THE GEAR

THE GUY

the gist

THE goods

What's Up?

Author Kenny Kemp is busy making television, radio, and personal appearances at Costco, bookstores, and airshows. Check out the results at right!

Reviews

 

"Expertly presented and notated, Flak Pak is informed, informative, and an invaluable addition to the growing library of World War II memoirs and histories."

  -- The Midwest Book Review

 

"Armed with a splendid array of graphics, Kemp details the U.S. Air Force exploits of his father during WWII. This paperback--which has the feel of a 70-year old personal scrapbook--not only shares the experience of B-24 pilot O.C. Kemp but it also paints a larger picture of the struggle in the Pacific theater and of a bygone era. Providing engaging prose coupled with images of hundreds of artifacts, Kemp brings the troubled world of his youthful father vividly to life in this well-crafted labor of love and appreciation. Recommended for the circulating collections of most public libraries, particularly those where WWII is a popular subject."              -- ALA Booklist


"The graphics, layout, and attention to detail are outstanding. But even better is the way the author brings you into the relationship between his father and his crew, men who sacrificed so we might have the freedoms we enjoy. A great experience!"       -- Blake Rigby


​"The 'how' of war is simple, but the 'why' is the glue that holds all the hows in place. In the first two pages of this book, the Pacific conflict is explained in clear, crisp language in a memorable way. 'Bravo Zulu': Navy-speak for 'well done.'"

           -- Gary Lichty, USN Ret.


​"Anyone who likes history and airplanes will love this book. The photos are excellent and the audio transcripts add a human touch to the story. The text is easy to follow. This really is the best book of this type I've seen."

           -- Roger Miller, USN Ret.


But what happened after Pearl Harbor?


Hiroshima, right? But that was four years later. What happened between these two events? A few places stick in the memory: Midway, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. But many others are memorable only to those who fought there: Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Rabaul, New Guinea, Peleliu.

 

Flying with the Flak Pak reveals the Pacific War through the eyes of a young bomber pilot. As you follow him from ground school in San Antonio to flight training over Kansas prairies and California deserts, to perilous missions over the endless waters of the Pacific in search of targets a mile square, you'll soon find names slipping easily off your tongue: Angaur, Mindanao, Truk, Chiangdong, Shikoku. You learn who they were fighting and why, what it took and what it cost. But most of all, you'll discover a profound respect for boys who were forged into men in the crucible of combat and became heroes. 

 

​So buckle into the left seat of a B-24 Liberator. Fire up your engines, run your check list, give the thumbs up to the ground crew, and roll out onto the taxiway. You're next for take-off!