Aces High #1

In "The Way It Was," an aging World War I pilot shares memories of aerial combat with his grandson, reflecting on the enduring cost of war. Though modern planes have evolved, he reminds the boy that the sorrow and loss they bring remain unchanged.

In the quiet moments before combat, newly assigned Lt. Pomeroy finds himself an outsider in the 37th "Blue Blazes" Aero Squadron, greeted with silence and suspicion by seasoned pilots. When he witnesses a surprise attack on the base and takes decisive action to drive off the enemy Fokkers, his courage earns him a place among them—though the cost of that acceptance remains unspoken.

In "The Mascot," newly arrived pilot Lane learns the quiet ritual of the squadron’s dog—a steadfast presence on the runway, waiting through every mission, his stillness a silent measure of hope and risk. As the war drags on, the dog’s unwavering vigil becomes something more than tradition, a quiet pulse of the unit’s fate.