Forward of the Line: A Desert Storm Novel

Forward of the Line is a gritty Desert Storm novel about a U.S. Army recon platoon sent ahead of the main force in the days before the ground war begins.

In January 1991, Private First Class Tommy Bell and the men of Viper Two-One arrive in Saudi Arabia carrying rifles, chemical masks, letters from home, and more fear than they care to admit. As the air war rages overhead and Scud missiles cut across the night sky, the platoon is pushed to an observation post near the Iraqi border.

Then the order comes.

Cross Phase Line Copper. Move toward Objective Razor. Find the Iraqi forward units before the full ground campaign begins.

What starts as a reconnaissance mission becomes a fight for survival when the platoon discovers more than an isolated enemy screen. Hunted in the dark, stuck in bad ground, and forced to defend long enough to bring every man back, Viper Two-One learns that courage is not the absence of fear. It is doing the job while fear rides with you.

Written with respect for the veterans of Operation Desert Storm, Forward of the Line is a story of brotherhood, duty, sacrifice, survival, and the long road home.