Alan C. Carey is an American author and historian who specializes in
military aviation
Military aviation is the design, development and use of military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift (air cargo) capacity to provide military logistics, logist ...
topics.
Biography
Carey was born in
Orange County, California
Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
, to Robert Watson Carey (1926-2004) and Joyce Kathleen Haynes (1928-1991). He holds dual citizenship with the United States and Great Britain. Carey is a graduate of
Southwest Texas State University
Texas State University (TXST) is a public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to be one of the largest univer ...
(now
Texas State University
Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...
) with a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's degree in history and political science.
Early life
Carey was born while his father was stationed at
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro and was then adjacent to the city of Irvine.
Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Av ...
. His father served as an aviation radioman, air gunner, and navigator serving from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Carey's childhood as a military dependent consisted of living in three states and three foreign countries before the age of five. His father's retirement and subsequent second career in the construction industry resulted in the family moving to several more states before settling in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
in 1975. His writing career began as an intern with the Texas State Historical Commission in 1992 where he co-authored ''Historic Preservation Easements in Texas''.
Military service
Like his father, a veteran of the
Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
and
Marine Corps
Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...
, Carey enlisted in the military serving in the
U.S. Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
as a machine gunner/team leader and in the
U.S. Army Reserve as a nuclear, biological, and chemical defense specialist and weapons instructor.
Career
Carey's early interest in
military aviation
Military aviation is the design, development and use of military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift (air cargo) capacity to provide military logistics, logist ...
history stems from his father's career as an aviation radioman and air gunner with Navy Bombing Squadron 109 (VB-109) and reading the works of such military historians as
Edwin P. Hoyt,
Steve Birdsall,
Barrett Tillman
Henry Barrett Tillman (born 1948) is an American author who specializes in naval and aviation topics in addition to fiction and technical writing.
Tillman's most influential book to date is ''On Yankee Station'' (1987), written with John B. Ni ...
, and
Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and tau ...
.
In 1995, after researching VB-109's history, he was able to obtain the
Distinguished Flying Cross and several additional
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establi ...
s to his father's surviving crew members with the help of Congressman
Lamar Smith
Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States House of Representatives for for 16 terms, a district including most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as w ...
(R). He is also noted for aiding veterans and families in a variety of issues related to military service. He began writing his first book, ''The Reluctant Raiders'', after conducting research regarding his father's military service. Carey's early works traced relatively unknown aspects of military aviation primarily related to the Navy's use of the
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...
and
North American B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...
.
Published works
*''The Reluctant Raiders'' (1999)
*''We Flew Alone'' (2000)
*''Above an Angry Sea'' (2001)
*''Leatherneck Bombers: Marine Corps B-25/PBJ Mitchell Squadrons in World War II'' (2002)
*''PV Ventura and Harpoon Units of WWII'' (Osprey, 2002)
*''U.S. Navy PB4Y-1 (B-24) Squadrons in Great Britain'' (2003)
*''Galloping Ghosts of the Brazilian Coast'' (2004)
*''Consolidated-Vultee PB4Y-2 Privateer'' (2005)
*''The Douglas F3D Skyknight'' (2012)
*''Twin Mustang: The North American F-82 at War'' (2014)
*''Night Cats and Corsairs: The Operational History of Grumman and Vought Night Fighter Aircraft (1943-1953)'' (2014)
*''Lockheed F-94 Starfire'' (2015)
*''Above an Angry Sea: Men and Missions of the United States Navy's PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer Squadrons Pacific Theater: October 1944–September 1945 2nd Edition'' (2017)
*''We Flew Alone: Men and Missions of the United States Navy's B-24 Liberator Squadrons Pacific Operations: February 1943–September 1944 2nd Edition'' (2017)
*''Sighted Sub, Sank Same: The United States Navy's Air Campaign Against the U-boat'' (2020)
*''United States Naval Antisubmarine Operations In The South Atlantic During World War II'' (2022)
*''Chasing Hitler's Gold'' (2022)
*''Contact!: Early U.S. Naval and Marine Corps Aviation, 1911-1918'' (2023)
Co-author non-fiction work
*Guerra, Vicky and Alan Carey. ''
Historic Preservation Easements in Texas'' Texas Historical Commission, National Register Programs, Certified Local Government Program (1992)
Chapters in a non-fiction work
*J.K. Kelley, ed., Westside Publishing, ed. ''Armchair Reader World War II'' (2007)
*Polmar, Norman, et al. Voyageur Press. Spyplanes: The Illustrated Guide to Manned Reconnaissance and Surveillance Aircraft from World War I to Today" (2016)
Television appearances
Dogfights:
Season 2, episode 17. Secret Weapons (3/14/08): Secret weapons of World War II: Appeared in the segment on American remote controlled airplanes of Operation Aphrodite.
Hunters In the Sky (2002): Appeared in infomercial for the documentary series on World War II aviation.
External links
Article on Marine B-25 Mitchells
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Alan C.
Living people
1962 births
Texas State University alumni
Writers from Texas
American military historians
American male non-fiction writers
American historians of World War II
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
American aviation historians