This image is the cover for the book Typhoon Truce, 1970

Typhoon Truce, 1970

This military history chronicles a time during the Vietnam War when fighting stopped and the 101st Airborne helped those in need during a natural disaster.

For three days during the Vietnam War, it wasn’t rockets or artillery that came through the skies, but a horrific force of nature that suddenly put both sides in awe. When Super Typhoon Joan arrived in October 1970, an unofficial truce began. Air crewman faced masses of Vietnamese civilians outside their base perimeters for the first time. Could we trust them not to shoot? Could they trust us not to drop them off in a detention camp? Truces never last, but while they do, life changes for everyone involved.

The “typhoon truce” stopped the war for three days in northern I Corps—that area bordering the demilitarized zone separating South Vietnam from North. Then, less than a week later, Super Typhoon Kate hit the same area with renewed fury. As the entire countryside was flooded, the people faced war and natural disaster at the same time.

No one but the Americans had the resources to help the people who lived in the lowlands, and so they did. The everyday dangers they faced were only magnified by low clouds and poor visibility. But the aircrews of the 101st Airborne went out to help anyway. In this book, we see how, for a brief period during an otherwise vicious war, saving life took precedence over bloody conflict.

Robert F. Curtis

Robert Francis Curtis was born in Middletown, Ohio, in 1949, making him exactly the right age to be drafted for the Vietnam War. After dropping out of high school twice, he passed the general educational development exam, giving him enough educational qualifications to gain entry into the Army’s Warrant Officer Candidate program. There he learned to fly, starting him on the path to a military career as an aviator in the Army, National Guard, Marine Corps, and as an exchange officer with the British Royal Navy. After service in Vietnam he attended the University of Kentucky, graduating with honor with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Later, while serving at Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, DC, Robert completed a Master’s Degree in Procurement and Acquisition Management at Webster University. His military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and 23 Air Medals. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa while at the University of Kentucky. Robert is an FAA certified Commercial Pilot in both helicopters and gyroplanes. He has previously published articles in professional journals including the Marine Corps Gazette, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Aircrewman’s Journal TACAN. Robert and his wife, Mariellen, reside in Exeter, New Hampshire.

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