Declared Hostile

Product Description

IT HAD ALL GONE TO HELL SO QUICKLY…Wilson shot a glance over his right shoulder at San Ramón. In addition to the blinking of anti-aircraft artillery guns, he could see clouds of smoke on the field from the numerous Slash hits. Breathing through his mouth, he concentrated on getting fast and maintaining a slight climb. Bright fireballs of AAA shot by him in groups of three and four, orderly trails from low to high. His body was tense, ready for impact.He felt and heard the thud behind, on his right.Terrified, he twisted his body in the ejection seat to see what he could, pushing his helmet and goggles with his left hand to see over his wing. Through the narrow field of view of the goggles, he sensed flickering behind him. He then felt the airplane yaw right. Both were signs he had lost thrust on the right side.Sonofabitch!

Review

Naval Historical Foundation Book Review – Charles Bogart

Those who read Kevin Miller’s book 
Raven One will find that he has once again authored a fascinating and believable book. This time the story centers on a contemporary but fictitious U.S. Naval action in the Caribbean. The naval action within this book revolves around Cdr. Jim “Flip” Wilson who the reader first encountered in Raven One. That Kevin Miller, the author of this book, was once a Navy pilot comes through loud and clear as one reads each page of the book. Some may find the story line in Declared Hostile somewhat far-fetched, but who would have given credence to the 9-11 attack on the United States if presented in a work of fiction in 1999.  The story line of the book centers around an alliance between portions of the Venezuelan government and a drug cartel that directly threatens the security of the United States. The author performs an impressive job in bringing to life not only the men and women of the aircraft carrier Coral Sea and its air squadrons, but also the members of the cartel and their allies. We get not only to know these individuals as people but what motivates them. The author paints a beautiful canvas that one can judge not only the actions of Cdr. Wilson and his fellow pilots, but the steps taken by the drug cartel and its allies as well. While the climactic battle is well-written and believable, the author does not end his book here; instead, he continues to examine the retribution inflicted upon those the drug cartel leadership believe failed in carrying out their assignment or who helped the United States.This book is read on two levels. It is a war story in which good appears to win over evil, as well as an examination of political options and consequences. The author raises some political, military, and humanitarian issues within the book for which no correct answer is provided, perhaps because there is no correct answer. Because there appears to be no correct answer for some of these issues raised, I believe the book is worthy of being the subject of a college seminar on actions and consequences.

About the Author

Captain Kevin Miller, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, is a former tactical naval aviator and has flown the A-7E Corsair II and FA-18 Hornet operationally. He commanded a carrier-based strike-fighter squadron in combat, and, during his career, logged over 1,000 carrier-arrested landings, made possible as he served alongside outstanding men and women as part of a winning team. Captain Miller lives and writes in Pensacola, Florida. DECLARED HOSTILE is the second novel in his Flip Wilson series.