Football Flyboy

Does a good man’s life end at his death? The answer for daughter Lisa Reinicke was, “No.” Her father was known by many names: Buster, Bill, Billy, Dad, and the Football Flyboy. His deeds, no matter how small, should be passed down to family, friends, and anyone looking for inspiration, and life-lessons from one who worked, lived and part of the Greatest Generation. The Football Flyboy was young, newlywed and a pilot in WWII. He was a good man. One weekend morning, she determined that his spirit should not stay silent just because his mouth could no longer speak words. “I open my dad’s old air force footlocker - still solid, battleship grey, weathered, and a little rough from travel and age. His name is in white lettering on the front: First Lt William R Cannon.”​ What she discovered were yellowed envelopes bound in twine - hundreds of them - that her father had written to her mother. Letters written daily during the last year of WWII and received by his bride. Her daily letters disappeared - only three times during the year, did the “mailman” catch up with him and teased with just a few of the hundreds. “Before reaching inside, there was a feeling of the hands of time grabbing onto my heart, knowing that this was such a huge part of not only his life but my mom’s as well.” Meet Bill “Buster” Cannon, the Football Flyboy ... a good man with a good life who made a difference.

Wilhelmina had one wish—she wished she didn't look like this. Fly along with Wilhelmina, a fairy with a unique uni-brow. She wants to change the way she looks, but it's not that easy. In this meaningful poetic story, your child will learn that one of the most important things in life is to be grateful with what you've got.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Chief Aviation Ordnanceman John W. Finn, though suffering multiple wounds, continued to man his machine gun against waves of Japanese aircraft attacking the Kaneohe Bay Naval Station during the infamous Pearl Harbor raid. Just over three years later, as World War II struggled into its final months, a B-29 radioman named Red Erwin lingered near death after suffering horrific burns to save his air crew in the skies off Japan. They were the first and last of thirty U.S. Navy, Army, and Marine Corps aviation personnel awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions against the Japanese during World War II. They included pilots and crewmen manning fighters and dive bombers and flying boats and bombers. One was a general. Another was a sergeant. Some shot down large numbers of enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Others sacrificed themselves for their friends or risked everything for complete strangers. Who were these now largely forgotten men? Where did they come from? What inspired them to rise “above and beyond”? What, if anything, made them different? Virtually all had one thing in common: they always wanted to fly. They came from a generation that revered the aces of World War I, like Eddie Rickenbacker, the civilian flyer Charles Lindbergh, and the lost aviator Amelia Earhart—and then they blazed their own trail during World War II.

“Buckle Up captures the personal commitment, dedication, and investment required to bring a new company to life and then success thereafter.” —Mike Jaroc, Senior Executive, Advisor and Author of Extraordinary Lessons From An Ordinary Life "Lisa knows how to win, and she has a gift for helping us all overcome the flat tires and bent fenders of everyday life!" —Paul Harraka, NASCAR driver/Anodize Capital Partners Entrepreneur "A powerful and inspirational book on what business ownership is truly like. Full of wisdom, hard-earned truths and lessons learned... A must-read." —Rick Wright, International Executive Coach Long hours, exhaustion, and family dynamics play a big part in your company. After inventing the concept of Automotive Warranty Network and venturing out on a new horizon from the basement of our home, I quickly realized that growing the business and our family simultaneously was a juggling act. This is a story of how a young girl with no education formed a 22-million-dollar enterprise and learned many lessons along the way. Learning how to be in the business of being in business is hard to do when the business needs you to do the work while the company grows. But if I can do this, you can too. Let me share the successes and failures and have a laugh or two along the way. Owning your own business is a wild ride, but it can be a fun and fruitful adventure.

Buster, a small-town football hero, turns pilot during WW2, with an ego to match both titles. His attitude grows as gets outside his comfort zone piloting C-47 troop and cargo carriers from Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, France, Cairo, China, Japan, and thePhilippines. His letters are a one-way communication showing his journey. His mail could never catch up with him which he firmly stated, "pissed him off," and left him only able to write what wason his mind every day with no news from home. He finds a turning point in his life that changes his views on humanity that humble him as he grows into manhood. His camera documents the devastation he see's that humble his spirit. Through his letters home we learn the family dynamics that made him into a man of honor and compassion. Lonely for home he remains true to his high school sweetheart he married prior to leaving on his tour of duty. Learning his imperfections he develops strength and courage throughout his life determined to be a man that will do what it takes to be a decent respectable gentleman. His death is met with no regrets, a silent hero, and secret good deeds.The author bounces back between letters, his family, and his end times to build his character in three demintions. From the babywith no-name that dethroned his sister, Ruby Lee, to hot shot fly boy, husband, father, corporate big-wig, and finally "Old Dad" that makes his story a statement of what it takes to be a good man.

The classic New York Times bestselling story of heroism and sacrifice--by the author of Flags of Our Fathers, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage. This acclaimed bestseller brilliantly illuminates a hidden piece of World War II history as it tells the harrowing true story of nine American airmen shot down in the Pacific. One of them, George H. W. Bush, was miraculously rescued. What happened to the other eight remained a secret for almost 60 years. After the war, the American and Japanese governments conspired to cover up the shocking truth, and not even the families of the airmen were informed of what happened to their sons. Their fate remained a mystery--until now. FLYBOYS is a tale of courage and daring, of war and death, of men and hope. It will make you proud and it will break your heart.

Robbie's father is a spitfire pilot who was shot down during World War II and is now a POW. At only seventeen, Robbie lies about his identity to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force under the guise of going to a boarding school so that his mother doesn't find out. He starts training in Brandon, Manitoba, but after acing all his classes, he's dealt a disappointing blow when he's assigned to be a navigator on a Lancaster. He wanted to be a pilot, just like his father, but the commanders of the air force have other ideas. Robbie is soon on his way to England, where he completes his training on missions bombing German targets in enemy territory. It is during one of these missions that his Lancaster is fired upon and the pilot and many of the crew are shot. It's up to Robbie and his limited piloting experience to save the crew...and himself.