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MWSA Review
In their book, 100 Days in Vietnam, Joseph and Matthew Tallon give us an in-depth look into the life of a true survivor and patriot. Lt Col Joseph F. Tallon served as a Mohawk pilot with the US Army in Vietnam in the waning days of that long war. As the conflict was nearing its end, enemy fire struck Joseph's airplane just after takeoff, causing it to crash before he could return it to the runway. The crash killed his crew member and left Joseph with severe injuries and burns all over his body. The book provides us sufficient background to know Joseph before the crash and to understand that his love for his new bride gave him the strength to hang on and the will to survive. Months of medical treatment took him from Vietnam, to the Philippines, and ultimately to the burn center at Lackland AFB, Texas. Despite the injury and medical discharge from the Army, his desire to serve enabled him to retain his commission in the Reserves until he retired years later. Matthew, Joseph's son, must be given credit for working with his father and getting the many letters, notes, diary entries, etc. finally organized in a fashion to be made into this book, along with making a number of observations of his own. I enjoyed reading this book and my hat's off to Joseph.
Review by Bob Doerr (July 2021)
Author's Synopsis
As American troops continue their steady exodus on the last day of their ground war in Vietnam, Lieutenant Joe Tallon is shot down by an enemy missile. Forced to eject at a dangerously low altitude from their OV-1 Mohawk, Joe and his tactical observer, Specialist-5 Daniel Richards, land in the flaming wreckage. Lieutenant Tallon survives but Specialist Richards does not. Stateside, Lieutenant Tallon begins to heal and proceed with his life—but the loss of his tactical observer is never far from his mind. Forty years later, Joe embarks on a quest to bring recognition to the sacrifice of Daniel Richards and secure a Purple Heart for his family.
Painstakingly recreated from wartime letters and remembrances and contextualized by contemporary news accounts, 100 Days in Vietnam is a collaboration between Joe and his son Matt—also an Army veteran. Here we experience the war through the emotions of the man who survived it: the drudgery and monotony of airfield life, the heartache of a newlywed missing his wife, the terror of combat missions, the agony of injury and rehabilitation, and the bittersweet relief from the completion of his final mission to bring recognition to his fallen comrade.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-64663-255-8, 978-1-64663-257-2, 978-1-64663-256-5
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 321