James A. Nist lived an extraordinary life in his 24 years. Raised on a New Jersey farm, he graduated high school at 16, earned a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, and a private pilot’s license. In 1942, he joined the Navy as an aviation cadet, earning his wings and an officer’s commission in the Naval Reserve. He became proficient in three of the Navy’s high-performance combat aircraft: the SBD Dauntless dive-bomber, the F6F Hellcat fighter and the F4U Corsair fighter. In 1945, he deployed to the Pacific aboard the carrier USS Bunker Hill and flew combat missions over Japan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Drawing on Nist’s letters and personal papers, and official Navy documents, historian Bryan J. Dickerson tells the story of his great uncle’s life and service during World War II.

Bryan J. Dickerson is a military and naval historian and a twice deployed Navy veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He lives in Blackwood, New Jersey.

Bryan J. Dickerson
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 30 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9246-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5045-6
Imprint: McFarland