Call Sign Rustic: The Secret Air War over Cambodia,1970-1973
- Book Review,
by Richard Wood
Book Description
American army troops entered Cambodia in April of 1970. President Richard Nixon could not keep ground troops there beyond June 1970 without authorization from Congress, which was not forthcoming. He did not want to desert the anticommunist Lon Nol regime, so he ordered top-secret, round-the-clock air support over Cambodia, and the Rustics were born. This three-year mission was so secret--managed directly from the White House--that there are no official records of it. Richard Wood flew as one of the Rustics, a group of forward air controllers (FACs) who provided twenty-four-hour air support to the Cambodian ground commanders by flying low and slow over enemy positions. Wood bases his book on his own experiences and those of the other pilots and Cambodians who took part in the operation. He shows how the Cambodian fighting men welcomed the American pilots like they were the cavalry, and how the Rustics played a major part in the fight against the North Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge guerrilla forces. The Rustic pilots and their enlisted interpreters unequivocally expressed admiration for the courage and dedication of the Cambodian field troops, commanders, and radio operators. They were proud to support the Cambodians, and when all U.S. operations ceased in 1973, many of them were devastated at abandoning their friends. This covert air war ended on August 15, 1973; the Cambodian radio operators' calls for air support were no longer answered. The Rustics, while in action, played a major part in staving off both the North Vietnamese and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. The loss of American air support eventually contributed to the fall of Cambodia and the horribly dark period of Cambodia's history that will live in infamy as "the killing fields."
From the Author
The Birth of a Book CALL SIGN RUSTIC actually started at the first Rustic reunion in 1997. There, the Rustics learned that there was no official air force history of that operation. At the time it happened, it was so secret that no history was kept. Some of the Rustics, particularly the interpreters, had never received the decorations they had earned and never would if there was no record of what they did. The Rustics decided that a record would be created and recognition would be sought for those who had earned it, but never received it. Individual military records were searched and all known Rustics were urged to submit documents, maps, photographs and stories. Cambodians who had worked with the Rustics and were living in the United States were located and interviewed. The Air Attaché at the United States Embassy in Cambodia, 1971-1973, was located. The final manuscript was written to the standards of the Smithsonian Institution Press. That took about a year and it relied heavily on the advice and guidance of Mark Gatlin, Aviation, Space, and Military History Editor of Smithsonian Institution Press. Writing the book was an interesting experience for me. The Rustics existed for a little over three years, but I was only there for the first nine months of it. I was fascinated to learn all that had happened after I left. I hope you enjoy reading about this small and unrecorded bit of American history. It is one of the few positive stories to come out of the war in Southeast Asia.Richard Wood (Rustic 11)
About the Author
Richard Wood is a retired United States Air Force colonel, and has logged more than 6,000 hours flying military aircraft. His most recent book is Aviation Safety Programs: A Management Handbook (1996). He is a consultant specializing in aviation safety and lives in Snohomish, Washington
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