How To Prepare for and deal with Wildfires
As Australia is learning, wildfires are extremely dangerous. We had one here in the Smokies a couple of years ago that killed a bunch of people. Driving through not long after, you can hardly see the damage to the forest; but you can see the houses that burned. It moved so fast the trees were […]
How To Stay Warm, Without Being Able to Make a Fire
Stay dry. Water accelerates the cold and hypothermia. Get out of the wind. Build a shelter. Make it as small as possible. Essentially consider it extending layers of clothing. Use leaves, bark, pine needles, whatever. People forget that their clothing is their first layer of shelter. I remember the first time I deployed in winter […]
The Report and the Sec of State
I recently noticed the Secretary of State weighing in on his review of a movie. Which is odd, to say the least. I watched The Report and yes, it is fiction. Thus, why is he weighing in on it? Doesn’t he have more important things to do? It’s also odd since his boss, the President […]
Key Documents You Need To Scan, Upload and Keep in One Place
When I was updating The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide I read a lot of action reports and interviewed people who’d survived disasters, whether they were natural or man-made. From wildfires to earthquakes to hurricanes, to toxic chemical release requiring evacuation– the gamut. One common refrain, besides the gear they wished they’d had on […]
Merry Xmas from Cool Gus
The Donner Party– more than just cannibalism
Most have heard of the Donner Party and we immediately think of the most notorious aspect: the cannibalism. But when I began researching the event for my Gift of Failure book, what struck me was the lack of leadership and the murders that occurred before the cannibalism. After all, it’s a desperate measure of last […]
Which Came First? Chaos or Intelligence?
Draft opening of Earth Abides as I pick up the manuscript after being away for a few days house hunting. I’ve always found I have to start from the beginning whenever that happens. It gets me into the story. I view it like juggling: I have to pick up the characters, the plot, the theme, […]
The First Five Things To Do In An Emergency
Every situation is different and this is a guideline. Always make sure your priority is safety for yourself first, then others. You can’t help others if you don’t take care of yourself. First: Do a First Aid triage of yourself. Breathing. Bleeding. Broken. Are you stabilized? Can you move? Assess the immediate situation. Take charge. […]
The Ancient Enemy Has Arrived
Area 51: Invasion is free today, 12/17 and tomorrow 12/18. The Ancient Enemy has arrived. A Swarm Battle Core is orbiting Earth preparing for the Reaping. The remnants of mankind desperately try to either survive or fight back. But they aren’t certain what they’re going to face. All they have are myths and legends. And […]
Don’t Know What You Need To Be Prepared?
My review of the material available on being reasonably prepared for man-made and natural disasters uncovered a plethora of confusing and often contradictory information. It’s not because people are trying to deliberately be confusing, but rather because there are so many variables for every possible scenario. That’s why one of the first things a person […]
The US Naval Academy Was Founded Because of a Mutiny
And it wasn’t the Caine. I went to the Military Academy, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Although Jefferson tended to be anti-military, he accepted the need for a standing army. And if the nation was going to have one, he felt it should be officered by a cross-section of America, from every part of […]
In honor of the Army-Navy game: Duty and Honor, FREE Today
Through 16 December HERE. The first two books in my epic series, Duty, Honor, Country are free today. They’re followed, of course, by Country. And later in 2020, the 4th book of the series, Shiloh will be released. The Army-Navy game is tomorrow. Weird that after so many years I’m still conditioned to care. Four […]
Take a WALK ON THE WILD SIDE, today.
My 79th title, Walk on the Wild Side is out today. It’s the third book in the Will Kane, Green Beret series, that starts with New York Minute, which is free today only. I’m already into Hell of a Town, the 4th book. There will also be Area 51: Earth Abides later this year, a […]
What Were The 7 Cascade Events Leading Up To Pearl Harbor?
Most disasters require 7 things to go wrong; my rule of 7. Whether it be a plane crash or a military disaster. Pearl Harbor was no different. It wasn’t one or two or even six things that went wrong: it was seven. Free today through 9 December is Stuff Doesn’t Just Happen II: The Gift […]
Flight 19 Disappears on 5 Dec 1945
It began as nothing more than a routine training flight. At 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945, five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers took off from a Naval Air Station in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The planes—collectively known as “Flight 19”—were scheduled to tackle a three-hour exercise known as “Navigation Problem Number One.” Their triangular flight plan […]
If You Are Able . . . (an epitaph on war)
This past week when my grandsons were visiting we went to the Worlds Fair Park here in Knoxville. Not far from the infamous Sunsphere, is the East Tennessee Veteran’s Memorial. It’s a solemn spot, as all such locations are. Each Medal of Honor awardee from East Tennessee has his own granite pillar and the names […]
What if Caesar Went to His Death Willingly?
It’s a bit difficult to believe that Caesar had no idea about the plot against him. Intelligence was critical for survival in ancient Rome, especially given that there was no police force: order was kept by strength and to wield that, one required knowledge. Why Caesar went willingly is key to one of the missions […]