'The Nimrods'

Author Shares Personal History of A-26 Nimrod Crews, Relevancy to Today's Struggle for Freedom


Although the events may have taken place 40 years ago, their impact and the lessons to be learned from them have never been more relevant than in the current affairs of today's world. As told through the eyes of retired U.S. Air Force Col. Roger D. Graham, "The Nimrods" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com) explores in impeccable detail the role of the daring A-26 Nimrod crews who flew countless high-intensity combat missions in the Vietnam War from 1966-1969.

Graham, a former B-52 navigator-bombardier, and a former A-26 navigator and co-pilot who flew 182 combat missions during the Vietnam War, tells readers the incredible true story of the Nimrods, whose courageous, nighttime dive-bombing attacks in Steel Tiger, Barrel Roll and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail made up an important part of U.S. efforts in Vietnam. To illustrate the intensity of the A-26 endeavors, Graham describes more than 20 distinct missions. Even more importantly, he describes the "personalities and psychological reactions of all the unforgettable characters who were a part of the 609th Special Operations Squadron." He emphasizes the pain of separation for military families during times of war, as well as the joy and challenges families face after the war.

According to Graham, "The Nimrods" is highly relevant to the current wars taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the global war on terror, "because it addresses the lessons learned in the Vietnam War (and World War II and the Korean War) and advocates that Americans and their allies apply those lessons learned to the war in Iraq, to terrorism, and to renewed threats of nuclear war from tyrants and terrorists around the world."

"The Nimrods," therefore, is written not only for aviation buffs, military history enthusiasts and military family advocates, but for freedom-loving people around the world. Graham reviews and analyzes recommendations from "The Iraq Study Group Report" and President Bush's new Iraq strategy, articulating "a new vision that can be embraced by the entire world." The author leaves readers with two choices: unite and have the courage to defeat tyrants and terrorism, or suffer continuing terrorist acts that could one day lead to nuclear war and Armageddon.

Graham, raised in Athens, W.Va., and currently living with his family near Atlanta, Ga., is a 1963 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a 1972 graduate of the College of Law at West Virginia University. He received a master's degree in government contract law from George Washington University in 1978, and has had a long and decorated career in the U.S. Air Force, including a two-year assignment with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and assignments in the Washington, D.C. area spanning more than a decade. After Air Force retirement, Graham worked for 12 years with the Lockheed Martin Corporation as the F-22 program attorney.