Tom Young grew up on his family's farm in North Carolina. From a young age he was fascinated by his grandfather's stories of being part of a bomber crew during World War II. That helped to spark his interest in both flying and in service. Young served in the Maryland and West Virginia Air National Guard, serving as flight engineer for C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy transport planes. Missions took him to the war zones in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also a military novelist and his latest work is The Mapmaker, which focuses on the French Resistance during World War II.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Senior Master Sergeant Young tells us all about the C-130 and C-5, his role of flight engineer during flight, and coming under enemy fire in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Young also takes us into the world of the French Resistance, how it was so creatively organized, and the critical role it played in helping the Allies before and after D-Day. He also talks about how dangerous it was to be part of the resistance, especially in the face of the speakable cruelty of the Nazi Gestapo and SS forces towards the people of France