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 Fun! Oct 29, 2009
I found it to be fun reading loaded with interesting subplots. Characters were easy to identify with.
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 A Cold War Adventure Feb 28, 2009
Author Charles Lunsford's experience serving "very close to the Iron Curtain when the Cold War was not so cold" provides the inspiration for this fictional tale about Airman Second Class Jim Wilson, the radio operator on a C-119 "Flying Boxcar" which is shot down during a secret courier mission when it inadvertently strays into Albanian airspace. Lunsford is a former Airborne Radio Operator and one of the very last to be trained in Morse code operation. His in-depth knowledge of this field and this time period are what make Boxcar Down a treasure of historical information, as well as an engaging adventure novel. Lunsford provides fascinating details about the talents of those unsung heroes, the radio operators, and the use of Morse code as communication, all without interrupting the storyline. In fact, the Morse code exchanges are crucial to the plot of the novel - as is the vintage WWII spy suitcase radio used to transmit them -- as they provide Jim Wilson's only contact with his would-be-rescuers.
Like many other independently published books, Boxcar Down includes a few typographical errors and some non-standard plot diversions, and yet this never interfered with my enjoyment of the novel. I found Mr. Lunsford's narrative a pleasure to read, and his book is populated with a rich cast of memorable characters - from the Albanian teacher who turns out to have been a former Resistance operative to the little Albanian Sergeant with erratic driving habits and the Russian career-Major who disapproves of the new communist politicos. Also, because the book did not pass through the hands of a traditional editor, it was not molded and mashed into the predictable plotline one expects from a Clive Cussler or Dan Brown adventure. It never reads as one of the "standard fare" of adventure fiction. All in all, this is a highly enjoyable tribute to the Cold War veterans and the now-defunct Morse code radio operators!
Reviewed by Dianne Salerni
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Wonderful book, Great read Feb 19, 2009
Boxcar Down is one of the most exiting and hard-to-put-down novels I have had the honor to read in a very long time. It seems that many writers--especially the better known authors--have begun to put out books for the money, with little to no interest in quality work. Just something to fill the pages, allowing their name to get the book sold to an unsuspecting public. Not so Boxcar Down. This is one book that will hold your interest from the very beginning to the edge-of-your-chair ending.
Lunsford's first book--Departure Message--is an informational prelude (very interesting information, I might add) to his Boxcar Down. It helps you to understand what makes the young radio operators of the early fifties USAF tick.
In Boxcar Down you will go along for the ride as young Jimmy Wilson, radio operator for USAF 37844, tries in vain to correct the obnoxious navigator who insists on following his wrongfully plotted course. A course that sets the stage for the disastrous flight of an American C-119--the infamous `flying box car.'
Very shortly into the flight, the C-119, its crew, and a courier carrying an attaché containing some type of top-secret files are hopelessly lost over the communist country of Albania. Within minutes their plane is locked on by a Russian surface-to-air weapon that has orders to shoot down any unknown aircraft flying over their territory.
At the first realization that their aircraft has been hit and most certainly going down behind unfriendly borders, young Jimmy scurries to help the other crew members prepare for the inevitable crash of their crippled plane. You can feel the terrible terror that all these men feel as they fight the out-of-control aircraft as it continuously loses altitude.
Will any of the men survive the crash? And if so, will they manage to evade the communist Albanians and Russians that are surely watching and waiting as the aircraft plummets to the rugged terrain below? At the command of the pilot to "Bail Out!" Jim fights against an enormous vacuum-like force to get himself into the laundry chute that would allow him to drop free of the dying plane and parachute to possible safety--praying that the others would make it out too.
As he slowly floated down, Jim looked around him for other parachutes but saw none.
In the distance he witnessed the fiery explosion of what had been USAF 3-7844, and the great flying boxcar was down. His heart was in his throat as he thought about his fellow crewmen and prayed they had all gotten out--then he saw it: another parachute already dropping into the trees below him.
If you enjoy the reading excitement of adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and danger with a spattering of humor and romance, Boxcar Down, has it all. Well written with lovable and realistic characters, this book will win your heart and fill your senses with a message emanating from the brave young men of a time and occupation all but forgotten.
A `must read' from every sense of the word.
Reviewer: Sandra E. Graham, author Amos Jakey and Nicolina Published by American Book Publishing. Visit my website: http://www.sandragraham-articles-books.com to read more about my writing and other book reviews I have written.
by Mildred Joanne Branson Smith "author of I Lived In The Rico Depot" Aug 20, 2008
Boxcar Down by Charles Lunsford is a story well told. It is so well written that when the book arrived; I never put it down, not until I finished reading the entire book. I had intended to read several chapters. I never closed the book and had to drag myself to work the following morning.
Airman Second Class Jim Wilson is assigned a special flight. The cargo is a courier as the only passinger. This special courier had a briefcase hooked to his wrist.
Chuck Lunsford builds intrigue right from the start. Flying around the Mediterranean in the "Twin Fan Spam Can' was a batch of officers new to this squad and detail. Only problem Wilson could see, he and this new set of officers just didn't click.
Wilson belonged to a unique club. He was an Morris Code radio operator who worked in the cramped confines of his radio desk. Jim knew he was good; in fact, he knew he was the best damn radio operator in the world.
The flight takes off to a secret destination. The new pilot and aircraft commander nor the new navigator wouldn't take advice from anyone. Even with the navigator aboard, habit kicked in and Wilson began to do his dead-reckoning. Much like working a cross word puzzle, finding his bearings and plotting the planes' positon by contacting the ground stations Wilson could plot location of the plane.
No doubt about it, they were off course. This is where the story brings in the human element and one is swept into the character of Wilson. We have all worked with situations where an individual is the smartest on the the planet. This was the case with the pilot. He wouldn't listen and the navigator was green to the gills.
Drifting over hostile territory, Albania, the plane is shot down. The only members of the flight to excape the plane were Wilson and the courier who dies of his injuries.
Wilson has to get the dispatch and himself out of Albania before the local authorities or the Russian Army find him.
Lunsford transports the reader into a thrilling tell as the Albanian and Russian persons that are serving their country work to find the downed airman.
The reader is swept into the intrigue and cunning as Wilson makes his way to Greece and safety.
I give this a five star rating. A novel that I truly enjoyed.
 A smooth, solid read for espionage fans Mar 22, 2008
Airman Jim Wilson is a radio operator stationed in Europe in 1958, when the Cold War is still going strong. He is a crew member on an airplane known as a C-119 Boxcar, and the plane is shot down over Albania by Communist soldiers. The only survivor, Wilson must find a way to make contact with the American military, as well as evade the Russian soldiers and Albanian police who are searching for him. Luckily, he is discovered by an Albanian teacher who was a former resistance fighter with no love lost for the Communist regime. The radio operator and the teacher are joined by a steadily growing cast of characters as they travel through Albania to cross the Iron Curtain into Greece , and freedom. At the same time, the Air Force is trying to locate Wilson and organize a rescue mission without starting an international incident. Along the way there is humor, romance, action, and suspense.
Boxcar Down is a solid book and Lunsford writes in a nice, smoothly-flowing style that makes 600-plus pages go faster than you would expect. The book contains a LOT of military and aviation jargon which should be of interest to pilots and soldiers, but doesn't get in the way of those readers who aren't interested in such topics.
Spelling and punctuation errors do not get in the way of enjoying the book. And even though at 600 pages you are definitely getting your money's worth, some people might find that too many characters are included in the book, and some of the subplots are unnecessary and slow down the main event.
Overall, Lunsford does a nice job of putting the reader behind the controls of military aircraft and transporting them back in time half a century. Boxcar Down is Lunsford's second book, and first work of fiction, and although it has some rough spots it shows he has the potential to entertain fans of Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy.
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