Flight Command. From The Farm To The Frontline

Cover Type: Softcover
Book Condition: Fine
Jacket Condition: None Issued
Publisher: Allen And Unwin
Publisher Place: Sydney
Publisher Year: 2014
Edition: First Edition

Description: 316 pages. Book appears to have hardly been read and is in Fine condition throughout. The Fascinating Story Of A Rural Boy Who Dared To Step Beyond The Farm Gate And Carve An Air Force Career That Would See Him Serve In Two Wars, And Major Peacekeeping And Disaster Operations.

Publishers Description: As a farm boy in western Victoria, John Oddie would watch RAAF jets pass overhead as he ploughed hay fields, wondering what it would be like to fly such a machine. 35 years laterhaving flown Hueys, Chinooks, Hercules, jets, and C-17s in a range of operationsJohn had risen to the rank of Air Commodore. Johns appointment as deputy commander of Aussie forces in the Middle East capped a remarkable career of service to Australia. Sadly, this honor also involved the heartbreaking duty of informing families of the deaths of their husbands and sons in Afghanistan, and overseeing departure ceremonies for the fallen soldiers. As well as covering the war in Afghanistan, this book provides an insiders account of being a combat pilot in the first Gulf War, a commander supporting peace in Bougainville, and security in Cambodia, and the often harrowing experience of being a first-response commander dealing with the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami in Indonesia. By turns heart-warming and poignant,this is the story of a farm boy who managed to carve an international career in the military that included service in two wars.

ISBN: 9781743319819