Wing Wife: How to be Married to a Marine Fighter Pilot
By Marcia J. Sargent

Reviewed by J. Keith Jones

I have one real complaint about this book. The title and packaging make it seem like it would only appeal to women. That outward appearance could not be more wrong. This is simply one of the best and most readable memoirs I have ever picked up. My only regret is that I didn’t read it sooner. This can be largely written off to the aforementioned first impression. Don’t let this happen to you. Despite the initial “made for Lifetime” feel – although it would make a wonderful such movie – it is a book that should be enjoyed by all.

Marcia Sargent takes you inside the life of a family of military fliers. She takes you through her early years as a young newlywed wife of a Marine Captain on through becoming a mother and experienced member as she becomes engrained into the culture. You will laugh at her naivety and grieve over the losses that are incurred in such a high risk career. Mrs. Sargent illustrates the ability to make you care very deeply about and want to weep over the death of characters you have only met a few pages earlier. That is a rare quality in a writer.

As Kathleen Rodgers did in her novel “The Final Salute,” Marcia Sargent immerses you in the world of military aviation and she does it in such a seamless fashion that you will forget you are reading. It will nearly seem as if you are living it. Highly recommended.