New book shares a collection of real-life aviation experiences before, during and after the Cuban Missile Crisis

FAIR OAKS, Calif., April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Richard F. Kaufman, a retired Navy commander, examines the development of cruise missiles, the role they played in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the rigors of the Cold War in his new book "A One-Way Trip to Death: A Survivor's View of Cruise Missiles in the Cuban Missile Crisis" (published by Archway Publishing).

An autobiographical sketch of Kaufman's experiences as a Navy guided missile officer and chase pilot for the Regulus cruise missile, the book also covers cruise missiles and other pilots who flew them. At the time, the author's mission was a one-way trip to insure its delivery to a Soviet naval target on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Soviet Union. The story begins with the coming of the first cruise missile; the Kamikaze of World War II. By all standards, it is the first cruise missile controlled by humans who were committed to the death. The epilogue discusses the ultimate cruise missile by the time the Gulf War arrived, and how it arrived as an efficient combat weapon. The long and arduous experiment from the Kamikaze to Regulus, and from Regulus to the ultimate cruise missile had arrived by the time of the Gulf War.

"It relates to the fears we have today for nuclear war," Kaufman says of his book. "The story is the only episode in our history where we came so close to destroying the world. We learn from the past to live today."

"A One-Way Trip to Death" is available for purchase online at the Archway link above, at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/One-way-Trip-Death-Survivor%C2%92s-Missiles/dp/1665702451.

"A One-Way Trip to Death"

By Richard F. Kaufman, Ph.D

Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 148 pages | ISBN 9781665702447

Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 148 pages | ISBN 9781665702454

E-Book | 148 pages | ISBN 9781665702461

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Richard F. Kaufman, a United States Navy commander retired in 1970 after serving 24 years of service. He holds the Distinguished Flying Cross along with seven Air Medals received from previous combat duties. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he was the GMGRU-1 aircraft and missile maintenance officer. Following that event, he was assigned to the Naval Air Systems Command where he received a patent for an Automatic Missile Guidance System, used in several Navy missile systems. Kaufman received his doctorate from the University of Texas in 1974 and continued his career teaching at Texas Christian University and California State University as a full professor. Today he lives in California and is a full professor emeritus.

Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit archwaypublishing.com or call 844-669-3957.

Media Contact

Marketing Services, Archway Publishing, 844-669-3957, pressreleases@archwaypublishing.com

SOURCE Archway Publishing