My first day working with the Home of the Western White House, as the Cotton Estate was becoming known everywhere in and around the town of San Clemente, wasn’t a workday at all. After reporting in to the remarkably strange and alienating H.R. Haldeman, there was nothing left of the day. I went home, preparing some civilian outfit my wife and I thought might please Haldeman since everyone I’d seen at the compound had been wearing a coat and tie. Anything would obviously be better than my Marine officer’s uniform. Later in the day, I received a call at home to report to the San Clemente police chief, a call I couldn’t really follow up on or refuse to respond to. At three p.m. I drove to the police department, built halfway up a big hill overlooking the city, as a part of the fire and administration offices for San Clemente.
I didn’t have any idea of what to expect when I approached the front counter of the police department. A man with a name tag reading “Bobby Scruggs” sat talking on a desktop radio handset. I presumed him to be the department’s radio dispatcher. He looked over at me, didn’t stop talking, but motioned me around the counter and toward a closed door. I went through the unlocked door and stood in an unadorned undecorated white hall. At the end of the hall, I could see another door. Printed on that door was one word; “Chief.” I went to the door and found it also to be unlocked. I opened it and stepped inside. A woman sat at a desk, a big smile on her face.
Hate to nit-pick, but I find it hard to believe that battery powered tricycles were around then. That was many years before Power Wheels electric kids cars came out. Loving the books.
Thanks for the input.
Actually, In 1880 Trouvé improved the efficiency of a small electric motor developed by Siemens (from a design purchased from Johann Kravogl [ de] in 1867) and using the recently developed rechargeable battery, fitted it to an English James Starley tricycle, so inventing the world’s first electric vehicle. ~~smile
Awesome! I’ve been glued to your work since The First Ten Days. Thanks for helping me come home again.
Thanks for the worderful and deep compliment. I’m so pleased and proud to think that I’ve helped.
The next chapter of Cowardly should be up a little later today. Cowardly is a different form of combat.
Working in the A Shau made me more careful with dealing in realms of power, but it also made me
addicted to the ‘game’ of life back at home. Thanks for the loyalty, as well.
Per-order and I’ll make sure one of the earliest books off the press goes to you.
Semper fi,
Jim
Suggesting a name change Jim, from Junior to Mr. Tornado, as good grief, things just go spinning on around you !!
Hope you can lasso that thing and maintain some sanity in the strange place you now find yourself.
Can’t wait for the next chapter …..
Semper Fi
Up tomorrow, and the ‘ride’ back home has just begun.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
Another great and exciting story. More books to buy for sure. One question, do we ever find out about Gunney, Nguyen and the others? I may have missed something. Anyway, nicely done. Great read.
As an avid reader I’ve never had a book or story create the amount of excited anticipation that these last two books have..I bought the 3 books for the last one plus a few more you authored and I will be buying these. I believe this journey needs to be told and I’m sure I’ll read each section over and over like each one in the past ..
thank you sir
That kind of compliment is almost never written, that I’ve ever seen and the only way I can respond is by saying thanks and then promising that I will continue at
an expeditious speed…much faster than in answering this email! Thank you so very much.
Semper fi, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Jim
James… I have the same question.
The Gunny lived and retired as a First Sergeant in New Mexico where I accidentally ran into him.
We made a luncheon date but his wife told me that he could not talk to me, after he broke it.
That was the last I saw of him, back in 1985.
Semper fi,
Jim
B-17s over Germany, not over German.
Those two men’s names hit me hard when you introduced them. Holy Shit,LT!
thanks for the rather ‘back door’ compliment!
Semper fi, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Jim
At this point, did you understand why you were picked for this assignment?
I did not have a single clue. I was a low-ranking nobody, the way I saw it, with a bit of an attitude.
I would find out later, so read on…
Semper fi,
Jim
Intriguing, so many wow’s in these chapters! Looking forward to the new chapters. I have given a couple of vets your information to follow.
Happy thanksgiving
Thanks fo much Darren, as it is so very hard to get known on the Internet now and publishers of old now only publish books supposedly written by famous people.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim, I am working on a sequel to “Pierside Metro” to be entitled “Mountainview Metro” I’m sure that you recognized some of your antics in the first novel, you won’t be disappointed in the second
Semper Fidelis my friend,
Dwayne
I deny it all!!!What strange days those were, and nights, as well…back when police were so very much different.
Semper fi,
Jim
OK LT. Never would have seen any of this coming. Have followed your story from the beginning because it was so closely aligned to my path. It has helped me take on my memories – examine them – resolve so many unresolved demons. Clearly your narrative will now go in a direction that I’ll have no experience with. However i’m hooked big time and can’t wait to see where your story goes from here. Thanks for all the help over the last couple of years!
Semper fi!
It has been a healing pleasure for me too Bob. Thanks for reading on. Although I don’t get to call in a ‘battery of six’ anymore, I was still capable of
creating a lot of trouble.
Semper fi,
Jim
Apparently as they say, somebody up there likes you! Can’t wait to see who that is, and , although we know Junior to be a true hero and warrior, the Corps didn’t seem to appreciate you at all. Now you’ve become the Forrest Gump of the military! Great stuff James! Loyal reader of all your stuff!
As usual, the real foundations of life are not easy to ascertain.
Thanks Jack for your continued support and compliments.
Semper fi,
Jim
I loosened the only tie, not official Marine Corps, that I owned, hoping H.R. Haldeman had nothing against the British Royal Marines. The tiny insignia repeated though out the silk material was theirs.
…. Should be “through out” the silk ..
Thanks for the editing help Doc!
Semper fi,
Jim
Appreciate the work here. Looking forward to the next chapter.
Thanks Ronald. This week for the next chapter, probably Friday
Semper fi,
JIm
Carte Blanche Indeed
Goodness Gracious
Thanks for the great short comment Sean!
Semper fi,
Jim
I KNEW the followup to “Thirty Days” would be a winner!
Thanks for the great compliment Arn.
Semper fi,
Jim
Damn! Nothing like stepping into the middle of a tornado and being pulled in every direction at once. No problem though. You’ve been handed bigger piles of shit before and came out….well, mostly in one piece. Looking forward to the next chapter!
It was, indeed, something else again to be in that storm and to try to figure a way through
that didn’t involve me getting shot again. Thanks for the great comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
Thanks for the great comment and the compliment Mac.
Semper fi,
Jim
Awesome chapter to introduce a new chapter in your life.
Thanks Tom, much appreciate the attaboy.
Semper fi,
JIm
All I can say is “Wow!” Quite a different “world” from that you had just left.
A different mix of worlds, really, and trying to accommodate all that stuff, with my brother dying and
PTSD….holy shit, indeed.
Semper fi,
Jim
So well written and so interesting
Thanks Dave, much appreciate this comment. Happy Thanksgiving.
Semper fi,
Jim
Very interesting. I love it. Thank you again.
You are most welcome Tim, and I much appreciate the compliment.
Happy Thanksgiving and Semper fi,
Jim
Glad to see you writing again James!I have enjoyed it .
Thanks James and hope you enjoy a great Thanksgiving.
Semper fi,
Jim
James-Amazing turn of direction in your life, can’t wait to read more.
The Marine Corps base is spelled El Toro, one r instead of two.