rlfj: Blog

Fun fact: Grim has now been wounded in action three times, qualifying him for a third Purple Heart. Isn’t that enough? There was a ‘three and out’ rule in the Viet Nam era that applied only to a single enlistment. In other words, if during your enlistment you got tagged three times, you could generate enough points to get sent home. If, however, you then re-enlisted, the clock was set back to zero. Fascinating stuff. I heard from several people about a soldier who had nine Purple Hearts and a Marine with eight. Remind me not to stand anywhere near either guy. They define the term ‘shit magnet!’

I received a few questions about the Hesco walls I mentioned. I remember seeing them on television once, and they go together very quickly. You can find out more on wikipedia

In Chapter 38 I introduce Route Malibu. Route Malibu actually existed, and Route Indigo is simply a fictional southern continuation, just like 4th of the 4th is a fictional continuation of 2BCT. Many of the things I have written or will write about Route Indigo are directly taken from descriptions of Route Malibu.

Several people commented on tears coming to their eyes during the scenes at the concert. FYI, when writing those scenes, tears came to mine, too. Worse, I had to read them more than once, for editing purposes, which means the tears came more than once.

Several people asked about the song at the end. Did I have music or more lyrics? Sorry guys, it’s tough enough just putting sentences together. Making things rhyme is well beyond me. As for music, I have many fine talents, but that ain’t one of them. Curiously, as I rode around town on errands, I heard an old hit by the group Toto, whose first big hit was labelled ‘Hold the Line’. Totally different song.

I am always learning things in the stories I write. Chapter 36 is full of that type of thing. There really is an Al Faw Palace, and it really was used as a luxury hotel for VIPs, generals, and entertainers. It was often called the ‘Rick’s Café’ of Iraq, and the troops who worked there actually did have to receive special training in running a hotel. God only knows what the place is like since we turned it all back over to the Iraqis, but I suspect they have fucked it up just like they’ve fucked up the rest of the country.

For those who were curious, there is no Tolley Hunter. She is totally fictitious. The USO is quite real, however, and does a great job of getting performers in front of the troops. The USO reports that 28 performers have died during tours. Several other major performers, such as Glenn Miller, have died on tours, but were actually members of the military and not part of the USO. The military tries to take care of their performers, but it is a war zone, after all. This sort of thing could happen, and the aftermath I describe is quite predictable.