A.J. Tata | The Heroes Among Us

Heroes amaze me.

I have served with them all of my life, whether in combat, education or now in state government.

In 2007 as deputy commanding general of the troops in Afghanistan we were flying in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that “landed” at the Korengal Outpost in the general vicinity of, but 18 months after, the combat action made famous by books such as SEAL of Honor and Lone Survivor. Later the pilots counted eight bullet holes in our helicopter, sixteen if you count the pass through holes on the starboard side. Once on the ground, the company commander grabbed my body armor like a football coach grabs a quarterback’s facemask and moved me to the bunker as we found ourselves in a three-sided machinegun and RPG ambush.

As we were moving to the bunker, Staff Sergeant William Vile was shot in the arm, tied off his own tourniquet and began his mission to vector indirect fire onto the enemy positions. I did what any general would do: I called for air support as I asked a medic to tend to Sergeant Vile. The sergeant uttered some words that made the medic leave rather quickly. Vile was continuing his mission despite his wounds and obvious shock symptoms. After the indirect fire silenced the primary menacing position, Vile turned to the medic and said, “Now you can work on me.”

Heroes complete the mission. Heroes stand by their comrades. Heroes subordinate their own needs to the overall good.

I talk about Sergeant Vile and men and women like him every chance I have.

As superintendent of Wake County (Raleigh) Public School System we had 9,500 teachers and 170 principals who worked with students every day to help them become the very best they can be. At every school, teachers demonstrated daily acts of courage, placing their students’ or parents’ needs above their own.

Heroes are everywhere in our communities.

As the Secretary of Transportation for North Carolina I have 12,000 employees working across the state on highways, railroads, transit systems, airports, ports, pathways and ferries. Every month we are recognizing brave men and women for rescuing motorists, saving people from burning homes, or pulling potential drowning victims from treacherous waters along the coast.

Sergeant Vile, the teacher and government employee are everyday Americans who place their mission before their own needs and safety.

As I create protagonists, whether it is Amanda Garrett the medical school student fleeing ISIS terrorists in Mortal Threat or Chayton “Jake” Mahegan, the Native American errant knight in Foreign and Domestic, the primary characteristic they must have is to place their mission above their self interests. Amanda must protect the vaccine for Ebola so that she can serve the greater good. Mahegan must avenge his friend’s death so that he can both deliver justice and stop the illegal flow of arms to our enemies. Amanda and Mahegan do their mission at great risk to themselves.

If there is no risk, where is the challenge? Where is the heroism?

I believe this is the primary reason so many readers enjoy thrillers and suspense novels. The hero, as in everyday life, places resolution of the main problem above her or his own safety. It is this sense of hanging-out-there-on-the-edge that makes the reader say, “Would I do this?” And whether they would or not, they admire and respect the protagonist for doing so.

The valiant acts of soldiers, teachers or state employees have taught me that our fictional heroes require the same essence of our everyday heroes. Ignore the bullet wound to save your comrades. Go the extra mile to make sure the struggling student learns her gift. Pluck a bobbing recreational sailor from the windswept seas.

We reward our heroes’ risky but calculated behavior with admiration and praise…and readership.

Our fictional heroes should amaze us in the same way our real-life heroes do.

About MORTAL THREAT

Medical school student Amanda Garrett and American doctors working secretly in Africa have found a cure for the Ebola and Human Immunodeficiency Viruses. Leaders of the Islamic State want the cure so they can show the world Islam is a benevolent religion that all Africans should follow. The President of the United States believes an alleged 30,000-year-old Sub-Saharan religious text called The Book of Catalyst identifies him as being of divine origin. As Amanda operates her portion of the clandestine CIA Project Nightingale in a Tanzanian orphanage, she is attacked and chased by brutal killers called The Leopard and The Cheetah. Amanda has 48 hours to escape across the Serengeti Plain before the remaining vials of the cure expire.

The Islamic State escalates attacks across the Middle East using freshly converted fighters from Africa. The American President, however, chooses not to deploy sufficient troops to save U.S. Special Forces, including Amanda's husband, assisting in the air war against ISIS. As Amanda attempts to save the rapidly decomposing formula for the Ebola and HIV cures, she finds herself at the center of a clash between warring media titans, Jonathan Beckwith and Zhor al Rhazziq, who are following her every step toward the Olduvai Gorge, which some scientists claim to be the origin of human life.

Praise for MORTAL THREAT

"When I'm not writing, I like to read, and I read books in my genre. I'm very choosy in my reading and there's a lot to choose from. That's why I like Tony Tata. There is a 'been there, done that' feel to his storytelling, his characters are vivid and engaging, and his plotting is tight and well- paced. So I highly recommend MORTAL THREAT and FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC." — Dick Couch, New York Times Bestselling Author of ACT OF REVENGE and ALWAYS FAITHFUL, ALWAYS FORWARD

"...captivating, riveting. Once you start MORTAL THREAT, you won't want to put it down." — Grant Blackwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Briggs Tanner series

"AJ Tata's MORTAL THREAT reads at a blistering pace while weaving a cure for Ebola, a 30,000 year old religious document, a president who thinks he's of divine origin, and a burgeoning ISIS threat into a tightly knit plot. Amanda Garrett is a new breakout heroine as she races across the Serengeti to save the cure from the evil men who seek it. Great stuff." — Jeremy Robinson, International Bestselling Author of ISLAND 731 and SECONDWORLD

About A.J. Tata

A.J. Tata is a career paratrooper and infantryman. Retiring as a Brigadier General, he commanded combat units in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the 10th Mountain Division. A West Point graduate and Harvard University National Security Fellow, he is the award winning author of three critically acclaimed novels, SUDDEN THREAT, ROGUE THREAT, and HIDDEN THREAT. He was also a writer in Glenn Beck's New York Times Bestselling MIRACLES AND MASSACRES. Tony has been a frequent foreign policy guest commentator on Fox News, CBS News, and The Daily Buzz. NBC's Today Show featured General Tata's career transition from the army to education leadership. He served as Chief Operations Officer for Washington, DC, Public Schools and then as the superintendent of Schools in Raleigh-Wake County, North Carolina, the sixteenth largest school district in the nation. An avid surfer, he is married to Jodi and has two children, Brooke and Zachary.