The Sharps family, respected Arizona ranchers, have high hopes for young Samuel--a college education, taking over the Sabre Ranch, and raising a family there. But America's wars have haunted the family for seventy years, claiming some of its members, and Samuel, too, hears the call.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Samuel takes down the battled sabre his father and grandfather carried into war and makes his way to Tuskegee, Alabama, where, for the first time in history, black men are being trained as combat pilots.
Samuel Sharps bears many burdens, not only the bigotry that dogs the steps of all "colored" people in the South and in the army, but also his family's illustrious history, symbolized by the sabre he carries.
In Wings of Honor, Tom Willard tells the story, both poignant and exciting, of this third-generation fighting man and the obstacles he overcomes to become a member of the all-Negro 99th Pursuit Squadron--the "Red-Tail Angels"--flying P-40 Warhawks and P-51 Mustangs over North Africa, Sicily, and France in the Second World War.
