Purpose of the club – Review books about American and other Jews who have made significant contributions to military history as well as books on Jewish military history.
This book club is a project of the Jewish War Veterans Post 256 Patriotism Committee.
October’s book – Triumphant Warrior by Pete Shay
In Vietnam, barely a month after the start of the Tet Offensive in 1968, one such proud United States Navy flyer applied the fundamental but sometimes forgotten maxims expressed in this creed. And he dared to risk not only his naval career, but the lives of his fellow aircrewmen in rescuing a wounded U.S. Army advisor whose time had nearly run out and whose loss of blood meant that he was only moments away from certain battlefield death.
The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Allen E. “Wes” Weseleskey, had been assigned to the Navy’s Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron Three, the “Seawolves” at the Vinh Long Army Airfield. His controversial mission took place on March 9, 1968 on the outskirts of Sadec, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Two ARVN companies were being overwhelmed and despite coming under heavy fire, Weseleskey decided to go in and rescue as many survivors as possible. The accompanying Seawolf is forced to turn back after taking hits, but Weseleskey with the agreement of his crew persisted in the attempt, flying so low under the tree line that the VC rocket launchers were unable to reach it. On reaching base, it was observed that the overladen helicopter “looked like it had been used as a battering ram.”
Moderator’s note: The mission for which Weseleskey was almost court-martialed is the one in which one of our own, Jack Jacobs received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Jacobs was the U.S. Army advisor to the Vietnamese units and was severely wounded.
Club moderator
Marc Liebman, a retired Navy Captain and Naval Aviator who is a Vietnam and Desert Storm combat veteran. He is the author of nine successful novels, four of which were Amazon #1 Best Sellers. He is an amateur historian who has been writing and lecturing about American Jews who have made significant contributions to American Military History.
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