First Strike

Author Paul Higbee follows WWII pilot Don Smith from his childhood through college, flight training, and Army Air Corps service, highlighting the young man's transformation from South Dakota boy to American hero. Higbee reveals the excitement, danger, and pride of the eighty men who took part in the first American attack on Japan and the uncertainty of life in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Smith's story reflects lives forever altered by wartime experiences, whether on land or in the air.