Hap Maryland is missing.

Subtitled: The Story of Tom Blackburn and Navy Fighting Squadron VF-17. The harrowing, true story of one of the Navys foremost fighter squadrons, VF-17 and its charismatic commander, fighter ace Tom Blackburn.

The author describes his experiences as commander of the Navy VF-17 squadron in the Solomon Islands during World War II

Here is the coming-of-age story of Gabbro, North Carolina's own irascible, irrepressible newswoman Faye Bynum.

A delayed message from her mother pricks the conscience of Hap Maryland's pal Suellen Ransom.

Thomas Blackburn was a haunted and difficult man.

In his action-packed war memoir and unit history, Blackburn describes VF-17's intense, winning campaign against the Japanese over the northern Solomon Islands and Rabaul in late 1943 and early 1944.

This edition includes a new introduction by the author's daughter, Julia Blackburn.