DAI
215 Pages
Let me put this out there right away. Dan and I have been friends for a very long time, at least since high school. I’m still trying to remember if he was in junior high with me at Emmet Belknap or not. It’s been nearly forty years since my days at Emmet, so my memory is a bit hazy about those days. Regardless, Dan sent me a copy of his book to read. I gladly accepted the book and offered to write a review for him. I like to do what I can to help the people I know promote themselves. It takes a giant leap of faith to put yourself out there with a book about your own memories. These endeavors should never be taken lightly, and should be celebrated. For that reason, I am giving Dan my review of Hendo to help him sell more copies.
After graduating in 1992, Dan decided the next step in his life would be to join the military, the Air Force specifically. When he first joined, he wasn’t sure exactly what his plan would be as a career. Ultimately, Dan spent twenty-six years serving our country as an F-16 Crew Chief. From the earliest days of a green new recruit, stumbling among the unknown traditions and rules of the military, to the heady days of a seasoned veteran, not afraid to call it as he saw it, Hendo regales the reader with tales. Sometimes, these yarns are funny. Sometimes they’re far more serious. Many of them fall across the full spectrum between the two.
Fellow military members and veterans will get much more out of this book than I did since I didn’t serve in the military, but I did thoroughly enjoy reading this. I was intrigued by some of the brotherhood that exists between service members. Veterans will chuckle as they read some of the tales. They will grumble when they read some of the same difficulties they likely lived through in their own careers. While I didn’t have a full point of reference for some of the events in the book, I understood the basics of what was happening in Dan’s life in the Air Force. My dad was in the Army during the Vietnam War. Listening to the limited stories that he’s told me, even thirty years apart, their military experiences are strikingly similar.
My single critique of the book is that Dan needs an editor for some of the grammatical errors. While they do not take away from the story, I believe that correcting these would make his story of three decades in the Air Force much, much stronger. If he ever decides to do an updated printing of his book, I would be quite happy to offer my services as an editor. Honestly, while we're writing, we get lost in our own words, not realizing we've skipped or misspelled. All of us need good editors. I force my lovely bride to read everything I write. She catches a lot of my awful errors.
UPDATE: Dan tells me he wrote the book in such a way that other Chiefs would recognize the way they spoke while doing their jobs, and that they would understand everything that was being said. Listening to him explain that, I feel that this tiny bits add a sense of authenticity to the events he details in his book.
In the meantime, if you have wondered what it was like to be in the Air Force as an F-16 Crew Chief, Hendo might be the book for you. If you want to tickle the memories of your own service, Dan’s tales might be the avenue for those stories to spill forth. Grab a copy of Hendo by Daniel J. Henderson and learn and love the stories of serving in our nation’s armed forces. It’s a short book with a lot of weight.
UPDATE 2: Last night I was graciously invited by Dan to the Barker Fire Hall where he was the guest speaker at the Veterans Day dinner. We did a lot of catching up. His speech to us was something I was not prepared for. He didn’t talk about himself. He spoke of those who came before him and those who are yet to come. He spoke of foundations, history, and tradition. His focus was not on his achievements, but of the achievements of all those who helped to build and defend this country. It was an amazing speech, and I am grateful that I got to attend.
Craig Bacon did not serve in the military. He is the son of a combat veteran. He honors his father and all others who have sacrificed for our country.