James Lawrence Lt. Col. (Ret.) James Lawrence commissioned in the U.S. Air Force during the height of the Vietnam War to become a pilot. Eighteen years of his service were in Special Operations. During this time, he helped develop standards and procedures new to the AC-130 gunship airframe. In 1979, he became co-holder of a new C-130 world record for time and distance of over 29 hours and 8,000 miles. After moving on from the flying community, Lawrence became an instructor of Unconventional Warfare and Crisis Response Management, eventually promoting to the vice commandant of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School in Hurlburt Field, Florida. After retiring, Lawrence wrote a book outlying his experiences in the Air Force, and later went on to publish a second book written from interviews of veterans from all over the country.