I'm Alive is the compelling diary of Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Errol F. Reilly, a 26-year-old Navy fighter pilot, written aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea during his first Vietnam combat cruise. In writing that is colorful, perceptive, and, at times, both humorous and heartbreaking, Reilly chronicles his daily experiences "living, playing, and fighting" within the context of the Navy's fledgling air war. Covering the period from December 1964 to October 1965, I'm Alive details an untested F-8 Crusader pilot's personal journey from "nugget" aviator to seasoned combat professional. Reilly's feelings quickly change from patriotic enthusiasm to frustrated disillusionment as he begins to experience the realities of Vietnam's deadly air warfare. His keen observations provide rare insights into the evolving strategies and tactics of the US Navy in Vietnam. In candid diary entries and excerpts from personal letters written over the course of 118 combat missions, the author describes how his squadron mate, Bob Shumaker, became one of the Vietnam conflict's earliest and most famous prisoners of war. Reilly also illuminates failed US attacks, such as the futile strikes against the unyielding North Vietnamese bridge at Thanh Hoa, and highlights joyful successes, like the harrowing, coordinated rescue of a downed naval aviator in the Gulf of Tonkin. Throughout I'm Alive Reilly's playful sense of humor shines, as in his comical descriptions of shipboard practical jokes and the antics of aviators while far away from the battle lines. Edited by his stepsons Kevin and Christopher Callahan, who provide historical introductions and explanatory notes to the diary entries, I'm Alive offers a bold, unfiltered narrative of the early stages of the Navy air war in Vietnam. It will appeal to enthusiasts and scholars of the Vietnam air war alike, and to anyone interested in fascinating personal accounts of friendship, war, and triumph over adversity.
Kevin Callahan served as an intelligence officer in the US Navy Reserves, completing a one-year tour in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, and retiring as a captain after a twenty-seven-year career. He was also an associate professor in the University of North Texas Department of Educational Psychology and the executive director of UNT's autism center. He lives in Pensacola, Florida, with his wife Darlene. Chris Callahan is a retired US Navy Reserve captain. He served as the commanding officer of VR-61 at NAS Whidbey Island and as the deputy air wing commander of the Fleet Logistics Support Wing, Fort Worth. Chris logged more than 220 combat hours flying EP-3E aircraft in support of Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm. He retired from United Airlines after thirty years and lives with his wife Cyndi in Ridgefield, Washington.
"Reilly's diary is unique, a significant addition to the historiography of the air war because he was present as it started. He flew with a lot of influential members of Naval Aviation; the story of 'Mugs' McKeown is pretty epic (a double MiG-killer during Operation Linebacker)."-Peter Fey, author of Bloody Sixteen: The USSOriskany and Air Wing 16 During the Vietnam War "For the family of F-8 pilots (or pilots in general) who served in the Vietnam War, I'm Alive is of great significance. It is a candid reflection of a F-8 pilot during the early years of the air war in Vietnam. It will appeal to the family of fighter pilots who flew in the war, Vietnam War veterans, and the casual Vietnam War reader."-Ronald B. Frankum Jr., author of Like Rolling Thunder: The Air War in Vietnam, 1964-1975 "Errol Reilly's diary entries and correspondence graphically reflect the challenges of flying and fighting in an unpopular, politically driven foreign war over some of the most heavily defended airspace in the history of aerial warfare. One bright spot for those of us who flew the F-8 in combat was the sheer joy of piloting the Crusader. I'm Alive is a compelling, brutally truthful and very informative read."-Dave Lorenzo, former fighter pilot and capt. USMC (ret.) "A great firsthand account of the air war during opening days in Vietnam. Hear, see, and smell the exhilarating life of naval aviation from the ready room to the Cubi O'Club. This pilot's eyewitness accounts record the good, the bad, and the ugly of difficult days and trying circumstances. Thanks for telling the story, 'Rile.'"-Pete Davenport, retired US Navy captain and A-6 Intruder pilot "On his first combat deployment to Southeast Asia, rookie Navy fighter pilot Lieutenant (junior grade) Errol Reilly recorded his experiences and personal thoughts in a journal that only just now is going public. Reilly's account takes the reader into his cockpit in the flak-filled skies over North Vietnam and aboard an aircraft carrier in the Tonkin Gulf. His candid observations do not pull any punches, describing his rapid evolution into a battle-hardened veteran during his eleven-month tour overseas. Reilly's stepsons, both retired US Navy captains, took on the task of organizing and editing their dad's journal and letters, preserving a priceless firsthand account of the brutal first months of the Vietnam air war-a conflict that claimed the lives of hundreds of his fellow airmen. Their conscientious hard work has produced an exceptionally well documented and accessible record of that controversial period."-Peter Adams Young, author of One Hundred Stingers: A Novel of the Air War Over the Ho Chi Minh Trail and former Navy A-6 Intruder bombardier/navigator
