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Skip O’Neill lies dying of leukemia in a New York hospital, determined to live until the new millennium. His wasted body shows scant evidence of the man he once was—an Air Force fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran.
O’Neill’s first assignment as a young lieutenant places him among hard drinking World War II—and Korean War—era fighter pilots who quickly teach him their ways. He almost washes out of pilot training but is persistent and manages to graduate. In Vietnam, he proves to be a skillful and courageous pilot who faces dangers of all kinds with equanimity. But the greatest—and most deadly danger—materializes years after O’Neill volunteers to be an observer at an atomic test site.
In the end, O’Neill decides that when his time comes, he will dash at it fearlessly. He anticipates being greeted by departed friends—but what awaits him is something totally unexpected.
From Amazon
Skip O’Neill was just twenty two when he volunteered to participate in an atomic test. He did so willingly, certain his government would not put him in harm’s way. Afterwards, he served his country honorably and with courage, retiring as a Colonel and combat decorated fighter pilot. Years later, he learned the awful truth—he was dying of leukemia, most likely due to radiation exposure.
While Skip is fictional, his story unfortunately is not. More than 400,000 troops were exposed to radiation during atomic tests or as POWs in Japan. Fewer than 20,000 are still alive. Most are over seventy five. Many have cancer. “I participated in an atomic test at Yucca Flat, Nevada in August, 1957.” Standerfer told an interviewer. “Standing on an observation platform eight miles from ground zero, I watched the detonation of an atomic bomb with a yield of 44 kilotons—more than twice the size of the one dropped in Nagasaki. Needless to say, it was an experience I never forgot and it weighed heavily on my mind when I wrote the book.”
The Eagle’s Last Flight is a journey through a nearly forgotten era when the Cold War veterans were place in harm’s way by our government and routinely lost their lives due to the carelessness and mismanagement of their leaders. Given the current controversies over adequate protection for our troops in Iraq, it is likely that readers who take that journey will learn a lot about how things used to be, but conclude that nothing much has changed.
About the Author
Ron Standerfer was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, a town across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, Missouri. While attending the University of Illinois he took his first airplane ride in a World War II-Vintage B-25 bomber assigned to the local ROTC detachment. It was a defining moment in his life. Weeks later, he left college to enlist in the Air Force’s aviation cadet program. He graduated from flight training at the age of twenty and was commissioned as a Second Lt.
Another defining moment occurred early in his career. In August 1957, he participated in an atomic test at Yucca Flat, Nevada. Standing on an observation platform eight miles from ground zero, he watched the detonation of an atomic bomb code named Smoky. The test yielded an unexpected 44 kilotons—more than twice the size of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. He never forgot Smoky, and the memory of that experience weighed heavily on his mind when he wrote The Eagle’s Last Flight.
Ron’s twenty seven-year Air Force career spanned the cold war years between 1954 and 1981. During that time, he flew a variety of high performance fighters including the F-100, F-102, F-105, F-4 and A-7. He flew over 200 combat missions during the Vietnam conflict and was awarded two Silver Stars, thirteen Air Medals and the Purple Heart. The latter was received after he was shot down over Tchepone, Laos in 1969. He retired from the Air Force as a full Colonel after tours in the Pentagon and Tactical Air Command headquarters in Virginia.
He continued to pursue his passion for aviation after retiring . He was a marketing director for Falcon Jet Corporation, a subsidiary of the French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation. In that capacity, he was responsible for launching the marketing campaign for the Falcon 900, a long-range business jet. Later, he was an owner of an aircraft charter and management company in Elmira, NY and also a marketing consultant.
These days Ron and his wife Marzenna, the daughter of a distinguished theatrical family in Warsaw Poland, spend their time near New York City and at their winter home in Delray Beach, Florida.
Buy Ron’s book at Amazon
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