In his two separate tours in Vietnam, US Marine Corps pilot John Trotti was uniquely placed to see and experience the war in Vietnam from the war's early and optimistic days during his first tour, to the cynicism found in his second. Remarkably, Trotti is able to bring vividly alive the experience of being strapped into the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom jet and experience every aspect of a mission, from the adrenalin rush of combat to the emotional drama of nursing a badly-damaged fighter out of enemy territory and to safety.