Ward’s Top-5: Things I’m Thankful For This Holiday Season

Each month I post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

Tis the season for thanks, and with that in mind here are 5 things I’m thankful for:

  1. Family always comes first for me, and this time of year is undeniably special. My family always finds a way to reconnect, and when I’m out flying, I find it uplifting that I’m joining people with those they care about the most. Yes, there can be stress, both in travel and family gatherings, but there are also more smiles in the jetway than any other time of year.

  2. This is the season of giving. Show your appreciation to those who make all our lives better—the teachers, police officers, and garbage men who are so easily taken for granted. Give a helping hand to someone in need. And if you’re looking for a new friend, your local Humane Society will be happy to help you find one.

  3. I’m thankful for readers. I’ve always been one myself, and there’s nothing better than discussing a great story. The biggest downside of being a writer is that it cuts into my reading time!

  4. How dreary would life be if not for friends? Find them, engage them, embrace them. And be the best one you can be.

  5. Peace on Earth. Trite as it sounds, given world events, one must always keep perspective. Conflicts lead the headlines every day, and yes, we should pray and strive to resolve them. Yet there is also peace and happiness that too often goes unnoticed. So wish your neighbor “Good morning,” brew a cup of tea for a friend, and go into the New Year happy and healthy!

About Ward: USAF Flying Safety Officer School

During my time in the Air Force, I attended the USAF Flying Safety Officer School. The name is a bit misleading, as it’s actually a course on air accident investigation. While the NTSB covers civilian air crashes, each military service investigates its own mishaps. It was a really interesting school, covering engineering, aerodynamics, physiology, and human factors.

The highlight of safety school is applying what you learn in the “laboratory” which is basically a few acres where the wreckage from actual crashes has been brought in and laid out exactly as it was found in the field.

I relied heavily on what I learned in this course to write my Jammer Davis series—a hybrid police procedural and thriller centered around various air crashes.

Ward’s Top-5: Writers Whose Books I Never Miss

Each month I post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

I stay pretty busy writing and flying, but here are a few authors whose books I make time for:

Mark Greaney
Mark is a pro who’s been writing for a long time, and his Gray Man series is not to be missed. As an author I appreciate how he comes up with such great, timely ideas—even his side plots are highly entertaining.

Michael Connelly
Harry Bosch is an iconic character, and the TV series is a top-notch adaptation. Also love the Lincoln Lawyer books, and enjoy how Connelly weaves the two series together.

Brad Thor
I’ve been a Scot Harvath fan for over twenty years. If you want today’s headlines read The New York Times. If you want tomorrow’s read Brad Thor.

Lee and Andrew Child
Jack Reacher is a force of nature, and I look forward to the yearly installment like a kid in a candy store. Pure entertainment.

Vince Flynn
I got hooked on Vince’s books right out of the gate. His untimely passing was a great loss, but Kyle Mills picked up the stories without missing a beat. Next year Don Bentley takes the reins, and I can’t wait to see his plans for Mitch Rapp.

About Ward: Airline Life

I’ve been flying for Southwest Airlines since leaving the Air Force. We fly Boeing 737s exclusively, and when I first began working at SWA the airline didn’t even serve the east coast. Today we fly all across America, and also to Central America, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. The highlight of my career came a few months ago when I flew with my oldest son, Lance, who is now a first officer with Southwest. I’ll probably transition soon to full-time writing, but I couldn’t have made a better career choice.

Ward’s Top-5: Places I’ve Lived

Each month I post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

5: I spent five years in Phoenix, and while the summers were a challenge, the rest of the year is gorgeous. My boys were young, and we camped quite a bit in Northern Arizona. I also did a lot of airline flying on the West Coast, which was very low-stress.

4: Panama City, Florida, is home to Tyndall Air Force Base. This was my first assignment after finishing USAF pilot training, and I have great memories of the flying. There’s nothing like being a young lieutenant when your only job is to go out and fly air-to-air every day.

3: I went to college in Orlando. It’s an unusual town with a lot going on. Everyone knows about the theme parks, but I spent most of my time across town at the University of Central Florida. I was never a starter on the soccer team, but I have great memories of making the squad as a walk-on.

2: I spent nearly a year in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s the only place I’ve lived that truly has four seasons. The Balloon Festival in October is terrific, and I’m still addicted to Hatch green chili sauce!

1: I was born in Sarasota, Florida, and that will always be home. Love the beaches and water. It’s a lot bigger now than when I grew up, but I have great memories and a lot of friends here. The odd hurricane aside, there’s no place I’d rather be.

About Ward: My Passion For Soccer

I follow a number of sports, but for participation soccer has always been my game. I began playing in middle school, and for whatever reason the sport clicked. Unfortunately, in Sarasota, Florida, in the late 1970s, there was no organized youth soccer. Nor were there teams in high school.

My only chance to play in those days was with a local men’s club that played league soccer in Southwest Florida. Most of the players were foreign born, and our sponsor was Lowenbrau beer. For a teenager it was quite an education—I learned how to swear in five different languages.

I went to the University of Central Florida, and made the team there as a walk-on. After two years it became clear Manchester United wasn’t going to come calling, so I began making alternate career plans. That’s when the flying began.

I’ve long been a follower of Manchester United, and was able to take my boys, who both played, to Old Trafford for a game when they were young.

Ward’s Top-5: Airplanes I’ve Flown

Each month I will post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

  1. The A-10, of course, has to be first. The training was serious fun—you rarely flew above a thousand feet, and almost every day you got to shoot things with a massive gun. If you ever want to know how effective the A-10 is in combat, ask someone who served on the front lines in the Army or the Marines. When they call for air support, the Warthog is the airplane they hope is loitering nearby.

  2. Boeing 737. Okay, I’m partial here. I’ve flown all four versions of this jet, over twenty thousand hours now, and have never had any major problems. Stable and reliable, it’s the most widely flown airliner in the world over the last fifty years. Pilot’s little secret—the seats up front are far more comfortable than those in back.

  3. T-38 Talon. This is the advanced trainer the Air Force has used since the 1960s. Sleek and simple, it’s a supersonic hot rod with a dizzying roll rate. Just plain fun to fly. The only downside is actually an upside for most pilots—it has issues flying in icing conditions, meaning you rarely have to fly in the weather.

  4. F-15 Eagle. I never got an official checkout in the F-15, but I did get chances to fly it from the backseat as my squadron was transitioning. A big fighter with brute-force power, and avionics that were top notch in the day. The Eagle was first fighter designed for true air dominance.

  5. F-16 Fighting Falcon. Again, I never went through the formal course, but even from the backseat 9Gs is painful. The first fly-by-wire aircraft I ever flew, which takes some getting used to. Quick and agile, it’s hard to keep track of in a dogfight. Oh, and did I mention 9 Gs?

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Severely injured, DeBolt awakens in a seaside cabin in Maine, thousands of miles from where the accident occurred. His lone nurse lets slip that he has been officially declared dead, lost in the crash. Back in Alaska, however, Coast Guard investigator Shannon Lund uncovers evidence that DeBolt might still be alive. Her search quickly becomes personal, but before she can intervene, chaos erupts outside a cabin in the wilds of Maine.

The nurse who has been treating DeBolt is brutally killed by military-trained assassins. DeBolt is only saved when a bizarre vision guides him to safety. Soon other images appear, impossible revelations that are unfailing in their accuracy. As he runs for his life, DeBolt discovers he has been drawn into an ultra-secret government project. The power it bestows is boundless, both a gift and a curse. Yet one thing is certain: Trey DeBolt has abilities no human has ever known.

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About Ward: My Life As A Pilot

Aviation often finds its way into my books, and the reason is clear—before becoming a full-time writer, I was a full-time pilot. When I was in college, I took some flying lessons on a whim. The next thing I knew, I was talking to an ROTC recruiter. I attended USAF pilot training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, flying the T-37 and T-38.

After graduating, I was assigned to the 95 Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron, the “Boneheads,” flying T-33s. Two years later, I was lucky to be chosen to fly the A-10 Warthog, and after training out West, was stationed to England AFB, Louisiana—the famous Flying Tigers of the 23rd Fighter Wing. In January 1991, I led a nine-ship formation “across the pond” and flew over twenty missions in Desert Storm.

The year after that, I separated from the Air Force and began flying for Southwest Airlines.