“The present-day Pacific Fleet is not bounded by the vast ocean for which it is named. When Iranian militants seized American hostages I November 1979, the U.S. Government decided to establish a continuing presence in the Indian Ocean as a means of demonstrating resolve and ability to project military power. Although that ocean is about […]

So, frustrations with satellite internet out here in the lush greenery of rural Virginia were enough to make me sign up for an additional service, one the ads tell me will bring the forces of nature to power my insatiable desire for more information here in the peaceful pastures near the Big River. It actually […]

It was a morning here at Refuge Farm filled with sunny skies, chaos and emotion. Our Director of Physical Tasks arrived with one of his slim Hispanic assistants, and things around the house began to move. Watching them and occasionally holding the screen door open to permit passage of large items exhausted me. Grace was […]

As you know, I am blessed to have a circle of pals who possess vivid memories of strange and ancient times and can recreate them with rousing prose. I am also happy to have a resilient Webmistress in the form of the redoubtable Renee, who has been putting up with this drivel for nearly twenty […]

I hope you have been following Marlow’s unique appreciation of the plague on his picturesque and unique Southern town. We are on episode 23 of his observations, and my intent is to compile it as a manuscript for the next book to appear on the website, and eventually for purchase as a smooth eBook on […]

I am going to break tradition here and post my Shellback Card. I have a reason for it. The card recognizes successful completion of a solemn and sometimes brutal ceremony held on ships of the Old Navy- the one in which my pals and I served. To commemorate crossing the Equator, we were screamed at, […]

(DVD cover for the epic film Battle on Shangganling Mountain. Photo YesAsia.) I was thinking about the start of the Korean War- or Conflict, or whatever this morning. It has been seventy years since the shooting started there, and it is worth the time to think about. I spent 14 months there one time, and […]

So, I was trying to put the final touches on the Postcard this week from the bog down by the majestic Potomac River this morning. It was tough, since things just kept pouring in, helter-skelter. Our distinguished governor, Mr. Northam made news, announcing our collective house arrests would be eased on the first of July. […]

Help the Buddy Marshall Assistive Technology Center! Friends, Buddy Marshall is one of my heroes. His abrupt transformation from a top performing Navy fighter pilot to quadriplegic in the course of an instant is one that moved me tremendously and viscerally as a father. His Dad is an old pal of mine, and the sudden […]

Dear Readers, This is from the heart. A fellow named Mohammed Mukhashaf has published an article about developments from my family’s ancient homeland. He calls Great Socotra Island “remote.” That is absurd. It is actually the center of the universe, and it is we who are distant from sanity. Considering the circumstances here, where a […]