Vicki Cody joins us this week to talk about her latest memoir, Fly Safe
Author Name: Vicki Cody
Book Title: Fly Safe: Letters from the Gulf War and Reflections from Back Home
Book Genre: Memoir
Release Date: August 3, 2021
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome to the Spotlight, Vicki! How would you describe Fly Safe for our readers?
The title comes from the words I said to my husband every time he went out to fly. It was my way of trying to keep him safe. The words were so much a part of our vocabulary that I didn’t give it a second thought. But as I was writing this book and rereading all of his letters to me, he ended almost every letter with, “I promise to fly safe.” Or “Don’t worry about me, I always fly safe.” It was the perfect title.
What sparked the idea for this book?
Back in 1990-1991, my husband wrote me 94 letters during a nine-month deployment for the Gulf War. I’ve kept the letters for the past 30 years along with my journals. A few years ago, I decided to read every single letter again, along with my journals and I immediately knew there was a good story there. I wanted to capture the historic events and the times leading up to and during the Gulf War and take readers back to a time when there was no internet, no iPhones, and no texting; a time when written letters were our only connection. By using my journal entries, my husband’s letters, and my narrative, I give the reader a behind the scenes look at what it was like for the families waiting back home and my husband’s exploits in the combat zone.
What drew you to this subject matter?
I was an Army wife for 33 years and now am the mother of two soldiers. It has been a way of life for so long and even with all of the challenges, the stress, the separations, the sleepless nights, I wouldn’t trade any of it. All of the experiences, the people and the places helped shape me. I love writing about military life and I feel it is my mission share that with as many people as possible.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read, Fly Safe?
I write about Army life to give readers from all walks of life a rare glimpse into a very unique way of life. By sharing details of my journey I hope to shine the spotlight on the men and women who serve this nation and the families who stand beside them, serving as well. Fly Safe is a very personal and intimate look at the power of love to sustain us even in the most challenging of times and at the same time, a behind the scenes look at life in the combat zone and the adrenaline rush of flying helicopters in combat.
Thank you, Vicki! Fly Safe is OUT NOW.
Fly Safe
It is August 1990, and Iraq has just invaded Kuwait, setting off a chain reaction of events leading up to the first Gulf War. Vicki Cody’s husband, the commander of an elite Apache helicopter battalion, is deployed to Saudi Arabia—and for the next nine months they have to rely on written letters in order to stay connected.
From Vicki’s narrative and journal entries, the reader gets a very realistic glimpse of what it is like for the spouses and families back home during a war, in particular what it was like at a time when most people did not own a personal computer and there was no Internet—no iPhones, no texting, no tweeting, no Facetime. Her writing also illuminates the roller coaster of stress, loneliness, sleepless nights, humor, joys, and, eventually, resilience, that make up her life while her husband is away. Meanwhile, Dick’s letters to her give the reader a front row seat to the unfolding of history, the adrenaline rush of flying helicopters in combat, his commitment to his country, and his devotion to his family back home. Together, these three components weave together a clear, insightful, and intimate story of love and its power to sustain us.
Author bio:
Vicki Cody grew up in Burlington, Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1975, with a BS degree in education. For the next 33 years she was an Army wife, supporting her husband in his career. While raising their two sons and moving all over the United States and overseas, she served as a coach and mentor for Army spouses and as an advocate for Army families.
Her memoir, “Army Wife: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army” was published in 2016 by She Writes Press. Army Wife won the 2016 USA Best Book Award for narrative non-fiction and was a Finalist for the 2016 Foreword Indies Book of the Year in the military category. She is also the author of “Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide” and most recently, the revised edition, “Your Soldier, Your Army: A Family Guide,” both of which were published by the Association of the United States Army. Her articles have appeared in numerous military magazines and publications.
She and her husband of forty-five years live in the Washington, DC area. Their two sons, both Apache helicopter pilots, continue to serve on active duty in the US Army.