that the U. In reality, the VC suffered such high casualties that they were no longer considered a fighting force and their ranks would have to be replaced for the rest of the war by NVA regulars.

    The civilian population of South Vietnam, for the most part indifferent to both the Northern and Southern regimes, did not as predicted join with the VC during the Tet Offensive. This was ignored by the American media, with the most conspicuous comment coming from Walter Cronkite, who declared on February 27, that: Cronkite's call for disengagement did influence the President, with Johnson lamenting: On national TV, millions of television viewers learned that LBJ now sought negotiations to end the war and would not run again for president. The North Vietnamese interpreted the U.

    Billings voiced his opinion that America had won the war on Vietnam's battlefields but lost it back home on the college campuses and city streets. The year of was the wrong year to pick up a false label Billings would never shake, with distrust of commanding officers in Vietnam and domestic upheaval at an all time high.


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    Riots erupted nationwide, lasting for several days afterwards. On June 5th, U. In July, the CIA officially started their "Phoenix Program" in Vietnam, which ultimately killed 40, civilians between and mid and in late August, 10, antiwar group demonstrators clashed with 23, police at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. The results were ugly, with a horrified nation watching as bystanders and press were beaten by police officers in a melee depicting graphic police brutality. While America had gone mad, Al Billings flew missions, and Americans were hurt, taken prisoner and killed.

    Equal to this injustice was the branding of Al Billings as a "Maverick", which stifled his career. The very system that this author cherished closed it's doors to his advancement by a questionable fitness report.

    CHAPTER 28

    However, Al Billings next obstacle, the substandard medical care he received, and the collusion that he perceived was directed against him by the Orthopedics Department at Balboa Naval Hospital was a tragic injustice. It is a true affront to a dedicated man that gave his heart and soul to an institution he loved and revered, the Navy, and an intolerable outrage in terms of the disrespect this warrior was reciprocated with for his selfless contributions.

    In every single instance of his career, he persevered and rose above misfortune and adversity, and is able to translate his experiences for all to read. Jan 26, Curtis Taylor rated it really liked it Shelves: I greatly enjoyed read this book. Skipper Billings, then "L.

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    T", writes from his view of the pilot seat. He describes the view from what got him into the seat, what he had to do to stay in the seat, and then life after those powerful days of Vietnam. He may have worn the name of "Hollywood" from those he flew with during those trying times of war in HA L -3 but he I greatly enjoyed read this book. He may have worn the name of "Hollywood" from those he flew with during those trying times of war in HA L -3 but he earned the name of Skipper to those of us after his return.

    This is not just a great story of one man's battle against all odds but also a story about the Navy's first Combat Attack Helicopter squadron. Master Chief, signing out. Jack McCain rated it really liked it Jul 12, R0gue13 marked it as to-read Jul 09,