Taking Command tells the story of two dozen American military leaders who innovated and made a difference on the new battlefields of the post-World War II world. Not only stirring reading about the difference one commander can make, it is also a primer on what makes a great leader.

Thomas Phillips served in the U.S. Air Force for thirty-six years. Among other postings, he directed the Military Readiness Center during Operation Desert Storm and led some of the first American troops into Sarajevo. Since retiring from the military, he has worked as a university administrator and occasionally teaches military history courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a graduate of Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, the Air War College, and the Air Command and Staff College. Phillips lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.