EDWARD LARSON has been an adventurer most of his life. Although he grew up in Seattle, he spent his summers on Alaska towboats transporting salmon from the fishing banks to canneries spread throughout Southeast Alaska. At the age of 17, with America entering WWII, he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, completing his basic and CTD training in Lincoln and Des Moines, preflight training at Santa Ana, Eighth Army Air Forces flight training at Visalia (Sequoia Field), and twin-engine advanced school at Stockton Field with his fellow members of Squadron 44-D.
In October 1944, Ed transitioned to a B-24 training program at Kirtland Army Air Field; then on Christmas Eve 1944, he was ordered to the China-Burma-India Theater of War to transport much-needed bombs, ammunition, and barreled aviation fuel to fighter groups operating against the Japanese. While serving overseas, he flew C-109 and C-87 aircraft before falling in love with the purr of the C-46’s twin R-2800 engines.
Following the war, Larson returned to Southeast Alaska, once again working the fishing boats. His first book, Spring Tides: Memories of Alaskan Towboats, is based on those experiences. In 1954, he re-entered college and earned a master’s degree, which led to a thirty-year career in education.
Along with his itch for adventure, Larson’s passion for writing and illustrating crystalized as a young boy. Now, at the age of 94, he has amassed a considerable body of critically acclaimed work—writing and illustrations that have appeared in literary journals, magazines, and other publications; his artwork is widely collected. In 2018, he published his sixth book, Leaves from the Autumns of Yesterday, a collection of short stories, poems, and drawings. Set in the sweeping landscape of Montana, on the majestic, often perilous waters of Alaska, along the coastal lands and waterways of California, and in the skies over China and the Far East, it tells the stories of people Ed Larson has lived with and loved.
Ed Larson recently collaborated with T. Anthony Quinn, an accomplished actor, to produce a ten-and-a-half-hour audiobook telling the story of Larson’s experiences growing up during the golden age of aviation and serving as one of the youngest USAAF pilots during WWII. Insightfully written by Larson and masterfully narrated by Quinn, Spear-Carrier in a Backwater War provides fascinating anecdotes on the history of aviation and the developments of aircraft during the first half of the twentieth century.
Through their partnership, a friendship has grown, and late in the production process, Larson learned that Quinn’s commitment has very personal significance. Quinn's dad, Lieutenant Donald J. Quinn, USAAF, not only followed Larson by a month throughout pilot training at bases in California and Arizona, but to Larson’s amazement, he learned that he and Quinn’s dad also served at the same time in the same theater of war. For acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, Larson was awarded the United States Armed Forces Air Medal. For his heroism and extraordinary service, Lieutenant Quinn received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.
Lending his talents to Ed Larson’s story, Tony Quinn brings extraordinary depth and a rich appreciation to the story of a young man with a manic devotion to all things flying—a young man who served his country with honest dedication and humility—a young man who came home from a terrible war and quietly built a home and family and a life.
Ed Larson is like a lot of the people who served during WWII. Most of them never recognized for their effort. But all of them, heroes. As much as it is Ed Larson’s story, Spear-Carrier in a Backwater War is also a nod to Tony Quinn’s dad and the rest of those men and women whose service and sacrifice helped redeem the world.
Ed Larson remains active, occasionally attending air shows and sharing his experiences with enthusiastic audiences. He has two granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. He still loves writing, illustrating, and flying, and he still knows how to tell a great story.
Tony Quinn's other recent audiobook credits include Jack London’s, The Road and John James Audubon: The Nature of the American Woodsman by Gregory Nobles. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA, and his credits include eighteen feature-length films and dozens of stage presentations. He has had featured roles in several television programs and lent his versatile, trademark voice to commercials and other broadcasts.
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