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Stormjammers: The Extraordinary Story Of Electronic Warfare Operations In The Gulf War | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Stanek
Publisher: Reagent Press
Category: Book
List Price: $32.95
Buy New: $29.88
You Save: $3.07 (9%)
New (17) Used (7) from $29.88
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 2022013
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 365
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 1575450844
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9781575450841
ASIN: 1575450844
Publication Date: June 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New American book. Printed on demand and shipped within the US in 4-7 days (expedited) or about 10-14 days (standard). Standard can occasionally be slower so we advise using expedited if quicker delivery is important!
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Product Description
When the U.S. went to war in Iraq during the first Gulf War, Robert Stanek was there. He lived and breathed combat from the opening days of the war to its end and beyond. In this book, this bestselling author chronicles the military life, his experiences in the war with vivid accounts of combat training before the war, reflections on life, family, duty, honor, and love, and remembrances of combat missions into the heart of Baghdad. Candid and fast-paced like the best combat memoirs, Stanek focuses on the men and women he flew with, telling their stories as well as his own and creating what is ultimately an inspiring and uplifting story of the human spirit challenged by the agony and terror of war. Based on the inspiring true story, this is the only book about electronic warfare operations in Iraq written by a military flyer who was there. Robert Stanek's experiences in the Gulf War changed his life and helped drive his successful career as a writer and entrepreneur. To date, he has written and had published over 50 books. His books are sold all over the world and have been translated into many languages. His distinguished accomplishments during the Gulf War earned him nine medals, including our nation s highest flying honor, the Distinguished Flying Cross.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
An up-close and personal view of life as a military flyer June 14, 2006
Dale Wagner (Albuquerque, NM USA)
31 out of 36 found this review helpful
Stormjammers is a first-person story about a young military flyer who heads off to uncertainty in the war in Iraq. Robert Stanek, a combat flyer in the Air Force, has created a detailed chronicle of his journey as a military flyer from the summer of 1990 (during the build up in Iraq) to the end of the war and beyond. It is his story, well cataloged and genuine.
There is raw honesty throughout this book. It says much about the man, Robert Stanek. It tells about the Air Force. It describes the anguish, anxiety, thrill and sense of conquest that take place in any war as seen through the eyes of one who is fighting the fight.
This book is deeply personal, thoughtfully self-reflective. Stanek isn't embarrassed to reveal frequent self analyzing or periodic self doubt. It is clear from this story about one's personal journey through war that Stanek is not afraid to openly describe his anxieties, fears, and self questioning.
In some respects Stormjammers demythologizes electronic warfare, somewhat piercing the veil of secrecy. Yet, in doing so Stanek makes combat flyers more real, more human without detracting from the sense of majesty: planes taking flight, planes in the air, planes in action.
In other respects Stormjammers is about one man's journey through the agony of war. War has many faces and many types of struggles, this journey is shared with other men and women for whom Stanek has great admiration, care, and concern.
The details laid out on this journey are elaborate, often demanding the reader's fullest attention. Things often move fast, and one has to pay careful attention so as not to lose the gist of what is taking place or what has taken place. The frenzy at times makes one feel like they're right in the middle of the combat.
This book reveals courage, commitment, duty and honor in the worst of circumstances. I came away from this book wondering to myself if I could have done it. I'd like to think I could.
Duty and Honor September 15, 2006
D. Scott
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
I listened to this book in audio first, and I liked it so much I bought the printed book too. Stormjammers is a bitingly honest assessment of Stanek's experiences during first Gulf War. The prose is clear, candid, and vivid and provides a gut-wrenching, hands-sweating, feel for life as a military flyer and what it's like to engage in aerial combat. Stanek will take you through his first thoughts on the buildup in Iraq. You will ride along as the war unfolds, sharing his pain as he takes you into places few others have ever written about so well: modern aerial warfare. You will feel the rush of emotion when you ask yourself if you could make the decisions he made and you'll tear up when you finish the book and realize that young men like Stanek will never have a peaceful rest as long as their is terror and evil in the world.
What made the book particularly refreshing was its ability to give a true depiction of the glory, horror, and tragedy that the Iraq war, like all wars, has entailed. On the one hand, the Iraqi war provided someone like Stanek with a chance to test his own character under grim conditions and emerge tougher and more confident as a result. But the heart-wrenching human struggles he describes make the account so personal and so real. And his frank retelling of everything from the initial build up to the after effects of the war only deepen how it affects you. It would be easy for an individual unfamiliar with the military to forget how crucial air power was in the war and easy to remember only the ground battles but the Iraqi war was fought and won from the air long before there were any groundbattles. In summary, this book provides a view into modern warfare unlike any I have not encountered before. No one could read it and fail to come away with a clearer understanding of war and its impact on those who fight.
This book is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.
A brilliantly crafted, deeply touching and extraordinary read. August 6, 2006
Scott Rue (Blue Springs, MO USA)
16 out of 21 found this review helpful
Stormjammers is a beautifully written and deeply personal look at one man's transformation from a young flyer to a hardened combat veteran and ultimately to a warrior irrevocably changed by his experiences. It's also the highest tribute to the men and women he served with.
From the start of this book, all the way through to the end, I was full of feelings and emotions. Stanek's words were so intense, so powerful, at times I had to put the book down for a few moments to let the feelings and imagery he generated settle in my mind. Every page resonated with the essential truth that words like duty, honor, courage, service, and commitment are not just ideals for men like Stanek and for the men and women he served with, but are in fact words lived by.
This book accomplishes the nearly impossible by seamlessly imparting factual information, and giving a truly unique perspective on the first Gulf War. The books also gives great insight into the mind of a frightened but resilient young man trying to make sense of it all, and the reader is pulled through a chapter, only to find at the end of it he's learned something about modern warfare, gotten a step closer to understanding how such events affect those who fight in them, and unmistakeably gotten a very raw and real look into the life of this remarkable young man. It is the strength of the writing keeps you reading, but also the deeper, all encompassing look at air combat and electronic warfare.
There is a depth and beauty in the way Stanek shares with the reader the bonds of friendship and professional camaraderie which are forged under these extreme circumstances. These rare bonds forged between men and woman under such difficult conditions speak to the individuals strength and character and are so unique to the military and especially the combat experience -- making this a great tribute to all who served.
In it's own way, there is beauty in the way he reveals to the reader his visceral combat experiences: from alerts, to air raids, to fighter encounters, to anti-aircraft artillery strikes, to surface to air missile attacks, to terrorist attacks. There is self doubt, questioning, and honest assessment.
Stanek's writing is clean and the book flows smoothly and entertainingly from peacetime and his training experiences with the heart of the book being his experiences in Iraq and the combat missions flown into Baghdad. Stanek is a rare author who allows the reader to visualize both vibrant imagery and vivid emotions through his words. It is both gripping and enthralling and utterly honest. The gut-wrenching emotional pain he experienced shook me to the core and remained with me for days after reading.
I strongly believe this is a book for everyone, both men and women alike. Anyone interested in the military, our country, and modern warfare will find this book a brilliant addition to the growing selection of "war memoirs." Anyone looking for an intelligent, thoughtful, insightful, and deeply introspective read will also enjoy this book. Ultimately, this is the story of a man as he is irrevocably transformed by his experiences and utterly bares his heart and soul in the telling. His words have stayed with me long after closing the pages.
A Former Soldier's Opinion August 17, 2006
Gerald F.
12 out of 17 found this review helpful
Stanek's memoir "Stormjammers" is a first-hand account of training and engagements in Iraq. It is refreshingly clean of anti-war or pro-war bias. I found the entire volume well-written and fast reading. Stanek leaves the larger debates about the war to others, and concentrates on depicting the confusion, frustration, readiness, service and heroism. Such descriptions have been missing in the mass media coverage of the war.
Every person in war sees it differently. But there is a core of truth that is common to all war fighters, but not necessarily seen by all who fight. I learned it in Vietnam, my grandfather told me of it in World War II, my father told me of it in Korea, and this book tells it for the Iraq war. His story of the challenges that a military flyer faces in the midst of the chaos of combat and the ties that bind the crew together are fascinating. This is a great book and should be read by those who want to understand what our armed forces are up against in today's world. This will also resonate with those who have served or had similar experiences of war. I give it 5 stars, and this earns all of them.
Superb - will be a military classic. Six stars. July 11, 2007
S. Keisser
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Author Robert Stanek, a former military flyer, writes a tell-it-like-it-is memoir in his book: "Stormjammers: The Extraordinary Story of Electronic Warfare in the Gulf War." It is a compelling and hard-to-put-down insider's look at the training and making of a military flyer that takes us right into the heart of the combat and the action in the Gulf War. Stanek goes from the green hills of a airbase in Germany to the hard and courageous life of a combat flyer in Iraq.
His story gives us one of the best insider looks at what is happening in the world of electronic warfare. It is written from the point of view of one of those few brave young men who are risking their lives daily to ensure the freedom of others. Not only is this book highly readable, it is destined to become a classic of how we fought this new kind of war. It is also not shy about the truth. He pulls no punches and holds nothing back in his analysis of what happened.
This book shows the best and the worst of people. It is honest prose that evokes the essence of older more classic combat literature -- when courage and compassion were still extremely important to our fellow countrymen. Once you read this book you will be affected in some way. Your emotions and your thinking about the first Gulf War and how it was handled will change. You will also have a much higher regard and respect for those men and women who are serving our country in this war now.
Stanek is a smart, courageous storyteller. His book is a very candid look at his military experiences and should be required reading material for all new military flyers. It is highly recommended.
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