The Flight of the Sparrow

While growing up on a Texas ranch, Robert Baker nurtured dreams of becoming a veterinarian. But when fate led him to a navy recruiter's office in 1961, Bob embarked on a new journey that would eventually lead him to places and into situations he never could have imagined. In his memoir, Bob shares details from his experiences before, during, and after his service aboard the USS Coral Sea, an attack aircraft carrier equipped with a missile system so progressive that America's newest and most sophisticated fighter aircraft was designed around it. As he leads others through his childhood to the rigors of boot camp and eventually to the USS Coral Sea, Bob offers a compelling glimpse into his emotions as life led him aboard the colossal warship that would soon simultaneously cross the Equator and International Date Line and transport her crew to Vietnam to carry out Operation Rolling Thunder. The Flight of the Sparrow shares the true story of one man's incredible journey from childhood to an aircraft carrier servicemen as he and his fellow sailors carried out a secret mission during the Vietnam War.