“On November 18, 1965, U.S. Navy pilot Willie Sharp ejected from his F-8 fighter after being hit over North Vietnam. With a cloud layer beneath him, he did not know if he was over land–where he would most certainly be captured or killed by the North Vietnamese–or over the Gulf of Tonkin. What followed was a dramatic rescue made by pilots and other airmen with little or no training or experience in combat search and rescue. Woven into this tale is the fascinating history of combat search and rescue mission that officially began in World War II.”