WWIII Book Review: The Next War Part I

The premise of The Next War, as I discussed in the introduction, was to warn that deeper cuts to US defense spending (in 1998 and the years beyond) could have disastrous consequences if the US military was called upon to fight a major war. Given the fact that this book was championed and co-written by …

Update On Berlin 1961 Part II And/Or Other Writings For December

Travel day. Not west to east across the Atlantic in comfort like the last journey and return trip. This time it’s a south to north return on Amtrak and seeing a nice slice of the American southeast and Mid-Atlantic before making my way back to Amish country via car service. Not as luxurious as the …

WWIII Novella- Hawaii 2027: Part III

                                                                        Hawaii 2027 Part III July, 15, 2027 Steve Metzinger stared out at the ocean and beach just beyond Kahle Point, his mind deep in thought. The placid blue Pacific waters were framed against a lighter blue sky filled with pockets of cumulus clouds off in the distance. A picturesque summer Hawaii noon. After a …

WWIII Novella- Hawaii 2027: Part II, Sections 2 and 3

Author’s Note: Happy Thanksgiving! I am sorry to say that the last part of Section 3 was never changed from its outline version into a few narrative paragraphs as I had originally intended….a long time ago. This is my problem with rough drafts. Often a section will remain in outline form until I start revisions …

WWIII Novella- Hawaii 2027: Part II, Section 1

Note: Section 2 of this part will be posted Thursday night.                                                      Hawaii 2027 Part II , Section 1 May 20, 2027 I. The food supplier on the other end of the phone sounded sincerely apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mr. Alden, but there’s just no way around it. I cannot get my hands on any …

WWIII Novella- Hawaii 2027: Part I

                                                            Hawaii 2027 Part I February, 2027 Bo Alden scanned the crowded dining room. Customers crowded every table. Servers and busboys maneuvered deftly through the obstacle course of people. tables and chairs without ever coming close to a collision. Bright faced waitresses greeted customers with beaming smiles, took orders and reiterated the specials of the …

Good News and Bad News Before Departure

Good news and bad news to present on this evening before embarkation. To get the less-than-stellar news out of the way, I will begin with the bad. In a nutshell, I did not pack the flash drive containing the new additions to the Berlin 1961 Turns Hot novella that I intended to send while underway. …

Berlin Turns Hot-1961 Chapter Five: 30 October, 1961

“Colonel,” a firm voice on the other end spoke rapidly. “Highlands and North Truro report missiles inbound from the sea.”

Berlin Turns Hot-1961 Chapter Four: 29 October, 1961 Part II

The afternoon went on. Jim and Dolores Edwards made a valiant attempt to maintain a façade of normalcy. It worked for a couple of hours and then the real world came crashing back into their insulated family bubble. News from overseas deteriorated with each passing hour. Earlier it was news of renewed fighting in Berlin. …

Berlin Turns Hot-1961 Chapter Three: 28 October, 1961

Author’s Note: I’ve gotten over the hump and am starting to feel much better now, thankfully. My typing has improved markedly, so I will try to get this novella posted completely by Wednesday and then get back to I NL Corps and USN surface losses by the end of the week. Happy Monday, folks. 😊 …