BLUE SKIES AND LONG RUNWAYS

<p>Kathleen Lux hails from a family lineage of proud military service and joins the United States Air Force in 1977 to add as she describes it a little adventure to her life. Now retired as a colonel after thirty years in nursing -- often serving as a flight nurse -- Lux reveals how she is forced to grow up quickly if she hopes to remain and excel in the Air Force. In this coming-of-age collection of humorous candid and provocative vignettes Lux holds nothing back as she recalls caring for patients immediately after a terrorist attack in Germany handling an emergency egress from a burning aircraft and even refusing a direct order from a four-star general. At times the weight of her decisions and the inescapable memories of what she's witnessed seems overwhelming. Not until Lux herself receives a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress does she allow the journey of self-forgiveness and healing to begin.</p>