James Blackwell Publishes Military History Book Gunners The Men Who Manned the B-29 Machine Guns in the Korean War

Renowned military analyst releases richly detailed, meticulously researched account of forgotten heroes from a largely forgotten conflict—and shares insights into what it means for today’s military

United States, 23rd Jul 2025 —Dr. James Blackwell, the renowned military analyst, lecturer, and author, today announced the release of his latest book, “Gunners! The Men Who Manned the B-29 Machine Guns in the Korean War.” Blackwell is a Korean War Historian for the 307th Bombardment Group Association. In the book, Blackwell shares the stories of a largely forgotten group of airmen in a conflict that is also quickly receding from American memory. The richly detailed, meticulously researched account is primarily based on the service members’ own words. It has been vetted through reliable archival sources, as well. 

“The airmen who manned the machine guns on the B-29 bombers in Korea have many powerful stories to share,” explained Blackwell, who served as CNN’s first full-time on-air military expert during the 1991 Gulf War and as the Fox News Network’s founding military analyst. “They’re part of a lost generation of soldiers who honorably served their country in a war that most Americans now know little about. But, there’s a lot we can learn from their experiences in the conflict.”

The Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, began when Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. It became a bloody proxy war between the United States and its allies fighting against North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. Over 36,000 Americans died in the war, which had a total military and civilian death toll estimated at upwards of 2-1/4 million. 

The US Air Force deployed B-29 bombers, built for service in World War II, to Korea. The planes, known as “super fortresses,” were the largest and most sophisticated aircraft in the world. By Korea, fighting against Russian MiG-15 jets, the US Air Force had to inject new technology, and adapt its tactics, techniques and doctrine as the Air force accelerated the development and production of newer jet bombers. Some B-29s were shot down, causing airmen who survived bailing out to become prisoners of war (POWs). 

“The history of B-29 gunners in Korea is not just about the past,” explained Blackwell. “Of course, we should honor the valor and sacrifice of these men, but there’s a lot we can learn about the present and future of warfare from this history. Listening to accounts of air combat in a B-29 over Korea can teach us about the consequences of ever-changing weaponry and its impact on warfighting strategies. Yesterday’s unbeatable weapon is tomorrow’s museum piece—a reality we’re seeing in Ukraine and elsewhere as $1,000 cardboard drones shoot down $100 million fighter jets, to name just one example.”

According to the author, “After the war, these veterans entered lifelong middle-class skilled labor or management careers and today live on a variety of government and commercial retirement fixed income sources. In addition to age-related medical issues, they present a variety of combat-related conditions, including PTSD, and many suffer from unique cold weather-related disabilities such as skin cancer and frostbite scars. With this book, their families and friends will be able to fill in the blanks of what happened to their loved ones.”

Blackwell wrote the book in part because time was running out to hear the airmen’s stories firsthand. He said, “There are fewer than 500,000 Korean War Veterans alive today. By 2030, the Veterans Administration projects their number will decline to just over 138,000. In June 1952, at the peak of the Air War in Korea, the USAF had 11,233 Airmen fighting the Korean War in Asia. The youngest of them is today 90 years old.”

He added, “Today, these veterans are mostly males in their 90s, whose honorable legacy of family and work experience is far removed from today’s more entitled generations. Many Korean War veterans are left alone, or live in Veterans Homes, skilled nursing facilities, or, tragically, out on the streets. The COVID-19 pandemic took a disproportionate toll on these aging war heroes.”

About the Author

Since his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1987, Dr. Blackwell has conducted research and analysis on military concepts, strategy and technology, serving as Director of Political Military Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and at several corporate organizations under contract to the Department of Defense and other government agencies, including a number of seminal studies for the Office of Net Assessment. He was Cable News Network’s full-time military analyst during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and was Fox News Channel’s founding Military Analyst.

Dr. Blackwell was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at West Point from 1982 to 1985. He was Executive Director for two major Department of Defense investigations (Detention Operations in 2004 and Nuclear Weapons Management in 2008) and from 2009 to 2016 served in the United States Air Force as Special Advisor to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. Dr. Blackwell was Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses and currently teaches Military Strategy and the History of Nations for the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University.

For more information and to order “Gunners! The Men Who Manned the B-29 Machine Guns in the Korean War,” visit https://www.jamesblackwellauthor.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@jamesblackwell4555/playlists

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