The U.S. Air Force has been relatively quiet on the exploits of its commando units. This is partly because, traditionally, Air Force special ops teams have been particularly fond of deception and averse to record keeping.

In From A Dark Sky, Orr Kelly has pieced together records and remembrances dating from the 1943-era "Project 9" in Burma to present-day operations. The resulting stories are as bizarre as anything to emerge from the annals of special forces, such as the 1944 mission to deliver British army mules behind enemy lines in Burma via balsa-wood gliders, or the courageous yet ultimately unnecessary 1975 mission to rescue the crew of the U.S.S. Mayaguez from captivity in Cambodia.

This is an exciting, yet serious book. Kelly records defeats as well as victories, analyzing what has worked and what has not worked for air commandos.