It was a typical bitterly cold, slate gray skied, late December 1969 afternoon in South Bend, Indiana. I was working at the downtown A&P store stocking shelves and running a cash register, when I came upon something that affected me profoundly. A small unkempt child had torn and bitten open a plastic wrapped loaf of […]

Author’s note: With the recent respite from the Asian war drum rolls, I waded through my faded memories, mementos and few surviving photographs of the streets of South Bend, Indiana, dating from 1969 through 1971. They opened a window for me to revisit the America of my past and present. The next few pieces are […]

Editor’s Note: We just wrapped up the ‘Red Death’ saga on Friday. To avoid confusion on the part of our alert readership, we deferred this one from The Coastal Empire until today. I am posting late, due to an unexpected chance to have bunch with a retired 92-year-old Lieutenant General at the fabulous Mylos Grill […]

Cable news network talking heads world-wide were gumming the new operational NORK strategic submarine news to death. The story was wildly morphing hour by hour. Marlow’s mouth hung agape when he saw the ROK Naval intelligence photos he had only seen yesterday morning. No one had yet chosen to consider whether the participants were playing […]

Cable news network talking heads world-wide were gumming the new operational NORK strategic submarine news to death. The story was wildly morphing hour by hour. Marlow’s mouth hung agape when he saw the ROK Naval intelligence photos he had only seen yesterday morning. No one had yet chosen to consider whether the participants were playing […]

Wolf Blitzer’s smug mug then appeared on the TV screens to announce that POTUS would be addressing the country in several hours. Wolf seemed a bit peckish, perhaps anticipating that POTUS was about to utter some more fake news and insult his beloved employee — CNN. “But before this surprise Oval Office event, now scheduled […]

Then, like a super typhoon, Sit Room Steve — a senior Naval Intelligence civilian analyst who was detailed to the White House — appeared on Marlow’s screen. “I’ve read the Lt’s and Aenid’s report — it is fabulous! Absolutely fabulous. We’ve got to get this in front of POTUS immediately! Standby for me to call […]