Captain Anne ?Chichi? Armstrong, a newly minted AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter pilot in the United States Marine Corps, dreamt of flying in combat after living through the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers a decade earlier. Eager to ?make it?, especially after her struggles in flight school, she can think of no greater challenge, and reward, than flying her Cobra over the skies of Afghanistan. When a chance opportunity to fight, and fly, in Helmand Province is suddenly offered, Chichi eagerly accepts. She spends six months in Camp Leatherneck behind a desk in a plywood office writing the Air Tasking Order flight schedule. Despite her initial frustration, she begins to enjoy her time deployed. Even better, she flies with the skid squadrons in-country, finally realizing her dream of becoming a combat attack helicopter pilot. She's made it. Or so she thinks. Chichi returns to her parent squadron fresh from combat and eager to progress her flight qualifications, only to realize she's been blacklisted for abandoning them ? she's not the priority and will never get a chance to fulfil her true potential. Ten months after returning Stateside, Chichi volunteers to return to Afghanistan. Chichi quickly re-establishes her combat lifestyle working in yet another plywood office. She fights her way back into the cockpit and flies enough to earn the prestigious Air Medal. Mid-deployment, a British Royal Navy officer joins her shift who she falls for fast, making her reevaluate what really matters in life. Before she leaves the desert, they decide to pursue a long-distance relationship, motivating her to begin the painful process of clearing the skeletons out of her closet that she hasn't acknowledged for years. But when she stops denying her past, will her dark truth ruin both her career in the military and her future with her beloved? AUTHOR: Anne Armstrong spent nine years on Active Duty with the United States Marine Corps and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. She qualified as an attack helicopter pilot and flew with HMLA-467 out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina from 2009 until 2014, deploying twice to Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Her personal decorations include the Air Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal. 16 b/w illustrations
