"The Extraordinary Banana Tree" is not a war story. It is a love story in the time of war. It is the story of the developing love between Cheryl Flynn, Assistance Chief of Intelligence for the Defense Attache's Office in Saigon, and Billy Dobson, Manager of Flight Operations for Air America in Vietnam and Cambodia.
The story opens on April 4, 1975, with Cheryl boarding the giant C5A sent by Gerry Ford to rescue orphans from South Vietnam. The plane crashed 13 miles south of Saigon. Does Cheryl survive? Does anyone survive?
The story goes back in time and follows Cheryl and Billy on their paths to April 4 and to the eventual fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Does Billy have to face the last month alone or will Cheryl be at his side?
The story follows Billy from the seminary, to the Army, where he serves as Counterintelligence Officer for the 11th Armored Cav, sent into Cambodia by President Nixon, and eventually to Air America and his meeting with Cheryl Flynn at Nha Trang, paradise on the South China Sea.
The story exemplifies the horrors the war, the resilience of the human spirit, the bravery and unbelievable accomplishments of Air America personnel, and the power of love to make it all worthwhile. You will laugh, you will cry, you will love Cheryl and Billy. A very appropriate book for the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.