Buck Wyndham - Hogs in the Sand A Gulf War A-10 Pilot’s Combat Journal

Praise for

Hogs in the Sand

Every air war produces one truly memorable book. Buck Wyndhams is the one for Desert Storm. Remarkably insightful and surprisingly frank, Wyndham puts his reader in the mind of an A-10 pilot preparing for and then fighting in Operation Desert Storm, the first modern air war that transformed the use and employment of air power. This is very much an airmans book: Wyndhams war was up close and personal, and he writes with a passion and clarity that will long remain with his readers. This is a book that takes its place besides such classics as Johnny Johnsons Wing Leader and Jack Broughtons Thud Ridge --a classic not to be missed.

Dr. Richard P. Hallion

The Air Force Historian, 1992-2002

If you want to learn about Air Power, read this book. Youll get to experience, in a personal way, the highs and lows of pilots in aerial combat. This book thrusts you directly into the cockpit.

General Chuck Horner

Joint Forces Air Component Commander, Operation Desert Storm

The A-10 saved the most lives during Desert Storm of any weapons system employed. Bucks description of the war is interesting and riveting. His book permits one to understand the stress and horror of war. Bucks accomplishments, and those of his fellow A-10 pilots in Desert Storm, were singular!

Buster Glosson, Lt General USAF Ret.

3 AF commander and architect of the Desert Storm air war

Firepower, courage and camaraderie -- Bucks book has it all. It is rewarding, like the sweet sound of a Hogs thirty-millimeter Gatling gun hosing down bad guys.

John Borling, Major General USAF, Ret.

F-4 Fighter Pilot, former POW, and author of Taps on the Walls: Poems from the Hanoi Hilton

Hogs in the Sand will put you in the cockpit of the A-10. Buck Wyndhams masterpiece gives readers a perspective few will ever experience. The skills of a fighter pilot driven by a will to succeed on every combat mission make this memoir a must read!

Keith Rosey Rosenkranz

F-16 pilot and author of Vipers in the Storm

This is a deep, fascinating dive inside the mind of a fighter pilot who is not afraid to reveal the demons that sometime lurk there as he flies through perilous skies. His story is both timeless and well-constructed, and it stands in an echelon of its own among war stories.

James Teller

Former USAF pilot

I could not put this book down. Ive read a lot of military books, and been fortunate to fly fighters, and Bucks book brought back lots of memories. I cant recommend his story enough.

Bill Rusk

Former USAF fighter pilot

Hogs in the SAnd

A Gulf War A-10 Pilots Combat Journal

Buck Wyndham

VIRGINIA BEACH CAPE CHARLES

Hogs in the Sand

A Gulf War A-10 Pilots Combat Journal

By Buck Wyndham

Copyright 2020 Buck Wyndham

ISBN 978-1-64663-159-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

Words and Music by Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart

Copyright (c) 1977 Anthem Core Music Publishing

All Rights Administered by Anthem Entertainment

All Rights Reserved

Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC

Contact author Buck Wyndham at .

Published by

3705 Shore Drive

Virginia Beach, VA 23455

8004354811

www.koehlerbooks.com

For Sarah, and for the Vultures

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MY HUMBLE THANKS TO the late, great Greg Growth Wilson for his encouraging words as I contemplated turning my journal into this book. Thanks also for helping me become the best fighter pilot I could ever be.

Profound thanks to my seven combat Flight Leads who kept me alive during the war, and to Irish, Yankee, and Pepsi for successfully and honorably leading our squadron through the battle.

Thanks to Frank Dyke for your copyediting skills and friendship, and to my family for helping me keep my eyes on the horizon through the long process of getting this story out of a handwritten journal and onto the printed page.

Finally, Im eternally grateful to John Koehler, T. Campbell, and all the wonderful people at Koehler Books for their professionalism and support. You made a Hog fly.

AUTHOR ' S NOTE

WHEN I DECIDED TO keep a detailed wartime journal, my only goal was to document an extraordinary personal experience as it happened. When I began writing it, I didnt know what kind of experience I would be documenting, but I suspected it would be something quite out of the ordinary. Since this journal was originally supposed to be for my close friends and family only, I hope sensitive readers will forgive my occasional forays into hyperbole, fighter pilot slang, occasional curse words, mild sexism, and other grievous offenses. Military aviation, especially the fighter/attack community, tends to breed these traits as strengths.

Much of this book is adapted from my personal journal. Although I tried to be precise about times, dates, and sequences of events, each days entry was written after the fact, usually late at night (and sometimes, the next day). There are undoubtedly some minor factual errors or inconsistencies in my story. These reflect the uncertainties of the combat environment at the time. I hope they will not detract from the overall story.

A glossary of terms is located at the back of the book.

The names and callsigns of my squadron-mates, certain other key personnel, and some Special Ops teams have been changed to protect the privacy and security of former service-members in our modern world. My respect for them is undiminished by doing so. Their stories are at least as good as mineand in many cases, far, far better. They are warriors and brothers all.

Buck Wyndham

Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,

In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,

Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;

The noise of battle hurtled in the air,

Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan,

And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.

O, Caesar! These things are beyond all use,

And I do fear them.

William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar

INGRESS

THE JET FEELS STABLE and rock-solid at 330 knots. The A-10s control stick is very responsive at this speed, and I can command the slightest bank, climb, or dive with just a vague hint of pressure in my right hand. Stark, rocky ridges to our left and right act like a funnel, guiding our flight down into a wide valley. Its deep enough that the morning light has barely begun to penetrate it. Dark shadows hide the details of the peaks on our right.

Were low. Very low. The ground is rushing past, just a couple hundred feet underneath the belly of the plane. It takes most of my attention to fly this way. An uncorrected descent, caused by just a moments distraction, would result in a spectacular rolling fireball across the rocks and scrub vegetation that dot the valley floor. By regulation, Im actually a bit too low, but at least down here, were less likely to be seen on the enemys radar.

I manage to rationalize the low altitude on an entirely different level, too. Im having so much visceral fun, Im able to justify the guilty pleasure of continuing to do it for a while longer.