AMERICAN EAGLES: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, by Ron Dick, Howell Press, 464 pages, $65.
In this handsomely illustrated volume, Air Vice-Marshall Dick (ret.) and aviation photographer Patterson tell the story of the beginning of flight, the creation of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the military, and today’s technological aviation achievements. The book covers the careers of legendary figures like the Wright brothers, Benny Foulois, Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, and Jimmy Doolittle, as well as those of the designers, pilots, and mechanics who helped make the USAF into what it is today. First-hand accounts from veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and the Persian Gulf War together with art, photographs, and memorabilia from the collection of the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, and more than 500 photographs combine to tell the story of the USAF and the people who have dedicated their lives to making it a success.
