Beyond the Blue Horizon

Young Otto Kerchner dreams of escaping his father's Wisconsin dairy farm and becoming a flier like his hero Charles Lindbergh. When a small airport is built on an adjoining property, Otto trades odd jobs for flight lessons and becomes a pilot at 16. When World War II breaks out, he enlists in the Army Air Corps and finds himself a year later high over Germany at the controls of a B-17. Otto and his crew fly 23 missions untouched, but then his world shatters, and he must draw on reserves of faith and courage he never imagined.

On the Wings of Eagles continues the saga of Wisconsin farm boy Otto Kerchner as he, his sister Mata, and the community of Pioneer Lake make their way in the brave new world of post-World War II America. This sequel to On Wings of the Morning (which details Otto's service as a B-17 pilot, a fiery crash landing, and his long recovery from physical and psychological wounds), recreates a simpler world in which family and community played a vital role.