Salute

A seasoned pilot named “Slim” Evans opens the tale with a self‑deprecating swagger, laying out his rag‑tag army air service career, his lanky frame, and the bruises that mark a decade of sky‑bound mischief. He frames the story as a series of observations about men, war, and the thin line between heroism and folly, all delivered in a voice that mixes wry humor with a lingering melancholy. The narrative promises a vivid slice of early‑twentieth‑century border patrol life, where DeHavilland planes replace horses and the desert wind carries both mail and whispered intrigue.

The first act places Slim and Lieutenant Penoch O’Reilly on a steaming July morning in McMullen, Texas, as they scan the Rio Grande for smugglers and outlaws. Amid colorful companions—a rotund adjutant dubbed “Pop” Cravan and a stern captain—the stage is set for a chance encounter that will upend their assumptions about good and bad. As Slim watches the unfolding drama, he begins to question the judgments that have shaped his long, flight‑filled years.