While I was in the Air Force during Desert Shield, Desert Storm and some of the follow-on actions, I never got close to the action (I did long-range research). Although I went to as many of the classified briefings (a bit more graphic than CNN) about air war progress as I could, there was no way to convey the enormity of the task that Gen. Horner was given. More than anything, this book gave me much insight into the "other" Air Force that I rarely saw: the combat units.
I have a much better appreciation now for what the folks in those positions faced, and why the majority of generals MUST be pilots. I am still amazed that the coalition Air Forces maintained the pace they did for so long.
One things I had hoped for, and missed, was some serious comment on the real Patriot intercept rate and more information on all the rumors we heard about incredible stories of shot-up aircraft returning to their bases, having survived much more than their designers expected them to.
Though the high-level activities and maneuverings were very interesting, I was most interested in his recountings of actual bits of the war itself, at the pilot level. In the end, I lost a lot of respect for Gen. Schwarzkopf (sp?) and his ego regarding ground force targetting, but I gained admiration for our fighting air forces.
A very good read for Air Force and Gulf War afficianados.
