If you are visiting this website you are either an Eagle driver, WSO’s or Eagle fan. Eagle Country promotes the Eagle Fighter community and heritage. The F-15 Eagle 104-0 is unmatched in it’s domain. Providing 47+ years of absolute Air Dominance, the Eagle community likewise has also produced some top personal account books. Kick ass stories that bring you right back into the cockpit, and lifelong lessons that can guide you in your day to day activities. If you are as interested in this as I am, you are definitely interested in the following absolute Must Reads.
Wingman at War
written by Matt “Boz” Beals
is a first-hand, earnest, exciting, and heartfelt journey into the cockpit and beyond of a talented young fighter pilot suddenly called into combat without prior notice or fanfare. Derived from a personal journal kept completely secret from the world until now, the author Matt “Boz” Beals, takes the reader on a flight of a lifetime as the youngest F-15C Eagle pilot flying combat in the Persian Gulf War.
Raw, unencumbered, and without agenda, this brand-new mission ready wingman tells the remarkable story of deploying, flying, fighting, and winning the air war over Iraq during OPERATION DESERT STORM. Detailed, real-time accounts of MiG kills, surface-to-air missile engagements, lethal anti-aircraft artillery, fiery explosions, harrowing airborne encounters, and near-death experiences in the skies over Iraq keep the reader engaged throughout. Mixed with a humor, refreshing exuberant honesty, and the perspective that only a 24-year-old fighter pilot can uniquely offer; Boz, the author, passionately brings to life the good, the bad, and the ugly of combat operations out of Incirlik Air Base, Turkey and OPERATION PROVEN FORCE as no other account previously has.
Victories won, mistakes made, lessons learned, heartaches endured, frustrations voiced, and celebrations had; nothing is off limits in this behind-the-scenes look at flying in the combined air superiority super squadron that affectionately became known as the “War Dogs.” Faith, teamwork, leadership, mentorship, and action galore are presented with clairvoyant historical perspective and epic life quotes that jump off the pages in this vibrant, in-the-moment account. The action is non-stop with something inside for every reader to thoroughly enjoy as if they were in the cockpit and beyond with “BOZ.”
There has never been a more accurate, first-hand account of the events that framed OPERATION PROVEN FORCE out of Incirlik AB, Turkey from pre-deployment to intense combat operations, to post war victory and re-deployment. Start to finish the action does not stop and who better to give perspective on it all than the lone fighter pilot Lieutenant the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron “Wolfhounds” called upon to join the fight in hostile skies over enemy territory – a WINGMAN AT WAR.
“Without a battle at hand a true warrior would surely die; therefore,
he must forever find a new war to wage.”
What are you waiting for Click on “Wingman at War” to order your copy now! Enjoy
Fighting Aardvarks and Eagles: Building a Multi-role Fighter Pilot One Mission at a Time
written by Terrance “Marco” McCaffrey
A unique insight into a young high-school graduate who moves to the USAF Academy and learns to be an Air Force officer and a pilot. It explores the development of a fighter pilot in the world’s best Air Force at the peak of its powers, flying missions in Operation DESERT STORM, followed by 10 years of deployments for Operation SOUTHERN WATCH over Iraq, and then living in the aftermath of 9-11 and the changing world of the Global War on Terror. It follows him as he discovers what is it like to serve in the USAF for a 30-year span that moved from the relative security of the Cold War to the insecurity created by vacuums of political power that continue today. The reader experiences a USAF career by riding along with the author and his family through 19 home moves all over the world, discovering what is it like to progress from combat pilot to leading major organizational change as the US military began to refocus in a new age of politics, fragile peace, and uncertain economic future.
Review written by Brigadier General Chad T. Manske:
An all-American story of a boy who would become a quintessential fighter pilot and combat hero! The memoir of “Marco” McCaffrey (you’ll have to read to learn how he got his call sign) is historical, compelling readable and humorous. From his birth on an Air Force base and hearing his first fighter jet engine, Marco would attend and graduate from the US Air Force Academy, and qualify in the F-111 where shortly thereafter he would fight in Operation Desert Storm and earn the Distinguished Flying Cross, go on to teach future fighter pilots fighter fundamentals, transition from an air-to-mud master to an air-to-air apprentice—then master. Other assignments would include staff, command and professional military education, as well as showcasing the love and growth of his family every step of the way. Sufficient descriptions for those who don’t speak military, aviation enthusiasts and others alike, will enjoy this memoir of a patriot who lived the American dream. Insider fact…Marco was a classmate of mine at Air Command & Staff College, and the School of Advanced Airpower Studies!
What are you waiting for Click on “Fighting Aardvarks and Eagles” to order your copy now! Enjoy
Call-Sign KLUSO: An American Fighter Pilot in Mr. Reagan’s Air Force
written by Rick “Kluso” Tollini
Eagle pilot Rick “Kluso” Tollini’s life has embodied childhood dreams and the reality of what the American experience could produce. In his memoir, Call Sign KLUSO, Rick puts the fraught minutes above the Iraqi desert that made him an ace into the context of a full life; exploring how he came to be flying a F-15C in Desert Storm, and how that day became a pivotal moment in his life.
Rick’s first experience of flying was in a Piper PA-18 over 1960s’ California as a small boy, and his love of flying through his teenage years was fostered by his pilot father, eventually blossoming into a decision to join the Air Force as a pilot in his late twenties. Having trained to fly jets he was assigned to fly the F-15 Eagle with the “Dirty Dozen,” the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron, at Kadena AB, Japan before returning Stateside to the 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron “The Gorillas.” Throughout training, Reagan’s fighter pilots expected to face the Soviet Union, but Rick’s first combat deployment was Desert Storm. He recounts the planning, the preparation, and the missions, the life of a fighter pilot in a combat zone and the reality of combat. Rick’s aerial victory was one of 16 accumulated by the Gorillas, the most by any squadron during Desert Storm.
Returning from the combat skies of Iraq, Rick continued a successful fulfilling Air Force career until, struggling to make sense of his life, he turned to Buddhism. His practice led him to leave the Air Force, to find a new vocation, and to finally come to terms with shooting down that MiG-25 Foxbat in the desert all those years before. Most importantly, he came to a deeper understanding of the importance of our shared humanity.
What are you waiting for Click on “Call-sign Kluso” to order your copy now! Enjoy
MISSION READY
INSIDE THE BEST FIGHTER SQUADRON OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE
written by Patrick “Red” van Dam
Mission Ready is a visual narrative about a world that’s not accessible to most of us. Until now. Documentary photographer and creative director Patrick van Dam gives us a realistic and uncensored insight into the “Best Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Air Force”. Through compelling images, he offers an insider perspective of the legendary 493rd Fighter Squadron’s daily operations. This is not Top Gun. This is better. This is real.
From 2016 to 2021, Van Dam was granted access to several restricted military airbases and experienced first-hand what it takes to be a fighter pilot during a training mission in an F-15 Eagle. His contemporary photography is never shy of demystifying a sometimes romanticized world, yet always with an aesthetic point of view.
The photographs are complemented by stories from prominent “Grim Reapers” like Gulf War veteran and three-time “MiG Killer” Col. (Ret.) Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez. The result is a gripping book about an organization with unspoken rules and principles that takes pride in its honor and bravery.
The 493rd Fighter Squadron, also known as the “Grim Reapers”, is a combat mission-ready squadron and provides air-to-air offensive and defensive support for the United States and NATO operations. It is part of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), located at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom. The 493rd was the last squadron in Europe flying the F-15 Eagle. Since 1994, they have conducted air superiority missions in the Balkans, Middle East, and Baltics. Since 1994, the 493rd has been awarded the coveted Raytheon Trophy for being the top Air Superiority Squadron of the U.S. Air Force, no less than six times. A unique and unconquered achievement.
In 2022, the squadron transitioned to the new 5th-generation F-35A Lightning II, marking the end of an era for the presence of the F-15 Eagle in Europe.
What are you waiting for, get this unique book and click on “MISSION READY “ to order your copy now! Enjoy
F-15 Eagle Engaged: The world’s most successful jet fighter
written by Doug “Disco”Dildy and Steve Davis
With its twin tail, the F-15 Eagle is probably the most recognizable military jet fighter in the skies today, and is undoubtedly the most successful jet fighter of all time, having never been shot down in combat. Flown not only by the US Air Force but by the air forces of Israel, Saudi Arabi and even Japan, and, with almost 30 years service, the F-15 is the world’s leading operational air superiority and interceptor.
Steve Davies and Doug Dildy draw on a vast array of sources including combat records, technical documents, and unpublished first-hand accounts from the pilots themselves to tell the story of this amazing plane, detailing such incredible feats as the Israeli F-15 which was successfully landed despite losing a wing. Containing over 100 breathtaking color photographs and comprising detailed technical information, this definitive history and guide to the world’s most successful jet fighter is a “must have” for anyone interested in modern aviation.
Click on “F-15 Eagle Engaged” to order your copy now! Enjoy
Strike Eagle: Flying the F-15E in the Gulf War.
written by William L. Smallwood
great acount of the 335th TFS and 336 TFS Strike Eagle pilots and Wso’s deploying the brand new F-15E Strike Eagle into Desert Shield, and Desert Storm. Taking readers into the cockpit of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15E, the pilot-author of Warthog: Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War recounts the all-too-human experiences of war in the skies over Baghdad.
Click on “Strike Eagle” to order your copy now! Enjoy
Skybreak: The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm
written by Mike Guardia
The top MiG-killers of Operation Desert Storm.
August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapsed under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military led a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm—a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear were the men of the US Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron.
Mounted aboard their F-15C fighter jets, these young aviators took to the sky against the Iraqi Air Force. Although confident in their capabilities, these untested American pilots were flying into combat against the latest-and-greatest of Soviet-built aircraft – including the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum.’
Despite the odds, however, the men of the 58th Fighter Squadron decimated the Iraqi Air Force in one engagement after another. On the first day of the air war (January 17, 1991), Captain Jon “JB” Kelk claimed the first aerial victory of Desert Storm, downing a MiG-29 in combat. In less than 30 days, the 58th Fighter Squadron flew more than 1,600 combat sorties and destroyed 16 Iraqi aircraft – more than any other coalition air unit.
Based on hours of interviews and archival research by author Mike Guardia, this book reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern aerial combat…as told by the men who lived it.
Skybreak is their story.
What are you waiting for Click on “Skybreak” to order your copy now! Enjoy
USAF F-15 Eagles: Units, Colors and Markings
written by on Logan
After forty-five years of service with the USAF, the F-15 is still the most effective air superiority fighter in the world today. In addition, the F-15E Strike Eagle has taken over the F-111’s role as the USAF’s Strike Fighter. This book chronicles, with over 750 color photos, the story of the F-15A, B, C, D, and E. The book includes F-15 program history, prototype and operational aircraft paint schemes, and unit markings of all USAF and Air National Guard units operating the F-15.
A section on USAF F-15 MiG killers in both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, with photos of all USAF F-15 MiG killers, is included. Over 130 colorful official and unofficial unit patches involving the F-15 are included. The book also includes a description of the aircraft, its systems, and weapons.
Click on “USAF F-15 Eagles” to order your copy now! Enjoy!
Debrief a Complete History of U.S. Aerial Engagements – 1981 to the Present
written by Craig “Quizmo” Brown
Every engagement that has resulted in an official ‘kill’ by all U.S. forces since the end of the Vietnam conflict is chronicled in this book. Not only is this the only complete work on the subject, but almost every one of the fifty-six accounts are told by the pilots involved. These engagements involve F-14s, F-15Cs, F-15Es, F-16s, F/A-18s, and A-10s. Many of these stories have never been told outside of classified reports, and many of the photos have never been previously published.
Debrief is the first book from author and former USAF fighter pilot Craig Quizmo Brown. The foreword is by USAF Ace and legend BGen Robin Olds.
Click on “Debrief a Complete history” to order your copy now! Enjoy!