Back in Business

After finally finishing the final draft of my biography of the late Indiana congressman and environmentalist Jim Jontz, I am back to report on events of note regarding my other publications. I will be in Franklin, Indiana, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19, at the Johnson County Public Library, 401 State Street, for an Indiana Humanities-sponsored "Novel Conversations" program on World War II fighter pilot Alex Vraciu (seen here shaking hands with Admiral Marc Mitscher.

My book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu, copies of which will be available for sale at the talk, examines how Vraciu, possessed with keen eyesight, quick reflexes, excellent shooting instincts, and a knack for finding his opponent's weak spot, became skilled in the deadly game of destroying the enemy in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. For a period of four months in 1944, Vraciu stood as the leading ace in the U.S. Navy. He shot down nineteen enemy airplanes in the air, destroyed an additional twenty-one on the ground, and sank a large Japanese merchant ship with a well-placed bomb hit.

To register for the free program, call (317) 738-2833.