James Salter was born James Horowitz on June 10, 1925, in Passaic, New Jersey, but he was raised in New York City. Educated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (B.S., 1945) and later at Georgetown University (M.A., international affairs, 1950), Salter was a member of the U.S. Air Force (1945–1957), attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel during the Korean War. Given that he flew more than one hundred combat missions, it seems natural that Salter’s first two novels would draw on his air force years, specifically on his adventures as a fighter pilot. Both the much-acclaimed The Hunters (1957; revised as Counterpoint in 1999) and the forgettable The Arm of Flesh (1961; revised as Cassada in 2001) explore the coded politics and personal pains that define modern war experiences. The Hunters was adapted for film in 1958, with Robert Mitchum starring as fighter pilot Major Cleve Saville...