Meet the Special Operations Squad: Timothy Parkhurst-Crook turned hero, who has the ability to slip through time. Violet Holbrook-Recovering from a near-death experience gave her the ability to travel outside her body. Jeffrey Henshaw-The inheritor of a magical book, using the powers for the good of those in trouble. Jonathan Gerber-Low-level telekinetic, with feelings of inadequacy. Brian Overman-The mysterious man who puts the team together.

Adrian Garland CEO of Global Consumer Industries has found an 80 meter diameter sphere of unknown origin at a mining site in Africa. To drill into the sphere he needs a classified laser built by the United States for defense against nuclear missiles. The only way to get such a device would be to steal it and he hired a group of mercenaries to do just that. After the theft of the device, Col. Reed is tasked by the Pentagon to assemble an elite group of supernatural soldiers to get the weapon back and eliminate all those involved with the theft of the laser. Special Operations Team: Raptor is sent head to head against an experienced group of soldiers for hire.

For nearly fifty years, citizen airmen have served in the nation's defense as members of the Air Force Reserve. Citizen Airmen: A History of the Air Force Reserve, 194 & 1994 begins with the fledgling air reserve program initiated in 1916, traces its progress through World War II, and then concentrates on the period 1946 through 1994. The study skillfully describes the process by which a loosely organized program evolved into today's impressive force. The Air Force Reserve story is told within the context of national political and military policy and stresses that over the decades, as national needs have increased, reservists have met the challenges. Initially, the Air Force treated its reserve units as supplemental forces and equipped them with surplus equipment. Shortly after the Air Force Reserve was established in 1948, its members mobilized for Korean War duty and they served throughout the conflict. The Reserve program subsequently fell into disarray and required patient rebuilding. The passage of a series of key federal laws related to personnel issues and the introduction of the air reserve technician program greatly assisted in this rejuvenation process. In the l96Os, the Air Force Reserve demonstrated its mettle as it participated in numerous mobilizations reflecting the Cold War tensions of the era. Reservists were involved in operations ranging from the Berlin Crisis of 1961-1962 to the Southeast Asia mobilizations in 1968. In the 197Os, the Air Force Reserve program assumed heightened importance when the Department of Defense adopted the Total Force Policy. This concept treated the active forces, the National Guard, and all reserve forces as an integrated force. Reservists were now expected to meet the same readiness standards as their active duty counterparts. Since then, the Air Force Reserve has demonstrated its ability to perform a wide variety of missions. Air Reservists participated in American military operations in Grenada and Panama.

In May 1970, aerial photographs revealed what U.S. military intelligence believed was a POW camp near the town of Son Tay, twenty-three miles west of North Vietnam’s capital city. When American officials decided the prisoners were attempting to send signals, they set in motion a daring plan to rescue the more than sixty airmen thought to be held captive. On November 20, a joint group of volunteers from U.S. Army Green Berets and U.S. Air Force Special Operations Forces perfectly executed the raid, only to find the prisoners' quarters empty; the POWs had been moved to a different location. Initially, the Son Tay raid was a devastating disappointment to the men who risked their lives to carry it out. Many vocal critics labeled it as a spectacular failure of our nation’s intelligence network. However, subsequent events proved that the audacity of the rescue attempt stunned the North Vietnamese, who implemented immediate changes in the treatment of their captives. The operation also restored the prisoners’ faith that their nation had not forgotten them. John Gargus not only participated in the planning phase of the Son Tay rescue, but also flew as a lead navigator for the strike force. This revised edition incorporates the most recent information from raid participants and also includes recent translations of North Vietnamese perspectives. No previous account of this top-secret action has given such a full account or such insight into both the execution and the aftermath of Son Tay.