European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Books to. Herman s novel flies through War and Rescue by Craig Martin staff writer there Are times that Call for Swift decisive action. Unforeseen global events threaten to shatter an Uncertain  Are powerful criminals at Large inthe world dealers who would hold America hostage to get what they want. Political tre Cheries abound. Terrifying Circum stances compel a beleaguered president of the United states to search for guidance in his heroic past. There Are times that will test the Mettle of the most courageous of men and women. These Are the times. Such is the premise of Call to duty Avon books new paperback novel by Best Selling author Rich Ard Herman jr., a former air Force Jet Jock who retired from the service 11 years ago. The Book Fol lows two Story lines and it s not until the end that you see How the lines Are related. Half of the Book lakes place in world War ii the other half now. Herman a 55-year-old California got the idea for the main character of Call to duty from former president Bush s military experience. Bush was the last president to have fought in world War ii. In firebreak i introduced a minor character. Named Matthew Zachary Sontowski who was the first polish american president of the United states Herman said. I liked  liked him a lot. So when i started writing Call to duty i used him and his wife As the main  Call to duty alternates Between world War ii and the present Day. When you first Start Reading in the prologue there Are Only two clues Why the two plot lines Are at All similar Herman said. Unless you Are Reading very carefully you will never find  in the novel the president is forced to mount a Rescue operation of five americans who Are not very likeable being held hostage in the Golden Tri Angle. The reason he launches the operation is because one of the hostages is the daughter of a major Politi Cal opponent. As. He goes into this operation he flashes Back to the similarities to what happened to him in world War ii said Herman who was a navigator. During world War ii Sontowski flew a de Havil land Mosquito dubbed the wooden wonder with the Royal air Force. It was t unusual for americans to continue serving with the Raf rather than join the army air corps. The Mosquito was said to be the most versatile aircraft of world War ii and the safest Allied bomber that handled like a fighter. Now president Sontowski directs a raid that includes the sophisticated High Speed High tech f 15s. As with most novels there s a secondary Story line. To compound Sontowski s problems his British wife is dying of Lupus. Although Call to duty is fiction much of it like All of Herman s books is based on fact. The Rescue operation mimics the raid on Amiens prison in France in february 1944. The Gestapo imprisoned about 300 French resistance workers in the jail and were getting ready to kill them. The prison ers who Weie Able to communicate with the outside Felt it was better to have the prison bombed and try to escape than be killed by the Gestapo. In that operation the Raf bombed the jail and several of the prisoners escaped. Some died. Herman says his portrayal of the Amiens raid is very  the difference is that the main Char Acter Zach Sontowski is flying. Is Craig Martin Richard Herman pushes his books at Rhein main. The write stuff Richard Herman or. Began his writing career be cause he could t get a Job when he retired from the air Force As a major 11 years ago he said. He settled Down in Sacramento calif., and taught High school writing and history while waiting for his first Book War Birds to be published. During his 21-year military career he was commissioned after completing officer training school and served four years As an instructor at the air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Colo. Later he was a navigator on c-124s and c-130s, and a weapons systems officer on f-4s. He served. Two Tours in Vietnam and also was assigned to f-4 squadrons at Raf Lakenheath England and Ramstein a Germany. The highly decorated officer finished his euro Pean tour and air Force career As a plans officer with the 32nd tac so an f-15 unit at Camp new Amsterdam now Oesterberg a Netherlands. He finished with 242 combat missions. Although his books Are fiction he takes great pains to inject realism in them. While he was Auto graphing a copy of his latest paperback Call to duty at the stars and stripes Bookstore at Rhein main a Germany april 16, an airman said you sure get stuff right in your  Craig Martin Herman Promise of More action author and former air Force navigator Richard Herman or. Was in Europe Las week doing research on provide Promise for an upcoming Book that will feature humanitarian Airdrop operation. I was looking around for my next Story and thought what is the most Likely Type of conflict that the military will have in the near future " Herman said. The Bosnia thing the yugoslav  thus developed the Story line for dark storm the working title of a novel Herman will pattern after. Provide Promise the humanitarian Airlift operation to what once was Yugoslavia. I think that s the coming trend for the military for the future. We be seen that in Somalia we see it in  for dark storm Herman said he chose the next logical place for a Relief Mission to take place but he won t disclose that location. You la have to buy the Book to learn that he said. I picked the most Likely place that i could find based on world events for this kind of operation to unfold. I work on the premise that history repeats  dark storm due in 18 months will feature four c 130s and two Crews for each plane. The wrench benders c-130 maintenance Crews will look Good in this Book Herman said. Herman who is a former c-130 navigator was at Rhein main a Germany talking with crewmen Bers and getting a look at operation provide prom ise which is staged but of the base near Frankfurt. What he Learned most about provide Promise was the magnitude of the operation. I am amazed at the amount of tonnage that has been delivered and air dropped he said. That s the Story that has been totally missed in the states. The amount 61,823 tons is  Herman said he has interviewed a . Military observer who was on the ground recording what Hap pens to the cargo when it drops. There s a High percentage of recovery the a Tho  there be a High percentage of recovery in dark Stotri  ". -. Craig Martin Page 24 sunday april 24, 1994