Robert F. Dorr
Encyclopedia
Robert F. Dorr is an author and retired American diplomat
who has authored 70 books and numerous articles on international affairs, military issues and the Vietnam War. He writes the weekly "Back Talk" opinion column for the Air Force Times
newspaper and the monthly "Washington Watch" feature of Aerospace America. He is also the technical editor of Air Power History and was Washington correspondent for the discontinued World Air Power Journal.
in Korea
(1957-60) and spent 24 years as a Foreign Service Officer
(1964-89) with the U.S. State Department. He held senior positions in Washington after tours of duty in Tananarive, Madagascar; Seoul, Korea; Fukuoka, Japan; Monrovia, Liberia; Stockholm, Sweden; and London, England.
Dorr published his first magazine article in 1955 (age 16) and is best known for magazine and newspaper work. He regularly contributes articles to Air Forces Monthly
, Air & Space/Smithsonian, and Flight Journal. His weekly opinion column in the trade journal Air Force Times is read by about 100,000 current, former and retired military members and their families. He also writes four weekly history columns a week for the Military Times
newspapers. Mr. Dorr's opinions generally reflect a liberal political point of view. In a September 10, 2007 column that was widely reprinted around the United States, he called for an end to the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and for treating war prisoners openly under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Dorr has called for the military to allow homosexuals to openly serve. In other columns he has urged veterans service organizations to get up to date to attract younger veterans and has written about what he calls the dismantling of the Air Force in an era of tight budgets.
Dorr is an observer of events in North Korea
. Service academies, universities and Veteran's groups have used his speeches and writings on foreign affairs and Air Force history. Dorr has been interviewed on several networks, including C-SPAN
, the Discovery Channel
, CNN
and local Washington-area newscasts.
Dorr and former astronaut Tom Jones
published in 2008 a wartime history of the 365th Fighter Group, "Hell Hawks." This is a history of an aerial band of brothers who went ashore at Normandy
just after the June 6, 1944 D-Day
invasion, fought on the continent through the Battle of the Bulge
, and were still in action when Germany
surrendered. These American airmen lived under crude conditions, were subject to harsh weather and frequent enemy attacks as they moved from one airbase to another, accompanying the Allied advance toward Germany. To tell their story, Dorr and Jones interviewed 183 surviving veterans who supported, maintained, and piloted the group's P-47 Thunderbolt
fighters. "Hell Hawks" is in its ninth printing with almost 30,000 copies in print.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
who has authored 70 books and numerous articles on international affairs, military issues and the Vietnam War. He writes the weekly "Back Talk" opinion column for the Air Force Times
Air Force Times
Air Force Times is a weekly newspaper serving active, reserve and retired United States Air Force and Air National Guard personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and lifestyle features, educational supplements, and resource guides.Air Force Times...
newspaper and the monthly "Washington Watch" feature of Aerospace America. He is also the technical editor of Air Power History and was Washington correspondent for the discontinued World Air Power Journal.
Biography
Dorr served in the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
(1957-60) and spent 24 years as a Foreign Service Officer
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
(1964-89) with the U.S. State Department. He held senior positions in Washington after tours of duty in Tananarive, Madagascar; Seoul, Korea; Fukuoka, Japan; Monrovia, Liberia; Stockholm, Sweden; and London, England.
Dorr published his first magazine article in 1955 (age 16) and is best known for magazine and newspaper work. He regularly contributes articles to Air Forces Monthly
Air Forces Monthly
Air Forces Monthly is a military aviation magazine published by Key Publishing, based in Stamford, United Kingdom.Sister publications include Air International, Air Enthusiast, Airliner World, Airports International, FlyPast and Today's Pilot.-External links:*http://www.airforcesmonthly.co.uk/* via...
, Air & Space/Smithsonian, and Flight Journal. His weekly opinion column in the trade journal Air Force Times is read by about 100,000 current, former and retired military members and their families. He also writes four weekly history columns a week for the Military Times
Military Times
Military Times is a monthly military history magazine, published by Current Publishing and the Chelsea Magazine Company.- Overview :Military Times is edited by Dr Neil Faulkner, with George Clode, and published by Luke Bilton. The magazine covers all aspects of military history, from battles of...
newspapers. Mr. Dorr's opinions generally reflect a liberal political point of view. In a September 10, 2007 column that was widely reprinted around the United States, he called for an end to the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and for treating war prisoners openly under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Dorr has called for the military to allow homosexuals to openly serve. In other columns he has urged veterans service organizations to get up to date to attract younger veterans and has written about what he calls the dismantling of the Air Force in an era of tight budgets.
Dorr is an observer of events in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. Service academies, universities and Veteran's groups have used his speeches and writings on foreign affairs and Air Force history. Dorr has been interviewed on several networks, including C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and local Washington-area newscasts.
New projects
Dorr's book "Mission to Berlin," about the Eighth Air Force raid of February 3. 1945 over Europe in World War II, was published May 1, 2011. This is primarily a history of B-17 Flying Fortress crews in one of the largest air battles of the war but it also covers Americans who flew and maintained the B-24 Liberator, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang.Dorr and former astronaut Tom Jones
Thomas David Jones
Thomas David Jones is a former United States astronaut. He was selected to the astronaut corps in 1990 and completed four space shuttle flights before retiring in 2001. He flew on STS-59 and STS-68 in 1994, STS-80 in 1996 and STS-98 in 2001. His total mission time was 53 days 48 minutes...
published in 2008 a wartime history of the 365th Fighter Group, "Hell Hawks." This is a history of an aerial band of brothers who went ashore at Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
just after the June 6, 1944 D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion, fought on the continent through the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, and were still in action when Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
surrendered. These American airmen lived under crude conditions, were subject to harsh weather and frequent enemy attacks as they moved from one airbase to another, accompanying the Allied advance toward Germany. To tell their story, Dorr and Jones interviewed 183 surviving veterans who supported, maintained, and piloted the group's P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
fighters. "Hell Hawks" is in its ninth printing with almost 30,000 copies in print.
Published books
A partial listing of books authored or co-authored include:- Air Combat: An Oral History of Fighter Pilots (2007) ISBN 0425211703
- Air Force One (2002) ISBN 0760310556
- Air War Hanoi (1988) ISBN 0713717831
- Air War: South Vietnam (1991) ISBN 1854090011
- B-24 Liberator Units of the Eighth Air Force (1999) ISBN 1855329018
- B-24 Liberator Units of the Fifteenth Air Force (2000) ISBN 1841760811
- B-24 Liberator Units of the Pacific War (1999) ISBN 1855327813
- B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War (2003) ISBN 1841766542
- B-29 Superfortress Units of World War II (2002) ISBN 1841762857
- B-52 Stratofortress : Boeing's Cold War warrior ISBN 1841760978
- Chopper: A History of America Military Helicopter Operations from WWII to the War on Terror (2005) ISBN 0425202739
- Desert Shield : the build-up, the complete story (1991) ISBN 0879385065
- Hell Hawks! The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht (2008) with Tom JonesThomas David JonesThomas David Jones is a former United States astronaut. He was selected to the astronaut corps in 1990 and completed four space shuttle flights before retiring in 2001. He flew on STS-59 and STS-68 in 1994, STS-80 in 1996 and STS-98 in 2001. His total mission time was 53 days 48 minutes...
. ISBN 0760329184. Zenith Press.
- Korean War Aces (1995) ISBN 1855325012
- McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II" (1988) ISBN 0850455871
- Marine Air: The History of the Flying Leathernecks in Words and Photos (2007) ISBN 0425213641
- "Mission to Berlin" (2011) ISBN 9780760338988
- U.S. Marines: The People and Equipment Behind America's First Military Response (2006) ISBN 1592236189