Hampton is the author of The Mercenary, New York Times bestsellers Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat, Lords of the Sky, The Hunter Killers.

The main role of this position is to fly over enemy airspace, draw fire primarily from SAM missile sites and subsequently destroy them, making the area safer for other aircraft and ground troops to enter.

[5] Upon the start of the Gulf War, Hampton and the 23rd Fighter Squadron were deployed to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey in support of the uprisings in Iraq.

During this operation the 23rd Fighter Squadron flew nearly 1,000 defense suppression, combat air patrol and interdiction missions over Iraq without a single loss.

The squadron earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor for its part in driving the Iraqi army from Kuwait.

[6] On June 26, 1996, the Khobar Tower, which was being used as a facility to house U.S. and Coalition forces engaged in Operation Southern Watch (a no-fly zone operation over southern Iraq), was bombed by terrorists belonging to Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, resulting in 19 deaths of American airmen and injuries to 472 people.

As a member of a deployed fighter wing, Hampton was residing in the building at the time and was subsequently injured from the attack.

An excerpt from his book Viper Pilot says, "Twenty-five thousand pounds of TNT had been packed into a sewage service tanker trunk and driven up to the perimeter ... all the compound lights were out ... dust hung in the air, buildings were burning, people were running, and there was lots of shouting".

The Flight, a bestselling cockpit view of Charles Lindbergh's extraordinary 1927 New York to Paris record shattering epic journey, released in May, 2017 through William Morrow/HarperCollins.

[11] Colonel Hampton is a frequent guest discussing foreign affairs and geopolitics on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the BBC, Newsmax, Sirius XM, IHeart Radio, and NPR.

John Oscar Mullen Sr. (January 7, 1879 - February 28, 1954), was one of the Rough Riders who was injured in the left shoulder during the Battle of San Juan Hill; and Col. Daniel James Hampton Sr. (born 1936), who was an A-4 Skyhawk attack pilot in the Vietnam War.