In "Thunderchief" former USAF fighter pilot Don Henry chronicles the molding of a young fighter pilot, First Lieutenant Ashe Wilcox, into a mature warrior and leader flying the mighty F-105 from Takhli RTAFB, Thailand in the awful year of 1966. Ashe (who reminds me of real-life hero Karl Richter, a close personal friend of Henry) is mentored by a somewhat spooky former POW who only answers to the name "Hunter," and is a full-blooded American Indian, which makes the title of the book into not only a description, but a clever play on words.
I read the book straight through in one sitting, and enjoyed it immensely. Although fiction, many elements of fiction only serve to obscure specific people: there is no doubt that this book feels definitely authentic, and far better than most war fiction. I found the characters and situations encountered compelling and intriguing, and found the account of the aerial actions highly readable.
I only have a few quibbles with the book, all of which pale in comparison to the outstanding qualities the book has. I found the "Indian" references occasionally heavy-handed and pushing the limit of being believable. Clearly the Hunter character is central to the story, but some of his personality traits and behaviors seem like contrived plot points rather than natural and realistic characteristics of a true warrior and fighter pilot. I found the conclusion to be predictable, even though it was well written: the foreshadowing was unmistakable since the first time the subject of Hunter's obsession with the Doumer bridge was brought up very early in the story. Having said that, the character of Hunter serves as a model for Ashe and in that role is very effective. I especially found the Epilogue to be an ingenious method of revealing an intriguing conclusion: Henry clearly crafted the last two pages very carefully, and he got them exactly right.
Although I have to admit that I would have preferred a similar book of historical nonfiction from Henry (the Broughton and Rasimus books are my favorite books on war ever written, perhaps my favorites of all time) this is an excellent and exciting book, and I recommend it without reservations.
