Mayday: A Saga of the Big Mothers

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Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Six had been in existence for a decade when it was thrust in the front lines of the Vietnam War. Its crews had been trained in the locating and tracking of Soviet submarines. However, the North Vietnamese did not possess a submarine capability. A combat search and rescue service was needed. As the war increased in intensity and scope-and with the fast attack aircraft being lost to increasing North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire-it became a high priority to return those pilots to service that could be rescued. Enter Helicopter Anti-Submarine Six, or HS-6 in Navy abbreviation. Its sonarmen were given a cursory four-hour familiarization course on the M-60 machine gun and the rest of the needed learning would happen on the battlefield as "on-the-job training" and a literal trial-by-fire. Author JW Jones joined HS-6 a month prior to their joining the Air Group aboard the USS Kearsarge and its deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin. Using his personal experience, Jones recounts stories of heart-breaking loss and unfettered hope amid the brutality of war. MAYDAY, taking its name from the pilots' call indicating trouble, chronicles the rescues this squadron performed, the problems they faced, and the losses incurred. It is the story of selfless sacrifice in the face of overwhelming adversity; the story of ordinary Americans performing extraordinary feats to bring their fellow Americans home.