Operation Thunderhead: The True Story of Vietnam's Final POW Rescue Mission--and the last Navy Seal Kil led in Country

Don't pass this book up. It focuses mostly on the prison life of one particular downed US pilot but from that personal story the reader gets a fantastic overview of life in VC and North Vietnam POW camps. Details don't paint a pretty picture. The book also details numerous escape attempts and of course, the consequences that befell POWs whenever one was attempted.It was a big deal to free POWs and at the end of the war a huge mission was put together to attempt to facilitate a rescue of two POWs, The mission was named Operation Thunderhead. One Navy SEAL died in the failed attempt. Great book. Fascinating story. Let's never forget the POWs and the sacrifices they made.And just as importantly.............our political leaders of that day with all their rules of engagement and the bad decisions they made for political reasons............. just realize that when you visit "The Wall" in DC many of those names are up there because our dearly departed leaders were never leaders at all. What is it that's said regarding those who forget the lessons of history?

It would have been nice if Mr. Dockery had cited and credited his sources, references, and information used in researching and writing his chapters on Operation Thunderhead ... including the authoritative 4,500-word-plus article "Spence Dry: A SEAL's Story" that I co-authored with former SEAL Capt. Mike Slattery that was published in the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings magazine in July 2005. It appears Dockery may have drawn on our writing a number of times. Also, the supposed citation for LT Dry's posthumous Bronze Star Medal that Dockery cites at the end of chapter 29 is baloney. It is NOT the citation that Secretary of the Navy Winters signed on 26 October 2007. Capt Gordon I Peterson, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Incredible. A must read if you like military/war/history and the human spirit to thrive, survive, and the will to fight and rebel injustice in the worst of circumstances.

I bought this out of the blocks because I am interested in everything POW. But the title and write up implies something more than I experienced with the read. I guess I dont want to give away the ending but its like almost having sex. My hats off to the brave Seals who made this gallant effort but certainly not what I expected in the writing. The story was slow and more documentary than I would have thought.

One should never have to go through what these men had to go through. It was a fast paced read, always leading up to the next chapter.

I was spellbound through the whole story. It felt like I was right there and it was leading up to something HUGE the whole time. Then it just ended! I felt cheated at the end. But I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre, it was a great true story of some real American Heros!

This book should make everyone so ashamed of the way our people treated our returning Vietnam Vets and POW's. Hopefully, it will earn the respect for them that they deserve. Great read, but I am a tender heart, so have the Kleenex ready.

Well written. Easy to follow. Realistically displays every aspect of the POW suffering and despair. Great book for military personnel.

Very little Thunder here...Mostly a tale of POW Vietnam. The operation occupied 50 pages towards the end of the tale. I expected more SEAL work and adventures, perhaps too little info to write about?MM

I didn't finish reading it a poor read