Nothing Was Ever Normal

In the heady days of the early 1960s the United States found itself perched on the edge of technological sociological and societal precipices. Advances made by its enemies with offensive ballistic-missile systems put America in catch-up mode both on Earth and in orbit. Others were leading the race to space and that was an affront to American safety status and national pride.. For the men and women employed as top-secret research workers at the General Motors Division secrecy was a way of life. The projects they worked onincluding Project Jennifer Big Bird Thor Titan missiles Matador Regulus the stealth fighter and the Fastest Gun in the Westwere cloaked in the highest security possible. In their labs the Lunar Rover Apollo Guidance and the complex multinational F-16 systems were born. . Don Peeler was a typical engineer in this high-stress environment but his personal experiences were atypical. During his years at the General Motors Division he experienced events that ran from the humorous to the heroic and in Nothing Was Ever Normal he shares his best memories of those days. For Don and his peers there was no normal or any such thing as standard operating procedures because what was occurring had never been experienced before. Compared to NASAs Manned Space Program their glory came from knowing that what they were doing was essential to the security of the United States. Now that their classification designations have lapsed the stories of the Band of Others can finally be told.. Don Peeler was one of thousands of bright engineers who helped America dominate space during the Cold War and beyond. He endured sleepless nights fueled by coffee and cigarettes to troubleshoot technical problems and meet launch deadlines because every project was new and nothing was normal meant nothing was typical or predictable. In this book he looks back on his storied career. . Peelers pride is palpable whether hes describing an early missile launch at Cape Canaveral or the laborious hands-on process of solving a new guidance systems glitch. But overall Peelers memoir covers decades of wide-ranging projects Several Air Force Strategic missiles Mercury Apollo several CIA programs the F-16 aircraft and ends up with several automotive applications. . The recollections Peeler fleshes out the most occur later in his career when he has moved up to management and contract negotiation for his employer a highly regarded division of General Motors. (The astronauts as depicted in documentaries and film drove Corvettes: They were gifts from GM Peeler notes.) His stories of his greatest negotiating successes demonstrate how the author earned the nickname Wheeler Dealer Peeler. . Peeler wrote this memoir to give credit to the men who toiled behind the scenes of the dramatic rocket launches and to tell the younger generation what his peers accomplished. In that he has succeeded. The book will likely appeal mostly to people who have worked in the industry but it may also whet readers appetites to read up more on the projects covered or revisit films such as Apollo 13. . The Book is available in hardcover paperback and eBook.. Review made by BlueInk.