Fly Safe: Letters from the Gulf War and Reflections From Back Home

Description

-Timely release: 2021 marks the 30-year anniversary of the first Gulf War-Operation Desert Storm Both during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are similarities between what is happening today and the author's story about events from thirty years ago; having to navigate in a new norm, the uncertainty of tomorrow, making sacrifices for the greater good, and ultimately, finding strength and resilience amid the ever-changing landscape that we live in. The author has become a voice for multiple generations of Army spouses everywhere. She speaks at spouse events and forums as she continues her role as a senior spouse mentor, and her book Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents' Guide, published by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) in 2005, has been given out to over 500,000 Army family members. Cody's debut memoir, Army Wife (She Writes Press 2016) won the 2016 USA Best Book Award for narrative nonfiction and was a finalist for the 2016 Indie Foreword Book of the Year in the military category. It was also named in Kirkus Reviews' top 100 books of 2016.

Vicki Cody grew up in Burlington, Vermont, and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in education. For the next thirty-three years, she was an Army wife, supporting her husband in his career. She has appeared on several media programs, including CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, and Soldier Television and Radio, discussing her writings and Army family issues. Her memoir, Army Wife: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army, published in 2016 by She Writes Press, won the 2016 USA Best Book Award for narrative non-fiction and was a Finalist for the 2016 Foreword Indies Book of the Year in the military category. It was also named in Kirkus Reviews top 100 books of 2016. Cody is also the author of Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents' Guide and, most recently, the revised edition, Your Soldier, Your Army: A Family Guide, both of which were published by the Association of the United States Army. Her articles have appeared in numerous military magazines and publications. She and her husband of forty-five years live in the Washington DC area.

2021 CIBA Military & Front Lines Book Awards First Place Winner "A searchingly personal memoir that also provides a thrilling peek into the Gulf War." -Kirkus Reviews "In Vicki Cody's Fly Safe, her moving follow-up to her first memoir, Army Wife, she delivers a tour de force full of emotion, determination, grit, and hope, something our country needs now more than ever. Vicki's engrossing writing style takes us inside her world of handling critical roles as army wife, mom, family readiness group leader, and friend to so many as her husband famously fired the first shots of the Gulf War." -Anthony J. Tata, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Retired) and national best-selling author of Chasing the Lion "Cody gives us a front-seat ride on her journey as an Army wife, this time through journal entries and personal letters from her husband as he flew the most dangerous missions of Operation Desert Storm more than thirty years ago. Vicki weaves the correspondence into a gripping, historical narrative that chronicles the fears, tensions, high notes, and loneliness of an Army family waiting at home, all at a time when handwritten letters and sporadic phone calls were the only lifelines. A truly American tale of sacrifice, love, and commitment that, as readers will find out, isn't over yet. An elegant and riveting work." -Gina Cavallaro, author of Sniper: American Single-Shot Warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan "Cody has an uncanny way of giving us a vulnerable look behind the curtain of a Commander in theater, and the woman who loves him back on post. Her intimate details of 'deployed love' are honest and heartfelt . . . with a level of candor I've never before seen. Thank you for your bravery in giving us all a window to your soul, the soul of your marriage, and the soul of those who serve." -Heidi Collins, former CNN news anchor and proud wife of USAF fighter/attack pilot, Capt. Matt Collins "With unparalleled grace and humility, Vicki Cody pours her soul out on the page for all to experience. In bearing her soul, she captures our hearts. Fly Safe is a must read for all Americans." -Jimmy Blackmon, author of Pale Horse and Cowboys Over Iraq