The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams

Written by Adam Lazarus

Narrated by Barry Abrams

It was 1953, the Korean War in full throttle, when two men-already experts in their fields-crossed the fabled 38th Parallel into Communist airspace aboard matching Panther jets. John Glenn was an ambitious operations officer with fifty-nine World War II combat missions under his belt. His wingman was Ted Williams, the two-time American League Triple Crown winner who, at the pinnacle of his career, was inexplicably recalled to active service in the United States Marine Corps. Together, the affable flier and the notoriously tempestuous left fielder soared into North Korea, creating a death-defying bond. Although, over the next half century, their contrasting lives were challenged by exhilarating highs and devastating lows, that bond would endure.

Through unpublished letters, unit diaries, declassified military records, manuscripts, and new and illuminating interviews, The Wingmen reveals an epic and intimate portrait of two heroes-larger-than-life and yet ineffably human, ordinary men who accomplished the extraordinary. At its heart, this was a conflicted friendship that found commonality in mutual respect. Now, author Adam Lazaraus sheds light on a largely forgotten chapter in these legends' lives-as singular individuals, inspiring patriots, and eventually, however improbable, profoundly close friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Aug 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781696610650

Adam Lazarus

Adam Lazarus is an award winning actor, director, and acting instructor whose work has been showcased nationally, in both the USA and Europe. He has been hailed as “Toronto’s favourite nasty clown” (Toronto Star) and “The Bouffon King” (NOW Magazine). Adam’s collaborators are varied and vast as he brings a dark and comic sensibility to all of his work. He is a sessional instructor at The National Theatre School of Canada, Pig Iron Theatre’s School for Performance, the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, and the University of Toronto. Adam was the artistic director of the Toronto Festival of Clowns for ten years and is a graduate of and former apprentice to Master Teacher Philippe Gaulier. In the fall of 2016, he launched PlayOn Theatre, a new theatre school with a focus on creation and performance.