Gamble saved lives in Vietnam, earned Distinguished Flying Cross

MADISON – When Carl Gamble was growing up in Madison, jet fighter planes that flew over town were his inspiration to serve as a pilot when he grew up.

Gamble reached the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force. Along the way, he expanded his skills to become an author.

Gamble first learned about the fundamentals of aviation as a student at Tennessee State University. As his time in flight progressed through the years, the Air Force awarded Gamble with the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross.

In Vietnam, his quick thinking and superior flying skills enabled him to land his C-47 and save the lives of his crew. Enemy antiaircraft fire had severely disabled his plane, according to booklocker.com, website of Gamble’s book distributor.

To document his adventurous life, Gamble authored the book, “A Memoir — My Blue Yonder.” His story starts in cotton fields of Madison County, Ala. and continues to his seat in the cockpit while steering jumbo jets between North America and Europe.

“My Blue Yonder” describes Gamble’s boyhood home, the cockpit of his crippled plane and a look into his PTSD. The reader can accompany Gamble in rescuing men adrift on an ice floe in Lake Superior, while refueling combat aircraft at 400 miles per hour over the Gulf of Tonkin and during negotiations with a hijacker while flying in a holding pattern off the coast of Florida.

One of Gamble’s favorite quotes is, “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.” Gamble was fortunate to have training that guided him in landing burning airplanes and dealing with a hijacker.

Author Bob Rogers and Gamble collaborate on various works. Rogers’ most recent work, “First Dark: A Buffalo Soldier’s Story – Sesquicentennial Edition,” was featured in the August 2016 issue of “Kirkus Reviews” magazine.

Gamble now appears as an author and motivational speaker at engagements. In February, Hayden Historical Tours Inc. presented Gamble in a book signing for “A Memoir — My Blue Yonder” at the Historic Lowry House in Huntsville.

Gamble and his wife live in Matthews, N.C.

For more information, visit http://booklocker.com/books/8898.html.