At the Pleasure of the President

<p>Poised at the very apex of America's Cold War with the former Soviet Union the US aircraft carrier Coral Sea and its complement of freshly fielded F/A-18 Hornets unexpectedly prepare for combat in Libya. Shocked by simultaneous terrorist attacks at the Rome and Vienna airports on December 27 1985 Marine Capt. Race O'Bannon suddenly finds he may soon be striking heavily defended targets in Libya--targets with integrated air defense systems second only to Moscow.</p><p></p><p>It is the introductory cruise of the F/A-18 to the Mediterranean theater and Race is a pilot in VMFA-413 the Satan's Sabers one of two marine F/A-18 squadrons aboard Coral Sea. Beleaguered with a tarnished history of mishaps and screwups the Sabers are jokingly referred to as Satan's Stooges. More dishearteningly Race learns that he faces involuntary early termination of his Marine Corps career ill-fated by higher headquarters' mismanagement.</p><p></p><p>Set amid the conflict between Libya and the US in 1986 readers find themselves aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea and in the cockpit of the F/A-18 America's newest strike fighter. Ready to strike back against terrorism Coral Sea's pilots endure three tense months preparing for war realizing that they are really instruments of the Cold War engaged in a cat-and-mouse waiting game in the Gulf of Sidra--each US move cautiously weighed against a potential Soviet response.</p><p></p><p>Ready to serve their country Race and his fellow pilots anxiously find themselves at the very tip of Ronald Reagan's rattling sword serving at the pleasure of the president.</p>