A compelling story of triumph and loss told through the eyes of a young boy! This is the story of the Navy pilots and families who served at Naval Air Station Lemoore during the Vietnam War. It follows a father's service and his family's experiences, but also tells the stories of his fellow pilots and their families, as well as the friends who grew up in Lemoore at that time. It is a narrative told through the eyes of a young boy who grew up and came of age during that tumultuous era.

No one who has ever been assigned to or lived at Lemoore is ever likely to forget the experience. It was often either the best of times or the worst of times, with little room in-between. A tour of duty there was often personally demanding, yet professionally rewarding. For most children, like me, my siblings, and my friends, coming of age there in the 1960s and early 1970s it provided a safe and nurturing environment for exploration and testing the limits of our independence. It was indeed our kingdom; even in the midst of war,

The Vietnam War would come to define the base and a generation of pilots and sailors as the heart and soul of naval attack aviation. It would come at a steep price. Lemoore’s 27 fleet combat squadrons would suffer the greatest losses of aircraft and personnel among all naval air stations: 307 aircraft lost, 118 pilots killed, and 48 pilots captured and taken prisoner. Yet, the entirety of the Lemoore community not only weathered the storm, but preserved and grew stronger, as well as closer through this shared experience, creating the foundation that endures to this very day. This is its legacy.