Synopses & Reviews
"[Willard] is a gifted writer and has an important story."-General William C. Westmoreland, U.S. Army, (Retired)
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Augustus Sharps, Jr., of the Sabre Ranch in Arizona, makes his way to Tuskegee, Alabama, where for the first time in history, black men are being trained as combat pilots to fight the war in Europe and the Pacific.
Augustus's family has been fighting America's wars since his grandfather rode with Buffalo Soldiers against the Apaches, and since his father fought in Cuba 1898 and in the trenches of the Western Front in World War I, and he is determined to follow their footsteps.
Wings of Honor is the poignant and exciting story of a young man battling the odds to fly with the "Red-Tail Angels," the 99th U.S. Pursuit Squadron, and how he added to his family's honor in battles over North Africa, Sicily, and France, in the fury of the Second World War.
"Willard artfully blends the details of an absorbing individual story with a vivid panorama of gut-wrenching combat scenes. Another admirable, action-packed addition to a compelling, multigenerational series that catalogs the incredibly heroic, and often overlooked, contributions of black soldiers to the history of the American military."-Booklist
Review
I [am] a direct descendant of those Buffalo Soldiers and the Tuskegee Airmen and all the black men and women who have served the nation in uniform. I will never forget my debt to them."-General Colin L. Powell, former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Howard University Commencement, 1994
"[Willard] is a gifted writer and has an important story."-General William C. Westmoreland, U.S. Army, (Retired)
"Willard artfully blends the details of an absorbing individual story with a vivid panorama of gut-wrenching combat scenes. Another admirable, action-packed addition to a compelling, multigenerational series that catalogs the incredibly heroic, and often overlooked, contributions of black soldiers to the history of the American military."-Booklist
About the Author
Tom Willard, born into a military family, quit high school to join the army and served as a paratrooper and combat medic in Vietnam. He was wounded in action and decorated with the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor, and the Purple Heart, among other medals. He is a University of North Dakota graduate who has lived in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.