5/5 I return to one of my favorite sections of Nonfiction with a Starlight Book Review (SBR) of Skybreak: The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm by Mike Guardia, a graduate from the University of Houston. Thus, I’m counting this book as such I’ve read by an author from my hometown of Houston in the Read Local Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC). This book could also meet the requirement of a 1990s book for the Set in the Day SRC. I believe this is my first 5/5 rating on a nonreligious SBR, too.
“The top MiG Killers of Operation Desert Storm… August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapsed under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military led a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm—a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear were the men of the US Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron… Mounted aboard their F-15C fighter jets, these young aviators took to the sky against the Iraqi Air Force. Although confident in their capabilities, these untested American pilots were flying into combat against the latest-and-greatest of Soviet-built aircraft – including the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum.’… Despite the odds, however, the men of the 58th Fighter Squadron decimated the Iraqi Air Force in one engagement after another. On the first day of the air war (January 17, 1991), Captain Jon “JB” Kelk claimed the first aerial victory of Desert Storm, downing a MiG-29 in combat. In less than 30 days, the 58th Fighter Squadron flew more than 1,600 combat sorties and destroyed 16 Iraqi aircraft – more than any other coalition air unit… Based on hours of interviews and archival research by author Mike Guardia, this book reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern aerial combat…as told by the men who lived it… ‘Skybreak’ is their story.”
Skybreak… is an exhilarating flight of the Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm. This is the thrilling introduction to this valiant squadron. I especially loved learning about the callsigns of the squadron. “ET” was my personal favorite. I liked how dynamic and alive Skybreak… was to read; a contemporary history of those whose praises must be sung more. In fact, I highly recommend all of Guardia’s works I’ve read so far and look forward to reading his books in the future.
Visit his site by clicking here.
Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.
Starry Night Elf 
2 thoughts on “Starlight Book Review – Mike Guardia’s Skybreak…”