Punk's War

An F-14 aviator takes his readers into the cockpits, ready-rooms, and bunkrooms of the U.S. Navy to show what it's like to fight in today's wars. From the opening chapter where a Tomcat fighter squadron's commanding officer botches an intercept of a hostile Iranian F-4 to the final uplifting scene, Ward Carroll's novel reveals the inner workings of the military as only an insider can. Seldom has fiction been so real.

Adopting the tone of the quixotic lieutenants who populate its pages, the novel helps us understand the pressures on a new generation of warfighters through an engaging cast of characters. Unlike other stories about the business of flying from aircraft carriers, this work provides serious food for thought about what motivates young people to keep doing what they do despite the dangers, disappointments, and personal sacrifices. Published to critical and popular acclaim in 2001, the novel is now available on audiotape. 6 cassettes. 560 minutes. Unabridged.