The Nickel-Dime Book

Nickel-Dime Book This work began in 1966 when I was a young Navy lieutenant fighter pilot in a squadron conducting combat operations from Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf during the Vietnam War. I made a conscious decision over Christmas of 1965 to make a detailed daily diary of everything that happened to me, the thoughts I had, and the experiences of others that I thought were interesting. That diary was derisively named by my roommate who objected to the lights being left on while I was carefully writing my entries as the Damned Nickel-Dime Book, now shortened to simply the Nickel-Dime Book. The book is not a factual account. I have tried to use the technique of telling a story with fictional characters that yields an understanding on the part of the reader of what it was like to be a fighter pilot at sea during that controversial part of our nations history. The protagonist is Navy lieutenant Tom Farrell, call sign Hawk. Although I was of the same rank, and experienced the same events, I describe the relationship between me and the Hawk as, simply, I was never as good as the Hawk, nor was I ever as bad. I suspect that there are those who would agree with the first assertion and strongly argue the second. He becomes obsessed with glory as measured by the receipt of medals for valor in combat. He achieves those measures of success, but the cost is a loss of friends and, nearly, a breakup of his marriage. He is not a particularly courageous pilot; that was never determined. Oh, he clearly sought the dangerous missions and attacked targets with unnecessarily risky tactics, but that does not indicate courage. Courage belongs to the warrior who is himself absolutely terrified but carries out the mission to the best of his ability. If he is not terrified, perhaps he is…