Almost a year ago, Dad wrote about a book we were in the process of developing for publication. It was an audacious project, both for its author, my good friend and Air Force veteran Joseph Bowman, who had been working for decades on the manuscript, and for us as a tiny, family-owned press. A sprawling trilogy, likely well over a thousand pages in all, of birth-to-death biographies of all 62 U.S. Air Force Medal of Honor recipients, with special sections devoted to their Medal of Honor actions, spanning from 1918 to now.

What were we thinking?

We were thinking that they were stories that deserved—indeed, needed—to be preserved and told, and in a fashion suitable to the prestige of the topic, as we saw it. It was that vision we decided was up to us to bring to fruition.

The photo above shows the current culmination of that vision—the 564 page, 8.5 x 11 paperback edition of the first volume of Joe’s series. It’s complemented by a Kindle version, both available as of today. With the paperback now in hand, we do hope to use it to help raise awareness and funds enough to bring out a dustjacket hardcover edition as well.

As for the book itself, I can’t do better than the Amazon description:

Some are household names and legends. Some are famous among Air Force members and aviation enthusiasts. Most are simply unknown. They came from all walks of life, from career soldiers to ordinary citizens, from poverty to affluence, but when facing their toughest challenge, they all displayed extraordinary bravery, and were awarded our nation’s highest military decoration of valor: the Medal of Honor.

In a genre-defining feat of biography, the lives and Medal of Honor actions of every U.S. Air Force Medal of Honor recipient from WWI through the middle of WWII have their remarkable stories fully told in Volume 1 of the monumental Bravest of the Brave series.

The culmination of over thirty years of continuing research by author and Air Force veteran MSgt (Ret) Joseph P. Bowman, Volume 1, is drawn from the most up-to-date archival sources available, some previously unknown, as well as personal interviews with the spouses, children, and peers of each recipient, and where possible, even the men themselves.

Covering the years 1918-1943, Volume I includes:

• A foreword by MoH recipient LtCol Jay Zeamer, Jr., leader of Zeamer’s Eager Beavers, the most highly decorated air crew in American history, and pilot of the famed B-17 “Old 666” / “Lucy.”

• 24 biographies in all, featuring legends like Rickenbacker, Luke, Doolittle, Lindbergh, and Walker, as well as unknown heroes like Mathis, Smith, Wilkins, Vosler, and more.

• 17 chapters uniquely grouped chronologically to create single, cohesive narratives for the likes of Bleckley and Goettler, Craw and Hamilton, Zeamer and Sarnoski, and the five recipients of the Ploesti Raid.

• Over 220 color and B&W photos and maps

• A full listing of the citations for every American award and decoration received by each recipient

• A full listing of every award and decoration, American and foreign, received by each recipient

• 26 pp of endnotes, 20-page bibliography, plus index

Unparalleled in both breadth and detail, respectful yet historically objective, Bravest of the Brave, Vol. 1, is an incredible testimony to the lives and achievements of our country’s most highly honored Air Force heroes. A true collector’s item for the armchair aviation enthusiast and must-have for the military scholar.

It’s a remarkable feat to make you feel like you’ve read an entire book about someone in just a single chapter, but that’s precisely what Joe has managed to do. We firmly believe there is no other single source for learning as much about these American heroes as Bravest of the Brave.

To celebrate the launch, as well as National Medal of Honor Day on Tuesday, we’re offering the Kindle version for free through Monday, and it and the paperback at a reduced price through the end of the week.

If you’re interested, you can find the book here: https://amzn.to/4bRQZCO

If you’re impressed, Joe would obviously appreciate your saying so in a review.

Much thanks to all.

Clint Hayes