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Roger Ball!: The Odyssey of John Monroe "Hawk" Smith Navy Fighter Pilot | 
 enlarge | Author: Donald E. Auten
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 66993
Media: Paperback
Edition: 0
Pages: 485
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.9 x 1.3
ISBN: 0595385893
Dewey Decimal Number: 355
EAN: 9780595385898
ASIN: 0595385893
Publication Date: June 20, 2006
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Condition: Brand New! Perfect Condition!
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Product Description
Roger Ball! doesn t just take you into the fighter pilot s cockpit as so many fine books about aviation have done. This book puts the reader inside the skin of one of the Navy s true characters. John Monroe Hawk Smith.
Leighton Warren Smith, Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired) Roger Ball! is the personal story of John Monroe Hawk Smith s esteemed career as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot from 1963 to 1993. Author Donald E. Auten provides a forceful account of the rollicking fun of deployment, the challenges of leadership, and the adrenaline rush of air-combat maneuvering. But life as a carrier pilot has a dark and frightening side too Suddenly, everything caught up with them at once. The ball dropped to the bottom of the lens, the LSO screamed for more power Hawk strained to see the ball but caught only a momentary glimpse of a cherry red ball lying on the bottom of the lens accompanied by brilliantly flashing wave off lights. KAWHOMPPHH!!! The Phantom came aboard with all the grace of a pallet of bricks. The impact caged his eyeballs and shot a spike of pain through his spinal column. They hit hard harder than Hawk thought anything could hit without ending up in the hanger deck forty feet below.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent Description of a Naval Aviation Career December 13, 2007
Stephen Henninger
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Full disclosure reveals that I have read and submit this review of Roger Ball! as a non-aviator and a civilian who has no military service history. My perspective is outside the box of subject familiarity, but inside the envelope of passionate interest in naval aviation over many decades. I lived and worked in Peru and South Africa for a number of years at NASA-funded satellite tracking facilities. During those years I began a project to build a large model of USS Enterprise CVAN-65. The model and eighty-five embarked aircraft ended up at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, donated and set-up in 1982 (and maintained continuously thereafter) by me. I was a one-man show engaged in the complexity of a modern aircraft carrier. It's been done, but not by many.
It was John Monroe Smith and Capt. C.C. Smith Jr. who gave me my first look during a full week visit in late February 1975 aboard Enterprise during the turbulent cruise which endured the 'thump-bang' mystery of F-14 engine breakup, and the heartbreaking loss of South Vietnam in April 1975. It was Hawk who escorted me to the LSO platform for the view of a lifetime. It was Hawk who engaged in small talk with a non-flier. It was Hawk who responded in 1980 after I saw him on ABC's 20/20 discussing the Black Lions and the continuing challenges of coaxing the F-14 to become the best it was designed to be. It was Hawk who compelled me to join Tailhook Association, of which I've been an associate member for nearly 28 years. And, it was Hawk who just recently recalled who I was after our first meeting in the South China Sea in 1975, 32 years later.
I have a concept of heroism. A hero is one who has everything to lose, everyone to expose the pain of his loss, and yet goes about a dangerous profession, year in and year out, STICKS to his mission in the face of possible and sudden evisceration, held by a thread to life by skill, cunning, luck and dedication. That's a hero. Not the rock star, nor a politician, rarely a multi-billionaire. Heros are found within the level and vertical battlefields of wars mostly, and also among those with the dedication to improve the humanity of man in places where hostility lurks; in countries, boardrooms, firehouses, anywhere that character is essential and practiced, and bold actions are taken selflessly, persistently, at great personal risk.
The world might have lost Hawk on many occasions, and we would have to subtract from our experiences all that he contributed during his fortunate long career and great influence as expressed by so many. Donald Auten faced the same level of risk across his own thousands of hours of Navy flying. We would lose the gripping story herein told had he not had the full benefit of a life longer lived.
I enjoyed every line, every encapsulated story, the sum of which was a fabric of adventure and an honorable life well lived managing the incredible machinery, the fickle nature of human relations within the ranks, the meddling politicians -both the effective and the intrusive - with sticky noses, the humorous and the humorless, the endurance of Miss Jenny, all put together in a tale of high adventure and much about a very important survival component of our national security.
>I dare not critique specifics about navy flying, for after all, my aviation experience is limited to taking the stick of my brother's 85 hp Luscombe over the eastern Colorado range and some of the mountain terrain - with my pilot-brother alongside. And yes, perhaps I know a little bit about airplanes and ships. Just permit me to say that this non-flier knows as well as he can the story herein told, even without the Wings of Gold proudly worn by those who know the story all too well.
Well done, Duck. Well done, Hawk. It is an honor bestowed on me to be given a chance to see the little I've seen, and read as richly as experienced by those who have seen much. Thank you, gentlemen, all.
And PS: You need a sequel, we want to read more. I know the material is there!
Steve Henninger
Tailhook Member #4875
 Brought back some memories April 25, 2007
Scooter Driver (Kansas City)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Roger Ball is an interesting read, and brought back some memories of similar frustrations with inept or out of touch senior officers. I enjoyed reading the book and agree with the other reviewers that it is an excellent story about carrier aviation and the fighter community in particular. I can recall having the same frustrations with the de-emphasis and, in some cases, the outright ban on ACM. No one paid any attention to the ban, but we didn't receive any formal training either.
I simply could not understand how a theoretical and untested defensive maneuver for which we were were not trained and did not practice would have been much use if I had been jumped by a MIG over North Vietnam in 1965 or 1966. A run in with a solo Vautour on a MED cruise in 1967 during an exercise with the French brought home to me as it did to Hawk that we had some very serious holes in our training.
Auten's book is the best documentation that I have read about the changes that Vietnam War wrought upon the military. After years of lip service, innovative officers like Hawk and real world training programs like TOPGUN finally made "train like you fight and fight like you train" a reality in all front line unit tactical training for all of the military services.
I was a bit disappointed with the book from time to time because it suffers from some factual errors, weak writing, and poor organization. There is no Lava Wharf in Subic Bay. There is, however, an Alava Pier on the Subic side and a Leyte Wharf on the Cubi Pt. side. While I do not believe that this book contains any intentional errors or distortions, little errors such as this can cause a knowledgeable reader a bit of pause in regards to the accuracy of a non-fiction book.
In regards to the exposition, there are several places in the book that could be improved. For example:
* Information is repeated unnecessarily in the space of just a few paragraphs.
* The reader is assumed to know facts that are critical to understanding the narrative and/or appreciating its gravity, intensity, humor, etc.
* Transitions between various topics are not as smooth as they could be.
None of these detract from the book's relevance, its worth as a witness to a particular period of naval aviation, or reduce its value as the documentation and celebration of the capabilities, achievements, and contributions of a highly respected and dedicated officer who repeatedly demonstrated great ingenuity and personal integrity throughout his career. Nevertheless, a rewrite of the troublesome portions and/or a very sharp editor's pencil in those spots would not only make the book really sparkle but also make it more accessible and appealing to a wider audience than those with an narrow aviation or naval interest.
The ending of the book also left me disappointed. If Hawk was the best CO in the wing, I wanted to know why in the world he was not selected for one or more bonus operational commands such as command of an air wing. Clearly he had been what was known as a "water walker" his entire career, but the book offered no explanation why his last flight was as the CO of an F-14 squadron. Additionally, Hawk's years as a senior CDR and CAPT were dismissed with a few paragraphs.
Story of a Great Topgun Skipper October 24, 2006
Frederick Hauck (Potomac, MD United States)
The story of Monroe "Hawk" Smith, wonderfully told by Donald Auten, is a classic tale of challenge, disappointment, and triumph, set against the action packed backdrop of carrier aviation.
For one who had the great pleasure and privilege of serving with Hawk, it is particularly gratifying to hear his voice, intonation, enthusiasm and humor captured so well. You are there as he coaxes an F-14 Tomcat pilot into a successful crash landing aboard the carrier Enterprise. He takes you into the air as he duels some of the world's best pilots during the development of transitional weapon systems and tactics. Roger Ball captures the heart-pounding sweaty-palmed episodes and the resulting exhilaration of having "cheated death one more time" that all tailhook aviators have experienced. But this story is more than one of "turning and burning"; it is one of inspirational leadership, career changing confrontations, and ultimately one of love of family and country. It is the story of a man who literally and figuratively kept his eye on the ball throughout his career - with an unwavering pursuit of excellence and a twinkle in his steely eyes.
Naval aviation is the better for all of Hawk's efforts. We who served with him and those who read his story are better for knowing such a unique man.
Captain Rick Hauck, USN (Ret.)
Super Review of Navy Carrier Aviation August 24, 2006
William J. Sanvidge
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What a great way to tell the story of carrier avaition, than by telling the story about the life of one pilot who excelled in a Navy flight career. Hawk embodies Naval Aviation. This book tells the whole story with the thrills, risks, and not so good features. It tells great fighter stories, about harrowing carrier missions, about a good officer leading and caring for his men, about the many sacrifices of sailors and families during long separation and about some not so good officers in command who drive good people from a Naval career with their poor leadership. Super book!!!
The Best Aviation Read of the 2006 Summer! August 21, 2006
CAPT Spike Prendergast, USN (Ret.) (San Diego, CA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
ROGER BALL! The Odyssey of John Monroe "Hawk" Smith, Navy Fighter Pilot by Donald E. Auten (Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2006)
Reviewed by Captain Timothy E. "Spike" Prendergast, U.S. Navy (Retired)
When I assumed command of a fighter squadron in 1989, part of my brief remarks was a promise to try and lead as I had been taught by three of my former COs. One of those was Monroe "Hawk" Smith, under whose command I had learned the truest meaning of the dictum "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right!"
Don Auten's highly readable biography of "Hawk" is a most welcome and much needed addition to the personal "fighter pilot library" of anyone who served at Miramar in the 70's and 80's, ever flew the Tomcat, attended TOPGUN, or served with Hawk or under his command. Filled with the names of Miramar and Navy fighter "greats" known to us all, like Jack Ready, "Hoser" Satrapa, "Bad Fred" Lewis, "Cobra" Ruliffson, "Thunder Bud" Taylor, "Boomer" Wilson, and many others, just reading it took me back to the Fightertown flight line, the LSO platform, the TACTS trailer and the "WOXOF" bar at the Miramar O'Club.
ROGER BALL details Hawk's many personal--and unique--contributions to the fleet introduction of the F-14 Tomcat, including OT&E, carrier suitability and first fleet CQ, and the initial thrills (and the initial disappointments...thump...bang!) of this now-legendary fighter aircraft. The story of his many key assignments at VX-4, as CAG LSO with the first F-14-equipped airwing, and during the AIMVAL/ACEVAL projects "fill in the details" of the early critical days of the aircraft and the community that would form around it. If others can lay just claim to being "the father of the Tomcat", Hawk surely can lay just claim to being one of the many "midwives" who made the birth and early formative years so successful.
Similarly, as almost a follow-on to Scream of Eagles: The Creation of TOPGUN and the U.S. Air Victory in Vietnam (Robert K. Wilcox, New York, NY, John Wiley & Sons, 1990), Hawk's time as first the XO, then the CO of the Navy Fighter Weapons School at Miramar, is a rich tale of "the best of times and the worst of times" at Fightertown USA. Those of us who were there will never forget.
For those many of us who served under Hawk's fleet command in the VF-213 "Black Lions", however, the book cries out for a sequel, as those years are relegated to almost footnote status. That critical tour, and all that it contained--firmly etched in our collective memories as almost nothing else--and Hawk's post-command and Major command assignments are all "rolled up" in only the last four pages of the book. We all eagerly await the much-needed second volume.
ROGER BALL is unquestionably the "book of the 2006 summer" for those of us who never tire of reading about the Naval aviation greats who created a community, became a legend, and who molded us, for better or worse, in their own image. For my part, I can only hope that my own efforts during my times in command did "Hawk" the honor that was intended.
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