ABOUT THE BOOK: “Centerline is a thrilling, high-action page-turner that captures a story many Americans fail to appreciate—the sacrifices of our armed forces, their families, and the medical teams who support them. The tactical flight operations, ground combat scenes, and medical emergencies are real—not Hollywood—and the stories of wounded warriors and those waiting at home are unforgettable.” – General Bill Begert, USAF (Ret), Former Commander, Pacific Air Forces. 

Centerline tells the arresting story of the last leg of an emotional journey through the eyes of wounded warriors, crew, and medical caregivers making the trip home from military hospitals just before Christmas at the height of the surge in Iraq.Air Evac 1492 is the collective Air Force call sign for the flight. But each person on board has an individual story of hopes, dreams, fears, and regrets as the aircraft wings its human cargo through bad weather, flashbacks, and in flight emergencies. “Everybody who goes to war gets shot,” one soldier says. “Some in the body. Some in the head. Some in the heart.” This inspiring debut novel by Dave McIntyre (Ret COL USA) combines compelling technical descriptions of flying, combat, and medical care in-flight to drive the story through a rollercoaster ride of emotions as thirty-one “souls on board” travel through pain, loss, a killer storm, and the demons of the past to make it home for Christmas. Some travelers will fall short of the runway. And some will find the beacon that leads them home—back to the centerline.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre graduated from West Point and spent thirty years in the United States Army, retiring as a Colonel. His time was divided between duty with airborne and armored reconnaissance units and writing and teaching strategy at the national level. He also taught English at West Point and retired as the Dean of Faculty and Academics at the National War College. For two years after 9/11, McIntyre was deputy director of a national think tank on homeland security, and for four years, the director of a graduate program in homeland security at Texas A&M. He has also taught national and homeland security at George Washington University, the University of Texas, the National Graduate School, and Colorado Technical University. He is presently a faculty member at the Bush School for Government and Public Service, TAMU, and a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, GWU. Dr. McIntyre has a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy, an MA in English and American Literature from Auburn University, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Maryland. McIntyre has crafted speeches and written white papers throughout his career. Centerline is his debut novel.