It was the water; I finally figured it out. It wasn’t the clear, fresh aroma of the mid-Pacific that swirled around the island chain of Hawaii—in those waters had been the clarity, the slightly salty sense of crystal purity, and a welcoming temperature that seemed to...
From The Wilderness THE MEDAL OF HONOR by James Strauss United States Marine Corps Retired I don’t hold and was never awarded the United States military decoration called the Medal of Honor. For my own combat experiences and what happened ‘out there,’ I have five...
The Badly Needed Emetic By James Strauss Most people don’t know that Ipecac can’t be purchased over the counter in the United States anymore. That syrup was plentiful for most of my life, as it was used as something that was ingested, usually by a child, that...
Saturday morning came early, as I gently climbed out of bed, knowing Mary would awaken but not stir enough to let me know she was. I didn’t require nearly as much sleep after the Nam as I had in my younger years and also had some form of sleep apnea my wife took full...
Joe Beard sat at Gularte’s kitchen/dining room/living room table, its top cleared and cleaned off as I’d never seen it before. He sat behind a gray plastic box that looked like a small suitcase except for its sharp edges and pointed corners. Joe looked across the top...