First-time author Gary Hook has just published One Day in Vietnam: The True Story of an Army Bird Dog Pilot (iUniverse.com, 273 pp., $14.95). The book tells the life story of the author's cousin, Army Lt. Lloyd Rugge, a Silver Star-decorated "Bird Dog" reconnaissance pilot killed in action in Vietnam in 1967. One Day in Vietnam is a gripping look at air combat in Vietnam as well as a moving record of the author's search to discover the man he never knew.
Gary Hook, a Pleasant Hill, California lawyer with a consuming interest in American history, began writing One Day in Vietnam after visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Says the author, "I realized that as much as I had studied the American past, I knew essentially nothing about a member of my own extended family who had given his life in the most controversial foreign war in our country's history. At first, I simply set out to find the man behind the name on the Wall. But I also found an incredible story about a rare breed of military pilot. The Bird Dogs deserve greater recognition, and I hope that One Day in Vietnam will serve to enhance public appreciation of their efforts and sacrifices."
Based on extensive research of government records, family correspondence, interviews with Bird Dog pilots, Marine Corps infantry, Green Berets and aviation experts, One Day in Vietnam is a realistic look at a little-known aspect of the air war in Southeast Asia. It is also a poignant story about a young Army officer with a deep faith in America's noblest ideals, an officer prepared to sacrifice everything to achieve his mission.
One Day in Vietnam is published by Writer's Showcase, presented by Writer's Digest magazine, an imprint of iUniverse.com. It is available for $14.95 at www.iuniverse.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. The author can be reached at hook@dellnet.com.
October 2000
The book is avaliable through the internet at the following sites: