COL (R) Joseph R. Tedeschi ’57 to Release “A Rock in the Clouds, A Life Revisited”. “On 4 October 1966, a C7-A Caribou airplane flying through blinding cloud cover crashed into Hon Cong Mountain near the base camp of the 1st Air Cavalry Division at An Khe. There were thirty-one people aboard the aircraft, an air crew of four along with twenty-seven passengers. Thirteen people died in the crash. I was one of the survivors.”
COL Tedeschi spends 45 years of his life uncertain of the true details of the crash. And he is always trying to make sense of his survival. In the many years searching for answers, he discovers a very human story of faith, compassion, GI grit and humor, and patriotism. As his journey reveals his faith-based purpose and destiny, A Rock in the Clouds chronicles his discoveries, through which he hopes to inspire to other Vietnam-era veterans, their families, and people of faith.
“Robert W. Ray, Former Whitewater Independent Counsel and son of Robert L Ray, US Army (Ret) who also survived the crash with Joe says of the book: “This is a firsthand and intimate retrospective centered around an absolutely harrowing and deadly plane crash during the height of the Vietnam War more than a half-century ago. But it is also an autobiography filled with memorable stories of brotherhood, faith, and love among soldiers far from home and those who cared for them. Beautifully written and woven from personal recollections of a tragic era in American history, it includes both the highs and lows of grievous injury, loss and recovery, but also—and more profoundly—of devotion, service, character, redemption and especially the lasting bonds of family and friendship. Although so many from that era are now gone, this book tells a timeless story that matters still. I know that it will endure in my heart—and, I hope, in our collective national memory—always.” The November 9, 2021 release by Koehler Books is available for pre-order at Amazon.