Two men from the area are remembering a pivotal point from their military careers at a reunion of sorts today at Barnes and Noble Bookstore by Oak View Mall in Omaha. An author who grew up here put their story together in a new book, "The Bone Yard."

The book came together easy enough. "There are 3 copies left," says James Crist, a World War II author who was looking for a way to write about modern warfare when his brother told him about a former boss, Lt. Colonel Tom Brewer of Murdock, Nebraska. "Being shot that many time had a lot of bad memories."

It was just after midnight in Afghanistan, October 12, 2003. Brewer had just finished training Afghans when he drove into the middle of an ambush in what was known at 'The Bone Yard'. It is what used to be a Russian tank repair facility. "Three bullets went in [chest plate]. One in the arm, one in the leg and one here that skipped past my head."

They were out manned and outgunned. Todd Wolford, who grew up in Council Bluffs, heard the call for backup and came to help along with other soldiers. "You always wonder how you'll react under fire especially someone you know who has been mentor to you."

A 45-minute firefighter that left Brewer seriously injured, but alive. "Todd basically came to my aide and saved my life. Him and a group of other soldiers."

Wolford, who is now a Lt. Colonel based in Alabama, doesn't see it that way. "No. Heck no. If anybody on that team would have had problems we would have responded the same. We were at the right place at the right time. We're a soldier. We're just doing our job and you hope no one gets hurt doing it."

"He'll always hold a special place in my heart," says Tom Brewer who has been back to Afghanistan three times since the ambush. He's headed back again next week. "You'd hate to see all the money and lives we've put into the country not come to an end-state that has given the country some independence to stand alone in this fight."

Brewer now works in counter narcotics believing that if you cut off the drug supply in Afghanistan, the money to the insurgents becomes limited.

The author sold out of his book "The Bone Yard" this afternoon but says more copies will be coming on Monday to the Barnes and Noble store. It's also available through on line retailer, Amazon.com.