Bruce Thomas was raised in Farmington, Missouri, by two loving parents. Playing four sports in high school while playing in the band, singing and acting in a local play, he obtained a fantastic education and well-rounded childhood. After high school, Bruce was appointed to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After four years of strenuous physical and mental activities, he graduated in 1980 as a second lieutenant with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. After graduation, Bruce set upon his real life’s passion, flying. In the summer of 1980, he attended US Air Force pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. After an exhausting and rewarding year, Bruce received his silver pilot’s wings. All three of his daughters were born at Vance Air Force Base during this part of his career while he was teaching other Air Force pilots how to fly jet aircraft. After five rewarding years, Bruce was qualified in the A-10 Warthog, a Close Air Support, fighter aircraft. His first assignment was in the far north near Fairbank, Alaska. For the next twenty years, he flew the single-seat A-10 fighter in multiple wars and hotspots all over the world. During his military career, Bruce was stationed in six different states and six foreign countries, including Iraq and South Korea. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas retired from the 303rd Fighter Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in 2004. As his military career was drawing down, Bruce was blessed to receive an invitation to become a commercial airline pilot with Southwest Airlines. After six years, he was upgraded to captain on the Boeing 737 aircraft in 2006. In 2020, he retired from his second job at Southwest Airlines after a total of twenty years of exciting flying all over the USA. He now concentrates on relaxing and writing in Overland Park, Kansas. Bruce has been married to Vivian for twelve years. His five children and nine grandchildren are all blessed with good health and beautiful families. Bruce Thomas’s first book, The Hope of the South, was published in 2018 and is available on all major outlets. Chaos Above the Sand, a prequel, is the second book in the Special Projects Unit series.