A new book coming from Tom Young.
His book is about true and little-known plan to evacuate hundreds of airmen stranded behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia, while simultaneously avoiding detection by the Germans. Codenamed Operation Halyard, this little-known mission brought together American special operations officers, airmen, and local guerilla fighters in Yugoslavia’s green hills. Facing overwhelming odds, it’s considered the greatest rescue operation of World War II. 
Young’s ability to write vivid, astonishing scenes of airborne combat and military strategy come from experience: A decorated air combat veteran who flew in Afghanistan and Iraq, he has logged more than 5000 hours and retired as Senior Master Sergeant from the Air Guard after over 20 years. His military honors include three Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.
Young contributed to the anthology Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families, published in 2006. His narrative in Operation Homecoming, “Night Flight to Baghdad,” was excerpted in an article in Stars and Stripes.
About RED BURNING SKY:
Pilot Bill Bogdonavich’s B-24 Liberator has just been shot. He is forced to eject and parachutes down into a land of two wars. Yugoslavia isn’t just at war against Nazi occupiers, but at war with itself – embroiled in a gruesome civil war.
Simultaneously, Lieutenant Drew Carlton is instructing new military pilots on training sorties at Bergstom Airforce Base, Texas – a job he considers the ultimate humiliation. His flying proficiency is the only thing sparing him the disgrace of a discharge. When the opportunity arises to volunteer for an operation requiring short-field takeoffs and landings in German-occupied territory – a mission for which there may be no return – he easily signs on.
Of his previous military thriller, Silver Wings, Iron Cross, Publishers Weekly noted the book is “Exciting… Genre fans will find a lot to like.”
“One of the most exciting new thriller talents in years!” —Vince Flynn
“Young has a gift for allowing the reader to experience the emotional aspect of being a soldier . . . Military-thriller fans should make Young’s work an essential addition to their reading lists.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW