by Jon Erwin and William Doyle >> A mission to stop World War II, by bombing Japan, did not go as planned. On board one of the B-29s, a phosphorus bomb detonated inside the plane. Staff Sergeant “Red” Erwin absorbed the blast yet managed to throw overboard the still-flaming bomb before collapsing from third-degree burns over much of his body. President Truman wanted to award him the Medal of Honor before he died, but none were available, so General Curtis LeMay dispatched a squad of airmen to smash a display case to obtain a medal before Red died. Meanwhile, Red’s courageous young bride set out on her own mission, one of against-all-odds healing. Her success would determine the fate of the 23-year-old warrior—and years later make possible the birth of the book’s author: their grandson, Jon Erwin.
