Paul Czarnecke grew up on the streets of New York City. He had no memory of his parents. He did not know his birth date or middle name. As a teenager, he earned money doing odd jobs at construction sites. At night, he ran errands for the streetwalkers. He was invited to share living quarters with Dottie - one of the streetwalkers. It was better than sleeping on an air grate or in a doorway. Dottie was a good teacher on many phases of life. She helped him get a birth certificate and a social security card after making up a birth date and middle name. When Dottie was mistreated by a pimp, Paul beat him to death with a piece of rebar from the construction site. The District Attorney was not sympathetic to the circumstances or size difference in the two men. A Public Defender negotiated a deal that put Paul in the Air Force during the Korean War. He served his enlistment as a tail gunner on a SAC bomber crew. As a civilian, Paul was frustrated. He considered reenlistment but ended up accepting an offer to join an elite team of veterans working under contract for the Air Force. The pay was very good. The assignments were dangerous. The first deployment was to recover classified equipment from an aircraft crash site. The Russians were ahead of them. In the ensuing battle, Paul and another team member were seriously wounded. The mission was successful and proved the value of the team to the Air Force. They were kept busy between missions checking security awareness on SAC air force bases. On the personal level, Paul was engaged to the daughter of a Mafia chief. The association opened new opportunities. The first one was hijacking a major money transfer by Meyer Lansky - the founder of Murder, Inc. Another opportunity to serve their country was raiding drug distribution centers and major purchases of drugs. The rules of engagement were to (1) destroy the drugs, (2) confiscate the money and (3) take no prisoners.
About the Author: Jimmie Toms grew up in Northeast OK - Home of hard-rock ore mines, hard work and Mickey Mantle. He enlisted in the Air Force after High School graduation. After boot camp, he completed Electronics A and B schools and volunteered for flight duty. He served as tail gunner on a SAC B-36 Bomber crew for three years. After military service he worked on KC-135, B-52 and X-15 (#3) aircraft as a Field Engineer on navigation and autopilot systems at military bases, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers. He is a licensed General Aviation pilot and owned a Piper aircraft. He is a current member of the American Legion Post 11 in Frederick, MD. He is a past member of IEEE, Institute of Navigation, International Loran-C Association (Wild Goose Association) and AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association). Currently he writes and lives with his family in the Washington D.C. area.