Sea Eagle
America was a land of innocence during the first four decades of
the 20th century, barely a world power, let alone a super-power. World War II was the coming of age
for the United States. Its people did not want the war, and tried to
avoid it. Yet it came anyhow and once confronted with the
reality of it, the American people banded together to do what it took.
The first several months of the war
were disastrous for the United States – the Japanese conquered most
of South East Asia, they had taken the Philippines and Wake, and were threatening Australia. Europe was even worse, with Hitler
controlling all but Great Britain and a few neutral countries.
And the war came to the shores of America as well. The German
U-boats were rampaging up and down the entire Atlantic seaboard with
impunity.
Yet it was America's greatest moment
for the divided people where united and willing to do whatever it
took.
One of those efforts was the Civil
Air Patrol, which was formed by average American men and women too old
to fight in the Army or Navy. They armed their little aircraft and
like the Minute Men, fought to defend their homes.
I was born just after Pearl Harbor
and so remember little of the war. However, I remember as a kid
reading the Smiling Jack cartoons in the newspapers done by
Jack Mosley during the late 1940's and early 1950's and so became
aware of the actions of the Civil Air Patrol, of which Jack was a
founding father.
Later in life, I lived in New
Hampshire for several years and so visited many of the Revolutionary
War battle sites, and then one day I came across a copy of Flying
Minute Men -- The story of the Civil Air Patrol by Robert E.
Neprud and the basis of Sea Eagle was formed. It took nearly
ten years before I found the time to write their story, but this book
is dedicated to the Minute Men of all our conflicts, especially those
of the CAP who fought and died defending our shores.
© Copyright 2006 Poitin Inc. All rights reserved.
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