This book portrays the life and work of John Boyd who is known as the greatest American fighter pilot.  He served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  John helped to develop the concept of energy maneuvering which has been used to make fighter jets for at least thirty years.  However, John Boyd had many problems in his personal life.  He was abusive to his family and rude to co-workers who did not believe in his ideas.  He was known as an eccentric.  After Boyd was no longer a fighter pilot, he made a career of challenging the bureaucracy of the Pentagon and developed many enemies.   One of his greatest theories was developed after his retirement.  John Boyd developed a theory of combat.  According to Dick Cheney, this theory was very instrumental for America's swift victory in the Gulf War.  The book also details the concept of many of the other theories that John Boyd invented.

Robert Coram does an excellent job writing this book.  His details of John Boyd portray him as an interesting and colorful character.  It is obvious that the author spent a great deal of time doing research for this book.  The sad part is that John Boyd was one of the most important men in the military but he and his record are not well known to others.  After reading this book, the readers will now be aware as to whom John Boyd was and the important accomplishments he made to America's history.  This is a must read book.


NANCY EATON

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, NANCY EATON