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Colonel Joe Reich, USAF (ret.)
is the author of The Treasure of Tampa Bay and Blackbird Resurrection: A Novel Based
on the Reactivation of the SR-71, 1994–1998.
According to the book description Blackbird
Resurrection: A Novel Based on the Reactivation of the SR-71, 1994–1998, “the SR-71 provides coverage
on demand with little or no warning to the reconnaissance target—it is a highly flexible system…the SR-71 is
able to penetrate hostile territory with comparatively little vulnerability to attack unlike other reconnaissance platforms.”
—Senator John Glenn, Ohio (D) 7 March 1990 Astronaut (NASA Project Mercury) USMC fighter pilot and test pilot Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel Jessie Reeves is facing a monumental decision, one that could affect the stability of the Middle East along
with the security of the United States and the world. But in making this decision he has to decide whom to support: the needs
of the United States Central Command or the desires of the Pentagon. Based on the actual personal events of select military
officers involved in the SR-71 Blackbird Reactivation Program of the mid-1990s, Blackbird Resurrection is a story of loyalty
and integrity, leadership development, devotion to duty, a history of the SR-71 imagery intelligence (IMINT) collection system,
and the science of flight. It’s a must read for America’s youth, aviation enthusiasts, and those who want to learn
the real facts behind this little-known Congressionally mandated reactivation program.”
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According to the book description The
Treasure of Tampa Bay, “Tampa Bay is rich with history, and what better way to tell its story than to
tie it all together through a historical novel? Through the eyes of the native Tocobagan Indians, we witness the landings
of the Spanish conquistadors and the soldier Juan Ortiz who is left behind. Along with his Indian wife Fair Breeze, their
offspring become involved with the interests of the Cuban fishermen, the visits by both the British navy and Caribbean pirates,
the arrival of American settlers and soldiers, the Civil War, Henry Plant’s plan to industrialize the Bay, the railroad
race, the cigar industry, Teddy Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War, the infamous sand merchants, Tony Janus and early
American aviation around the Bay, World War II, Communism, the Cold War and the Space Age. It also highlights the early competition
between Tampa and St. Petersburg (Point Pinellas) regarding port construction. Everything revolves around the fortunes of
a family that links the past to the present in a fashion that makes history come alive.”
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