New Autobiography Chronicles an American Family’s Epic Journey Through War and Peace

Punta Gorda, FL, September 07, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Author Dick Nelson announces the release of his autobiography, The Contrail Chronicles, published by Outskirts Press, Inc. Nelson has written a remarkable tribute to his father—a fighter pilot and a hero—and he provides an inside view of the military through his own decorated career as a fighter pilot after his father’s tragic death. The book reveals the military adventures of both father and son—as well as the trauma that war inflicts on the families of these warriors, even after the conflict is over.

First Lieutenant Wendel Nelson was on his eleventh combat mission in a P-51 when he was ordered to take off in a blinding snowstorm to fly bomber escort into Germany. This would be Nelson’s final mission: He and five other pilots were killed in the space of an hour. His death would inspire his son, Dick, to enlist in the US Navy weeks before his eighteenth birthday—and what follows is an extraordinary career spanning the military, commercial aviation, and law.

The Contrail Chronicles is also the story of the Nelson family—their joys and sorrows, triumphs and tragedies—and throughout, the far-reaching effects of World War II and Vietnam on this patriotic American family. Nelson is painfully honest about what happens when a family loses a son, a father, a daughter, a mother, or a spouse to war.

But there are uproarious moments in this book as well—Nelson writes with a sharp wit and a sarcastic sense of humor. He illustrates the unique bonds and camaraderie that exist between fighter pilots of every nation, after the shooting stops, and offers an insider’s glimpse of the military and its larger-than-life personalities. Beneath his life’s story runs an undercurrent of the love and respect that Nelson feels for his father, and the enormity of his loss.

The story of the Nelson family’s adventures is beautifully written, with over 300 pages and dozens of photographs that make the events—and their participants—come alive. This exciting autobiography is available online through Ingram Book Wholesalers, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

ISBN: 978-1-4327-5504-1 Format: 7 x 10 paperback SRP: $23.95
Genre: Biography/Military/Historical

About the Author: Dick Nelson graduated from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1964, with a double major in electrical engineering and foreign languages. During his Navy career, he served as a politico-military liaison with the Peruvian Navy and the American Embassy in Peru, and as an F-8 fighter pilot. His many honors include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” 13 Air Medals, the Navy Unit Citation, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross, and other decorations. After leaving active duty, Nelson was employed by Continental as a commercial airline pilot, but left in 1984 to attend the UCLA School of Law. He retired from his California law practice in 2005 and worked temporarily for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Miami as a political asylum officer. Currently, Nelson lives in Punta Gorda, Florida, with his wife, Janet.

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/thecontrailchronicles.

About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press offers full-service, custom self-publishing and marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press, Inc. represents the future of book publishing, today.

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