Above the Pacific

Three Medal of Honor Fighter Aces of World War II Speak

By: Colin Heaton

Narrated by: Colin Heaton, Steve Hendrickson, Gary Bennett, Sean Runnette

Three legendary fighter pilots from the Pacific War—all recipients of the Medal of Honor—tell their own stories in this remarkable collection.

Marine ace Pappy Boyington is perhaps the most celebrated of all American pilots in the war against Japan, fighting in the skies with both the famed Flying Tigers and his own Black Sheep Squadron. Marine Joe Foss joined Guadalcanal’s Cactus Air Force and destroyed a Japanese Zero on his first mission—the first of twenty-six aerial kills achieved during the war. Navy captain David McCampbell didn’t notch his first kill until June 1944, but he would quickly go on to assemble one of the most remarkable aerial-combat records in history with thirty-four victories, including nine in one day. In this gripping oral history—which spans the entire war— from the Americans who fought the Japanese in China to the final, desperate battle for Okinawa, these three heroes tell their own stories, in their own words. These interviews, personally conducted by military veteran and historian Colin Heaton, are the final testimony of some of America’s greatest warriors.

Critic reviews

Praise for Colin Heaton

“Readers with military background in general, and interest in and knowledge of the war in particular, will welcome and applaud this revealing history. Readers encountering information about the war for the first time may have their eyeballs pop out on springs....The text pulls you along like an action/adventure novel, owing to the vivid voices of these five men and the obstacles they had to overcome. At the same time, it feels like you’re sitting in the same room with them hearing the stories firsthand.”—New York Journal of Books

“Colin Heaton has once again produced a series of first-person accounts from the men who made aviation history....An invaluable addition to military history.”—Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call and Spearhead

“Among the top tier of World War II histories.”—Jay A. Stout, author of Hell's Angels

Personal accounts

I never tire of hearing war stories from the warriors themselves. We honor them when we listen. They deserve our attention.