Publisher's Synopsis
As a young boy living a sheltered life in a predominately Sephardic Jewish enclave in pre-WWII North Africa, Gino Narboni dreamed of a military life in service to his country. ?Life has a way of intruding . . . even in the dreams of 13-year-old French youngsters. ?The opening salvos of WWII could be heard in French North Africa. Germany occupied a defeated France with troops and a compliant Vichy government run by the French but controlled by the Germans. ?German law prevented Jews from serving in combat positions in the Vichy controlled army. Instead, Gino Narboni, now 18 and part way through his pre-college exams, was drafted and sent to Algiers as a chauffeur at an army post, far from most military action. ?France's General Charles de Gaulle, exiled in London and attempting to raise an army from French citizens living outside France, called for volunteers to join the Free French Forces. Narboni, after hearing the word around the barracks, decided to desert his Vichy unit and help de Gaulle. ?In an adventure that would transport Gino Narboni and his fellow deserter/recruits by truck, ship, and train, he arrived at an unused air base in the mountains of Lebanon. When asked to choose his arms, a choice given to volunteers, Narboni requested pilot training. ?From those events that shaped the start of his aviation career, Gino Narboni went on to serve as a pilot in the U.S., the French and the Israel Air Forces. ? ?In 1948-49, he flew as an Overseas Volunteer pilot ferrying planes and parts to help the fledgling state of Israel during the War for Independence. ?At the end of the war, and as he began to think about the future, he embarked on a new career path-and after several interruptions, completed medical school at the University of Paris. ?Although his life was shaped by the events of WWII, he never gave up his dream of combining his two loves, aviation and medicine, which he accomplished with a 24-year career in the USAF as a medical corps officer, a chief flight surgeon, and a medical oncologist. ?There's much more to this story . . . Gino Narboni continued to serve his patients until his retirement from private medical practice at the age of 79. ?However, celebrating his 90th year in 2013, he has never forgotten the turns and events that shaped his life and career and finally, with the help of his wife, Charlotte, Gino is finally telling his remarkable story. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ?A former registered nurse, Charlotte Narboni has traveled the world with her husband and two children, Nicole and Cecile. She has taught French cooking classes, written weekly newspaper columns on food and travel, worked as a fundraiser for Texas Public Radio and volunteered for numerous civic organizations. This is her first full-length book.
