This work chronicles the untold stories of forty-eight men and one woman who put their lives on hold for freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice. More than sixty-six years have passed since the close of World War II. Each day more and more veterans of this global conflict slip away and soon their stories will be forgotten. The authors of these biographies were determined not to allow the same fate for the forty-nine aviators honored on the Santa Barbara Airport Memorial. Each chapter not only profiles the life of each of these young fliers, but also offers glimpses of World War II history in the making. It took eighteen months to do the research, conduct numerous interviews, and write these stories. Aviation changed forever the way war is fought. It was the key in many of the World War II battles from the South Pacific to the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. All of these aviators had a stake in winning the war from on high and, like da Vinci, kept their eyes turned skyward. They never really returned to Earth. Those who have tasted flight will walk the Earth with their eyes turned skyward, for there they have been and there they long to return….Leonardo da Vinci. Hardbound, 2012, 8.5 x 11, Biblio., Illus., Index, 144 pp.