Harry A. Nelson at age 18 became a photo-gunner with assigned to the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (18th RS), later redesignated the 408th Bomb Squadron (408th BS) and served in the 22nd Bomb Group (22nd BG) from September 1941 until May 1943 when he and other original combat crew members of the Group were rotated back to the States for reassignment. Stationed for a short time at MacDill Field in Tampa as an instructor training new B-26 crews headed for the Mediterranean area, he was grounded because of eye problems and assigned to the 6th Photo Technical Squadron at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. In April 1944 the squadron was sent to the Southwest Pacific to process combat film for the 13th Air Force. Harry was assigned as the NCO to lead an advance contingent that followed the advancing Allied troops each step of the way to Leyte, where he was stationed when the war ended. After obtaining a degree at the University of Southern California, he became a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and eventually specialized in writing about the science of medicine and the socio-economics of health care worldwide. After retiring from the Times in 1988, he freelanced for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and others. His current interest involves protecting the environment from unnecessary, wasteful development.

Nelson is the co-author of Revenge of the Red Raiders. in the Eagles Over The Pacific series.