About the Author
Ted Russ is a novelist, executive and entrepreneur that lives in the mountains with his wife, Anna, and their dogs, Charlie and Ripple.
In a prior life, he served as an army officer after graduating from West Point. He left the military after nine years of service in 2000 with experience as a special operations helicopter pilot and a philosophy degree.
Possessing no marketable skills, he went back to school and got an MBA and now balances writing with his business career.
To honor bonds forged twenty-five years ago at West Point, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Avery leads an illegal mission deep into ISIS-held territory.
An MH-47G Chinook helicopter departs formation in the Iraqi night. The mission is unauthorized. Success is unlikely. But to save a friend, Sam Avery and his crew
of Night Stalkers have prepared for one last flight.
ISIS operatives in Tal Afar, Iraq, have captured American aid worker Henry Stillmont. Avery knows Stillmont as “the Guru,” the West Point squad leader who taught him about brotherhood, loyalty, and when to break the rules as a young cadet twenty-five years ago. Sam will risk his career and his life to save him.
As they near their target, Sam reflects on his time in the crucible of the United States Military Academy. West Point made Sam the leader he is. But his fellow cadets made him the man that he is. The ideals of duty, honor, and country have
echoed throughout his life and drive him and his comrades as they undertake their final and most audacious spirit mission.