Sean J GilliganSean Gilligan grew up in several areas of Ontario, born in Kingston, before living in the Ottawa area prior to enlisting in the Regular Forces of Canada. After twelve years of service, three with The Canadian Airborne Regiment in CFB Petawawa, he wen back to school, finishing a Bachelor of Science degree at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. Presently living in Edmonton, Alberta he is still an active skydiver. This is his third published novel, the first two being fiction, dealing with The War on Terror fought since 9-11, the terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center. The first book Raising Hell (2016) and the second The Penal Regiment (2018), as well as the third non-fiction book all have the common thread of military parachuting and it's civilian counterpart skydiving. Having jumped in many countries and drop zones, with over 500 drops, the author has an insight into the hazards and risks involved. Parachuting is one of the extreme sports or activities, ranked alongside scuba diving and mountain climbing. Elite units such as the U.K.'s SAS, Royal Marines, U.S. Special Forces including the Navy Seals, Green Berets, Army Rangers and Delta Force as well as other Western Allies all have Elite, parachute trained Special Forces. In Canada JTF-2 presently carries the Airborne banner. As a present day jumper the author delves into how far to push the envelope. When is enough enough? While most have fallen to the wayside, a few veteran jumpers are still in the game. One rule to go by is, Knowledge dispels fear and the motto, You stop learning when you are dead. For the few and the proud, the biggest fear is not death, but losing a vital component of your life, like parachuting. This is of course one point of view, amongst the thousands of parachutists today, men and women. Others may think it is a waste of time and money, or is just a part of the job. To the author, it is a discipline, with hard rules that govern each and every plane ride. Is one step in a lifelong journey, if sucessful and lucky, it aids in growing one's stature in society, enabling one to accomplish otherwise unattainable goals. One notable example is Chistopher Cassidy, who passed the Navy Seal BUD/S course in 1993, serving a decade with this elite unit. In July 2009, he became the 500th person in space, as mission specialist on the space shuttle Endeavour. He is the second Seal after William Shepherd in the 70's to become an astronaut. Today's parachutists continue to push the envelope, jumping from the edge of Space, before flying into it. Lieterally for a few, sky is not the limit. Read More Read Less