Warriors

Acknowledgment

Many thoughtful people-aviators and otherwise-have eased my transition process from history to fiction. Among the first was David Ballantine, who thought enough of the original draft of Warriors to endorse it to his brother. Ian and Betty Ballantine accelerated the usual glacial pace of publishing negotiations, and Greg Tobin at Bantam has been an encouraging editor.

Additionally, grateful recognition is extended to those who contributed special knowledge or support, starting with the Champlin Fighter Museum in Mesa, Arizona. CFM is the finest institution of its type, and by happy accident it became the scene of meetings with pilots from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel. Lieutenant Colonel Jim Anderson of nearby Williams Air Force Base, who has since traded in his F-5 for a Boeing 737, was especially helpful with introductions and critiques.

Dick Jonas of Phoenix, a former fighter pilot himself and full-time balladeer, kindly allowed me to rewrite one of his songs. Also an Arizona asset is Jeff Cooper, the gunfighter's guru, who is the basis for small-arms doctrine.

Lieutenant Colonel Tom "Skip" Ostermann, an Eagle driver from Luke and Nellis, made valuable comments on current fighter aircraft, weapons, and procedures.

But the Navy also came through in fine style. Bob and Sally Lawson of The Hook magazine read the manuscript and provided a wealth of suggestions and advice. So did Captain Wynn Foster, USN (Ret.), whose knowledge of the A-4 Skyhawk and light attack aviation are golden.

Rear Admiral Paul "Punchy" Gillcrist, USN (Ret.), provided aeronautical charts and useful data on the Northrop F-20 as did Captain Phil Wood, USN (Ret.). Though the Tigershark never entered production, its private-enterprise origin remains deserving of thanks from every American taxpayer.

I could hope for no finer critics than Bob and Curt Dose, Navy fighter pilots who have left indelible impressions on two generations of enemy airmen. Another tailhook aviator, Steve Coonts, was similarly encouraging.

Navy Fighter Squadron 143 responded quickly to a request for T-shirts of ''The World-Famous Pukin' Dogs," who truly are sans reproche.

John Tillman provided a lucid explanation of nuclear physics while yet another jet pilot, Debra McCormick, lent a copy of the Koran and a knowledge of the Middle East.

As depicted herein, the geography and military capabilities of the region's nations are accurate to the extent known. The most significant departures from fact are the mythical Hovda and Balhama air bases in Israel.

Finally, those in the business know that there exist actual fighter pilots with callsigns mentioned in these pages. Neither too much nor too little should be made of that fact. But to the real Pirate and Devil-and to their fellow warriors with noms de guerre like Diego, Snake, and "the original Maverick"-this book is dedicated.