Angel Flight 44: The True Story of Two Dedicated Pilots, a 60-Year-Old Airplane, and the Amazing Hurricane Katrina Mission That Birthed

A Must Read Book! A True Story about Hurricane Katrina, and How God is in Control! In His Service, Rev. Fr. Thomas J. Siltz Old Catholic Priest

OK, it's a little bit preaching, but beyond that it's an excellent story about a group of folks and two pilots who really make a difference in the lives of the folks who survived Katrina.

There are only a handful of books that I have read more than once, and only one or two that I have read twice or more. Angel Flight 44 is the first book ever that I have read perhaps a dozen times...and I cannot help but think I will pick it up and read it again yet more. Angel Flight 44 simply moves me. Whenever my eyes find themselves dancing once again upon its pages, I discover fresh nuances that somehow I had missed before. Certain portions moved me to tears the first few times I read them; yet these are not tears of sadness, but of an overwhelming sense of God's goodness and love for mankind. Even the most recent perusals of this magnificent text have caused my eyes to water a bit when I have reviewed these same moments within the story. That said, few books have ever moved this former military man in such a way. For Angel Flight 44 do so is quite a testimony to its uniqueness among books. I have discussed Angel Flight 44 with other readers, and have found that regardless of gender, race, economic status, or even religious preferences, people are similarly moved. One gentleman was even moved to the point of pursuing flight training so that he could participate in such courageous relief missions himself, should the need once again arise. Another businessman, whose shadow rarely darkened the door of a church, called his Christian son and began regular attendance at his congregation. His reason? He discovered within the pages of Angel Flight 44 that the miraculous was real, and that Christianity was indeed intended to empower real men of courage and faith. One Christian woman found similar motivation and commented, "I want to live a life by the power of the Holy Spirit too!" The wife of a certain pastor commented, "This is going to change the way the Church does things forever." My own wife, for that matter, has seemed to be in competition with me to see who can read it the most. We have even purchased copies and given them away to others that they may also be blessed by its pages. I could expound upon the elements of the story itself, but to do so would spoil the surprise. So I will refrain. Let me note, however, that I am impressed with the design of the flow of the book. Rich Vermillion chose to fashion its order into multiple sections, each apparently designed to simulate some form of other media in its textual flow. For example, the main story reads like a movie. Then it has a "Special Feature" chapter that describes the history of the airplane, which reads like a small documentary. Then the "Extra Scenes" sections adds short stories that seem like movie scenes perhaps cut out by the director. The author comments that these were stories worthy of inclusion, but which either followed the time frame of the main story or were difficult to work into the text, and so were set apart within their own section. Following these are two "Behind the Scenes" sections about the two international ministries which were involved in the Hurricane Ka