Warriors at 500 Knots Overview:
As the ground war struggled for success in Vietnam, it became intensely clear that the skies had to be owned by the allies for victory to have a chance. It was the F-4 and its pilots that made that possible. The author, Dr. Robert Kirk a Phantom pilot himself, details intense stories of undaunted and valiant American pilots with their legendary fierce Phantom in 201 pages of this wonderfully presented hard copy book. These are personal stories of intrepid courage and self-sacrifice to get the mission done - whatever the cost. Fierce, unflinching battles to save friendlies and destroy a ruthless enemy are all recorded 40 years later. True tales of war at 500 knots.
Special Customer Note; Item Ships from a California warehouse individually and separately from the F-4 Store products location of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Author’s Biography:
Dr. Kirk lives in Southern California with his wife of 49 years, and their two Wire Fox Terriers. He has two grown sons and four wonderful grandchildren. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Biology. His teaching career was interrupted when he joined the Air Force. He was a Distinguished Graduate from Officer Training School and was offered the opportunity to attend pilot training. He attended basic flight training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.
Following pilot training he was assigned to F-4 training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona and George Air Force Base in California. He then attended three survival schools and in 1969 was assigned to the 480 TAC Fighter Squadron at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam. Three months later he moved with the 480th to Phu Cat Air Base.
During his tour he completed 197 combat missions in the F-4D and was awarded several medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross. After Vietnam he rotated back to the States and transitioned to the C-141 aircraft. He attended C-141 flight training in Oklahoma and was stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California. He flew the C-141 until he resigned from the Air Force in 1971.
The author completed his Ph.D. degree and has taught at the university and secondary school levels for over forty years. He is a commercial pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor. He enjoys private flying and owns a Mooney aircraft.
In April, 2011 he published Warriors at 500 Knots. The book describes his experiences flying the F-4D in Vietnam. The book is a collection of 14 short stories about the missions that he flew in Vietnam. It honors all veterans but particularly Vietnam veterans who had such a hard time “coming home.”