Tom Young's novels attempt to portray reality of military service

The protagonists of his three novels, Michael Parson and Sophia Gold, are based on components of real people he encountered serving in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Air National Guard, author Tom Young told a National Press Club audience at his July 24 book rap.

A former editor and writer with the broadcast division of the Associated Press for 10 years, Young made the transition from journalist to novelist. Young's three novels, "The Mullah's Storm," "Silent Enemy," and currently "The Renegades," were written with the goal of creating "compelling stories intended to portray the motivations and mind set of the people enlisting in harm's way," Young said.

The U.S. Army is comprised of highly motivated and highly trained men and women, according to Young. However, he said that there has been a bit of a disconnect between civilians and the military since the draft system was replaced by an all-volunteer Army. His novels attempt to bridge that gap by basing his characters on real people, which he said keeps his stories highly realistic rather than cartoonish.

Young has flown combat missions to Bosnia, Kosovo, Latin America, the horn of Africa, and Asia. In all, he's logged more than 4,000 hours as a flight engineer on the C-5 Galaxy and the C-130 Hercules, while flying to almost 40 countries. His military honors include two Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

Young was born in Randall County, S.C., and has been a resident of Alexandria, Va., for 24 years.

Book and Author Committee member Carolyn Bloch introduced Young.