Combat pilot's confession of hypocrisy Bayshore Courier News Posted:10/30/09
Click on picture to Zoom
On Saturday, November 7, 2009, at 1:00 PM, the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will host a lecture by Vietnam Veteran Brian Settles, about his book, No Reason for Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot's Confession of Hypocrisy, Infidelity, and War. Settles' book tells the story of his experiences as an Air Force F4 pilot in Vietnam and the life experiences that drove his desire to excel. This program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, NJ. Light refreshments will be served.
Settles, a retired airline pilot and teacher, graduated from Ball State University, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force in August 1966. He was assigned to Vietnam in August 1968 as a co-pilot in the F4 Phantom jet fighter bomber as part of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, the Gunfighters, stationed in Danang. Their operating theater was from the DMZ to south of Plieku and occasionally they crossed the border into Laos to attack targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Typically, missions were flown against enemy troop movements; bunker complexes and jungle supply storage depots. Settles found the most rewarding missions were the 12-hour alert shifts waiting for a call to action. The mixed ordinance loaded on his aircraft would handle any mission that they might be called upon to complete. Settles completed 199 combat missions. Upon returning to the United States, he completed his military obligation as a refueling tanker pilot.
Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP to (732) 335-0033. A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested. The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM. Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free.
