JD Wetterling
F-100D Super Sabre flown in 268 combat missions in Vietnam by JDW
“We used to joke about the psychiatric term for a passionate love affair with inanimate flying objects—we flew F-100’s—and we marveled at the thought that the taxpayers actually paid us to do this “work.” We were not draftees, but college graduates there [Vietnam] by choice, opting for the cramped confines of a jet fighter cockpit over the comfort of corporate America. In all my life I’ve not been so passionate about any other work. If that sounds like an exaggeration, then you’ve never danced the wild blue with a supersonic angel.” (JDW in The Wall Street Journal)
"That swept-winged seraph just seemed more responsive at night. The cramped cockpit was cozier, with the warm red glow of the instrument panel, the smell of burnt hydraulic fluid and the muffled whine of spinning turbine blades deep in her belly. When they slipped the surly bonds, man and machine were one, dancing in and out of the dark with devastating effect.” (JDW in the Los Angeles Times) “There it was again—that boot in the butt as the afterburner kicked in on take-off roll—and another chapter of life in the fast lane began. Four Super Sabres took off on Runway 21 in five second intervals, pointed inland. They turned right after take-off, fanned out across the rice paddies of that beautiful valley by the sea and began the climbing join-up on the lead plane. The sun was just coming up. It felt great to be alive and airborne.” (JDW in SON OF THUNDER) 
Distinguished Flying Cross presentation to JDW.
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SON OF THUNDER [Revised edition (Nov. 2010) for ebooks]
Duty. Honor. My country, right or wrong, drives the young fighter pilots of Dusty Squadron, from flack in the face above the A Shau Valley to napalm in the jungle to midnight gunfights over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Top Gun F-100 pilot John Ellsworth, the impetuous Son of Thunder, is the most zealous of the lot, and he pays dearly. A story of redemption in a war that changed the American culture. Ebook is a 2010 revised edition of the hardcover book.
ENDORSEMENTS:
Son of Thunder is one of the finest Vietnam-era fighter pilot stories I have ever read. Once I started it I could not put it down. While the book is fiction based on actual experience, after a few pages any thoughts of fiction were gone. I thought I was back in Southeast Asia again myself. The central character, Lt. John Ellsworth, is an F-100 pilot flying out of Tuy Hoa, RVN, in 1968-9. JD relates all of Lt. Ellsworth's experiences, thoughts and emotions like no else ever has. Having flown as a Lieutenant in Vietnam myself, I can tell you he is right on the money--from letting ego get in the way of good judgment to the forming of idols out of crusty old Majors and Lt. Colonels who were our commanders. If you ever flew in combat, you can relate one of JD's characters to someone you knew. The "language of warriors" has been softened somewhat so this is a perfect book to let your grown children read to help them understand what it was like flying in combat in Vietnam. I highly recommend Son of Thunder. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Steve Miller, Editor, Mig Sweep (Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association) Son of Thunder "…makes the reader feel like he is in the cockpit of a virtual reality simulator…. If you like the movie "Top Gun," you will surely enjoy this book. …a story of ego, gripping fear and adrenaline rushes…. It explores…the human relationship where the power of love fights to prevail. …a lasting tribute…." Sarasota Herald-Tribune Son of Thunder "…reads like a Grisham novel. It can't be improved on in movie format, so don't wait." Siesta Key Pelican Son of Thunder "…captures the essence of a fighter pilot in combat…a charming love story…a subtle analysis of a war that went bad…told just about as well as it can be told. I enjoyed it immensely. The Longboat Observer "Though (Son of Thunder is) written as a novel, it is a true mirror of those turbulent times. The story is fast paced and had to put down, as Wetterling's writing about flying is breathlessly real. Veterans will sweat while the rest of us will be given a vivid image of what it must have been like. The only thing missing is the oxygen mask." Flight Journal "…graphic…" The Bradenton Herald "JD Wetterling captures the (Vietnam) experience better than anyone I've read or heard." Gen. Ron Fogleman, former Chief of Staff, USAF "…captures the essence of a fighter pilot in combat… a charming love story…a subtle analysis of a war that went bad…told just about as well as it can be told." Lt. Gen. James Edmundson (USAF, Ret.) "SON OF THUNDER--Sierra Hotel." Maj. Gen. Ken Miles, (USAF, Ret.) "I recently purchased SON OF THUNDER from Amazon.com and was most thoroughly pleased with the book. I must in all honesty praise your writing skills and how vividly you have described events. Your book is thoroughly readable and I found myself unable to put it down until I had perused it. Congratulations! Maj. Gen. Muhammad Rahimullah (Afghan Air Force, Ret.) "Reading his emotional and exhilarating account was like living it again." Brig. Gen. Tom Wittman, (NM ANG, Ret.) "I felt like I should have been wearing a G-suit…. Thanks for writing SON OF THUNDER." Brig. Gen. Lon Walter (USAF, Ret.) "SON OF THUNDER is one of the finest Vietnam-era fighter pilot stories I have ever read." Lt. Col. Steve Miller (USAF, Ret.) "Read SON OF THUNDER and understand what it was really like." Lt. Col. Mark Berent (USAF, Ret.), Best-selling author "You owe me a full night's sleep." Col. "Hawk" Moll, (USAF, Ret.) "It's the first book that ever made me sweat…and I've been there, done that." Joe Vincent (former USAF fighter pilot) "The guy with the Right stuff tells the Right kind of story. If only he'd been in the right service." Carl Stattin (former Navy fighter pilot) "I couldn't put the book down. Wonderful…." Don Castleman (former fighter pilot) "I'm personally aware of JD's abilities as a fighter pilot, but his skill as a writer is equally impressive." Col. "Herk" Herculson (USAF, Ret.) "…spellbinding!" Col. Win Reither (USAF, Ret.) "It is without doubt one of the best aviation based novels I have read (and I have read a few!).... It ranks as one of the aviation greats in my opinion. You have captured the exhilaration and horror of flying combat as well as encompassing the sheer beauty of flight that all pilots feel." Lt. Cdr. Kevin Potts, (Royal Navy (UK) pilot, Desert Storm Veteran) Son of Thunder is great. The story is right on the mark and the writing is superb. It's a must read for any and all Vietnam fighter jocks. If anyone wants to know what it was like to be an F-100 fighter jock in combat, this tells it like it was.... Get the book--read it! Dick Rutan, Aviation Pioneer Son of Thunder is the catharsis for the Vietnam fighter pilot, this era’s sequel to Red Badge of Courage, War and Remembrance and Winds of War. JD Wetterling has captured the sentiment, interaction and parameters more exacting than if one were actually serving a tour and flying each mission. If you ever flew missions like the F-100 pilots and others did, you know that in order to function you had to suppress the human emotional content so deeply that it might never resurface again in one’s lifetime—unless you experience Wetterling's vivid story, Son of Thunder. This is a Steven Spielberg, Ken Burns, Oliver Stone level undertaking; I wonder who will obtain the movie rights? Stewart Gable (Col. USAF, Ret.) I just finished your book- I couldn't put it down. I relived my F-100 flying days and reviewed several midnight movies last night. Wonderful book--you have a great future as a writer. Don Castleman, Patriot, Fighter Pilot. Payson, AZ. Once you start Son of Thunder, I guarantee you will not be able to put it down. It's an ambush, a gripping and suspenseful account of raw nerve, courage, survival, vulnerability and love—an historical, military thriller that is at the same time a classic love story. Theresa Stefanidis, Literary Agent, The Stefanidis Agency |
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