Author(s): Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Military History

On August 2, 1964, USS Maddox became embroiled in the infamous Gulf of Tonkin Incident that led directly to America's increased involvement in the Vietnam War. Having served as a 20-year-old member of Commander Patrol Forces Seventh Fleet which had operational control over Maddox and Turner Joy, author Tom Cleaver uses his wealth of personal experience to recount the story of the US Navy's air war over Vietnam. His interviews of both US naval aviators and VPAF pilots, coupled with access to official Vietnamese accounts of the war, bring this comprehensive and personal account of US intervention into Vietnam vividly to life.