MWSA Book Review

The Cave

Author:  Sam McGowan

Publisher:  1st Books

Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA

A SURVIOR ADVENTURE STORY IN LAOS

This is one of those adventure stories that you can picture yourself in as you read the book.  Sam McGowan delivers a riveting tale in his novel, “The Cave.”  This is not your normal atypical Vietnam War novel—this is a real adventure story.  It will keep you glued to the pages.  This is a great story from a master story teller.  The author crafts a wonderful weave of words and imagery to develop the story line and to keep the action moving.

I think most of us old aviation veterans, from whatever wars, all have had this personal question as to what it would be like to be  shot down and then scramble around hiding and evading.  I was shot down several times in Vietnam but only once did I have to escape and evade for longer than 6 hours.  I can personally tell you that the old heart gets to pounding so loud that you think every NVA or VC will hear it from a mile away.  This is that same kind of feeling in this book.  I could feel the hero’s heart beating as I turned the pages in this book!

This is a recommended book to buy and read and gets the MWSA top rating of 5 Stars!

Synopsis:

It's 1966 - 20-year old Toby Carter is flying as a C-130 crewmember on hazardous Blind Bat flare missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and North Vietnam.  When the young Tennessean is shot down, he falls back on his boyhood experiences in the Tennessee woods and as a cave explorer to survive.  Knowing that Laos is a "karst" region where caves abound, he has prepared himself for the eventuality of finding a cave to hide in until he can be rescued.  But when he discovers that he is in a hotbed of enemy activity, which makes his chances of rescue unlikely, he sets out to explore the cave.  During his explorations Carter makes a surprising discovery that gives him the means to declare his own personal war against the North Vietnamese, particularly the gun crew that shot him down.

The Cave is an exciting story that puts the reader in the cockpit and in the back of a C-130 during one of the most continually dangerous missions of the Vietnam War during the first chapters.  Then it switches to the ground in Laos.  The Cave not only tells the story of the Blind Bat C-130 flareships, it also brings into it the role played by USAF photo interpreters and special operations MC-130 crews.

MWSA's 2004 Distinguished Medal Award

Reviewer: Joe Fabel, MWSA Review Board

The author, who is the main character of this story, calls upon skills learned in childhood and perfected in young adulthood.  He is a “caver,” an explorer of the caverns pocketing his Tennessee birthplace, who has learned how to conquer, yet respect, the dangerous vocation of exploring the underground world in his own neighborhood.  While serving as a “load master” on a supply drop, he escapes by parachute from a mortally wounded airplane.  His harrowing landing places him in an area of limestone caves among enemy forces in Viet Nam.  Sam McGowan survives by putting into play his skills and knowledge of caving.  Rather than succumbing to panic or fear, this airman quickly evaluates his situation and chooses to combat the enemy on his terms.  He becomes a “caver” once again of necessity.

He is supported by unexpected supply drops; yet, the planning and the execution of bringing the fight to the enemy and surviving the challenges is the stuff of legends.  His story enhances the cliché, “you can survive ordeals if you evaluate your situation, take command of your resources and carry the fight to the enemy,”