Flying Through Life: From Fighter Pilot To Peace Activist by Richard Moody
One of the veterans whose story I’ve done, Specialist Billy Terrell, recently introduced me to Lieutenant Commander Richard Moody, who retired from the Royal Navy after fifteen years and then flew for an additional twelve years with the Royal Naval Reserve (Air). When Billy first made the introduction, he said Richard had written a memoir about his life and that he thought I would enjoy reading it. Billy was right – I thoroughly enjoyed Richard’s book, Flying Through Life: From Fighter Pilot To Peace Activist.
I found every aspect of Richard’s life unique and interesting. His father was an admiral in the Royal Navy during World War II. Afterwards, his father was assigned to South Africa, where Richard lived until his family returned to England. Richard eventually followed in his father’s footsteps, starting out at the Britannia Royal Naval College, followed by service on a minesweeper in the UK’s Fish Squadron, and then as navigator on Her Majesty the Queen’s Royal Yacht Britannia. After that, he learned to fly, landing and taking off from aircraft carriers and even flying with a U.S. Navy jet fighter squadron. Once he retired from active duty, he continued to fly for years with the reserves, the British Overseas Airways Corporation (later British Airways), and a small airline in the Caribbean.
The stories Richard tells relating to his military and civilian pilot experiences, as well as his life and lifestyle in the years after World War II, kept me turning page after page. Then his life pivots 180 degrees, to the point where he becomes a U.S. citizen, a Quaker, and a peace activist critical of foreign policies that inflict war and suffering on people around the world. He backs up his change in viewpoint with action, supporting the cause of peace in everything he does.
Richard also lived in some interesting places around the world, and he describes those experiences in a way that made me want to visit each place. I found this aspect of his book especially practical, and I put his explanations of restaurant etiquette to good use during a recent visit to France.
Although there are many reasons for recommending Flying Through Life: From Fighter Pilot to Peace Activist, what I enjoyed most was the glimpse it provided into the life of someone who lived through the UK’s transition from a colonial power to a stalwart member of the NATO alliance. Richard then parlayed the experience he gained along the way into a commitment to leave the world in a better state than he found it. It’s hard to find fault with that approach to life.
Flying Through Life: From Fighter Pilot to Peace Activist is available on Amazon and you can buy it by clicking here.
