War Stories

This Monday marks the 15-year anniversary of the start of the first Gulf War. We'll look back at the untold stories of that war and others with Rick Beyer. He's the author of the new book, The Greatest War Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy.

Later in the show, we'll meet Air Force pilot Kim Ponders. She became one of the first women to fly in a combat zone during her stint in the first Gulf War. Her novel "The Art of Uncontrolled Flight" draws upon her six years of experience flying over the Middle East to tell the story of a similar, fictional pilot.

TONIGHT'S SONG: "Red Dust", by Calexico and Iron and Wine. The two bands have united to record a new CD called In the Reins. You can read more about the bands and download a recent live performance by them at NPR's website -- just click here.