One More Mission

About the Book

How often is it that we are fortunate enough to sit down and listen to first-person accounts of a distant past - not from a history book or a television documentary, but from a human being, who lived it, experienced it and is willing to share it.

Jesse Pettey is one of these people who as a young man joined the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor because he felt it was his duty. He learned to fly a PT-19 and moved on to a BT-13. During World War Two, Pettey piloted a B-24 ´Liberator´ and flew his first combat mission in August of 1944, to be followed by 34 more.

One More Mission is not only an account of World War Two aerial combat missions with the 15th Air Force in Italy, but of a young man´s journey through a gauntlet of emotion, growth and trying experiences. Mr. Pettey´s glimpses into his past are a heartwarming journey to a different era, a different pace and a different lifestyle. His talent carries the reader along through his upbringing in East Texas through the precarious days of flight training and then on to the dangerous excitement of deadly combat over the skies of Europe. And all the while, you feel as if he´s sitting across a table from you with a cup of coffee in hand, sharing the times of his life with a close friend. His story is well written yet personal, inspiring and yet humble. It is a story that demands sharing.

One More Mission is a journey not to be missed.

Reviewed by Denise M. Clark 6/2002: www.deniseclark.com

About the Author

Jesse Pettey grew up in Nacogdoches, Texas where he observed life in an East Texas rural small town during the depression. He attended High School and Stephen F. Austin State University before volunteering for the Army Air Corps flight training in World War II. During the war, he flew 35 missions as a pilot in a B-24 bomber over Europe and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and four Air Medals. Upon completing his combat flying, he returned to Texas where he completed his education by earning a Masters in Music Education. He taught music in high school for several years before joining Prudential Insurance Company where he served as a Prudential executive from 1957 to 1980. He then retired and lived in Italy for the next seven years traveling and writing. He now lives in Houston, Texas.