Rupert Red Two: A Fighter Pilot's Life from Thunderbolts to Thunderchiefs

A full colonel, Broughton chronicles his 30-year career from his 1945 graduation from West Point as an Army Air Corps Officer through his transition to the newly-established U.S. Air Force in 1947, through years of service including in the Vietnam conflict. A man who loved being a pilot more than climbing the ranks, Broughton's voice has integrity and heart to spare. Primarily, he writes about the aircraft he was assigned to fly (he flew virtually every fighter in the inventory) and the missions of each posting. But he also writes vividly about the transient, near-nomadic lifestyle a post-WWII military career could become (he and his family made three coast-to-coast moves in 15 months). Touched with humor and loss and the frustrations of military life under a growing bureaucracy, Broughton's tour brings to life what was probably the most exciting time in history to be an Air Force pilot.