  | Book Details Title: The Hunt for Jimmie Browne: An MIA Pilot in World War II China |
Book DescriptionReview “Willett has poignantly captured the heroism of his cousin who went missing over ‘the Hump’ in the China-Burma-India theater of World War II in 1942. It’s a story about the pain a family experiences when one of its own is MIA and the lengths that Willett went to in order to seek closure decades later.”—Sam Kleiner, author of The Flying Tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan (Sam Kleiner 2019-02-23)“Not only a fascinating account of the short life of the subject but also a synopsis of the various organizations and units that played some role in Jimmie Browne’s life. The book recounts the struggles to bring him home. . . . It reveals that many of our MIA processes are in need of scrutiny.”—Billy McDonald, author of The Shadow Tiger: Billy McDonald, Wingman to Chennault (Billy McDonald 2019-02-23)“The heartwarming story of a search for the remains of a relative who died flying the Himalayan Hump and the search for the aircraft and crew show the difference between a resourceful private American effort and a bureaucratic U.S.-Chinese government approach.”—Barry Martin, author of Forgotten Aviator: The Adventures of Royal Leonard (Barry Martin 2019-02-23)“Jimmie Browne’s love of flying lured him early into the Second World War. He went to England in 1941 as a ferry pilot, and in 1942 he joined China’s paramilitary airline, flying cargo over the ‘Hump’ of the Himalayas. He died young, his body’s location unknown until 2011 and still unrecovered, a story Bob Willett tells fondly and well.”—Daniel Ford, author of Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941–1942 (Daniel Ford 2019-02-23) Read more About the Author Robert L. Willett is an international bank consultant and former president of banks in Michigan and Florida. He is also a military historian and the author of One Day of the Civil War: America in Conflict, April 10, 1863; Russian Sideshow: America’s Undeclared War, 1918–1920; and An Airline at War: The Story of China National Aviation Corporation and Its Men. Read more Customers Review: This is a collection of well-told accounts skillfully molded into an over-arching story. Author Willett first presents an overview of the China National Aviation Corporation (“First to Fly The Hump”) and aviation daring. With great skill and caring he then tells the story of a member of The Greatest Generation and their disappearance, and the resulting heartfelt loss of a personal family member. Then comes the story of a personal and tenacious quest for closure, and the frustrations of dealing with ineffective governmental agencies and MIA bureaucracies along the way. The book ends with the conclusion of a search that had been unyielding for many years, and the offering of some important experience-driven thoughtful suggestions for improvements in MIA recovery efforts.Readers who enjoy this book will also greatly enjoy author Robert Willetts’ excellent “An Airline at War” and author Gregory Crouch’s “China’s Wings”, both also excellent reads!Steve MichielsSanta Rosa CA
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