I grew up with science fiction and the very real space program. I watched the first Mercury Missions and the Gemini Missions with their space walks and two man capsules. I was also privileged to live in a time to see all of the Apollo missions and man’s first steps on the Moon. Once those were concluded, I’ve followed the Shuttle Program, and the first real “Enterprise” with her glide tests. Then I watched the rest of our space missions to include the horrible disasters. At the same time, I grew up on Star Trek (the original, and almost every iteration of it since the 1960s), Dune, and even Star Wars. For me the preference has always been for the plausible and the hard science. This I guess makes me technically a “Trekkie”. So, imagine the sorrow I felt last week when we lost one of our REAL pioneers in space, the legendary Scott Carpenter, the fourth U.S. astronaut to fly in space as part of the Mercury Project and a veteran of the Korean War. He passed away on October 10, 2013, and will be sorely missed by this old grunt. God speed, Commander Malcolm Scott Carpenter, USN (Ret.). ~ Michael S. Pauley
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Some people love to argue that age is just a mind set, while others will point out that it isn’t the “age” but the “mileage”. I personally believe that regardless of your take on the subject, a misspent youth will make it feel like you’re a hundred years old, even if you are much younger. Every broken bone as a youngster and every moment thinking I would live forever, haunts me now as I get older. Never for the timid, surviving to be the “wise” man of the tribe brings a new perspective to all of the things I once did as a young man. One of the points of the first book is how we have to mesh the old with the new, and how the experienced “older generation” is forced to teach the inexperienced in a hurry. Throughout history there are numerous instances where this took place as a factor of necessity, and it always amazes me how a very serious crisis will force people to either act beyond their years, or to dredge up that old “muscle memory” to continue the mission. I tried to capture some of this feeling, and to make the experience as realistic as possible, throughout my book. If history is a good teacher, then I know most certainly that any conflict requires that younger people step up into responsibilities well beyond their years, and most of the time, they will have to do it well before either they or the system really thinks they are ready. At the same time, the old guys, with a wealth of experience and a “pot gut”, are going to have to step up their game to share what they know, and to get that muscle memory back in a serious hurry. ~ Michael S. Pauley
Sunday is the “Birthday” of the United States Navy. Most people don’t realize or otherwise mark the date but, given their role in all of my books, I would be remiss if I didn’t mark it in some way. Armed with this sense of pride and obligation, I will just state that on October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress of our newly formed nation established the Continental Navy which, of course, is what is now today’s United States Navy. Happy Birthday Navy, and may you all have “favorable winds and a following sea!” ~ Michael S. Pauley
I use a number of open sources to get information for my book(s). Some of the geography clearly comes from a little map study. Some comes from historical documents of earlier battles, but most comes from open sources that include biographies of various historical figures. For example, General George S. Patton has several works out and about that lend themselves quite well to a highly mobile fight. General Douglas MacArthur probably has more written about him than anyone that ever wore a uniform, and I’ve crawled through a ton of his wartime information. The Army’s Center for Military History, Command and General Staff College, and War College facilities are also great sources for after action reports and other documents. Lest we forget, the United States Navy has some wonderful resources as well. Their War College, and Naval Historical Center, are invaluable for information as to the Naval portions of the book. My Father really was in the Navy, and he started his naval experience during World War II. Before he passed, he, too, was a source of invaluable information and one that I will treasure forever. I’ve spent countless hours studying the Pacific War, and Fleet Admirals William F. “Bull” Halsey and Chester W. Nimitz both have some wonderful biographies that are very helpful.
The more modern sources of information, concepts, and current tactics/technologies come from places like “Stars and Stripes”; the “Parameters” periodical put out by Strategic Studies Institute, or US Army War College; “Proceedings” and “Naval History” Magazines published by the United States Naval Institute; and, the official web sites of each of our military services and the Department of Defense. Other books are too numerous to mention, but they run the gamut of topics from the historical to the current operational lessons learned from our most recent conflicts. Throughout my affiliation with the United States Military, I’ve also amassed a number of technical publications on the care and feeding of things like the UH-1H helicopter and the “Infantry Platoon in the attack”. My personal library is far greater than I’m sure my bride would prefer, but then again, she is also an avid reader. I am fortunate that much of the science in my books comes from her part of our rather large collection of books. In fact, her passion for science and the amount of books that she has amassed as a result, is probably as massive as my own military collections. Whether you like the story or not, I will assure you that a lot of research went into all of them, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it. ~ Michael S. Pauley Someone asked me about my military background. On this subject, I am going to deliberately remain vague. I served in all three components of the Army, and each one of those components molded me in some fashion. Yes, I joined the Army as an enlisted man, and rose to Sergeant before being commissioned as an officer. Yes, some of General Patrick’s background can be attributed to me, but not all, and I will not dispel myths or give explanation as to which applies and which doesn’t. I will admit only to having been a rated aviator, and having jumped from a perfectly good airplane while it was in flight. I will also state that all of my airborne jumps were at night, since my eyes were closed, and most of them were also over water, usually because I was whizzing on myself. It is NOT a natural act, and with all candor, I’m terrified of heights. Probably why I deliberately faced those fears and did things like fly and jump. Sound weird? I’ve never denied being one of those guys, but then again, when you’re in the back of a C-130, and everyone else jumps, you don’t want to be the weenie that doesn’t. Besides, people like the jump master take it quite personally when you freeze in the door or on the ramp. You haven’t truly lived until someone shoves your unwilling ass into the night, over strange ground, that is about 500 feet AGL below you.
As for the rest, I will neither admit nor deny, simply because right now I am writing solely in the genre of science fiction, ergo, no governmental agency has approval rights, or a need for approval rights, over a single word that I write. Finally, there is absolutely NOTHING classified in my writing. Any technology mentioned or discussed, or used against the Gomers, comes from open declassified sources as part of my basic research. Anything that should not be out in the public domain isn’t going to be put there by me, since I have zero desire to open that door. I have learned through the years that several of these Agencies have no sense of humor about such things, and I truly do not want to go down that road. I mentioned the other day that I’m an attorney, and this engendered the question. “What kind of attorney?” The simple answer is that I handle the defense of civil cases. We have several insurance carriers that assign cases to our firm. More specifically, our firm defends governmental entities as our clients. Most of these agencies are law enforcement agencies around the state, but we also do defense work for several school districts, and various municipalities around the State of South Carolina. The real plus to the work is that we see government at the state and local levels, and we are exposed to a plethora of different legal issues. Our cases range from little cases that deal with things like a false arrest, all the way up to civil rights accusations, and violations of the United States Constitution. I have had the pleasure of arguing not only in almost every courthouse in the State, but in the United States District Court here in South Carolina. I even have an argument coming up later this month in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. The work can be rewarding and frustrating, all at the same time. ~ Michael S. Pauley
I mentioned Senior Military Officers and their opinions in my last post. Let me add this to that discussion, whenever there is a military crisis, of any kind, the News Networks will trot out old soldiers like they were candy. You get lots of opinions, discussions of strategy, etc. Most of it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with the current reality. First of all, some of these guys were often not that stellar in their military careers, and certainly were never charged with looking at the big picture. As an example, some years ago one network (who shall remain nameless), used a lower ranking officer whose experience was extremely limited, and even then it was further limited to just one part of the world. He would rant, rave, and toss the “words” around, but it was clear that, as to the part of the world he was being asked about, he was clueless. On the big picture of the incident, he was worse than clueless. Then there are the guys who were extremely competent, but have been retired awhile. I can tell you from personal experience and observation that the way it was done even two years ago isn’t how it is done now. Military actions are on a learning curve, and as a conflict goes on, there is constant adjustment that will rapidly bypass a dated understanding.
Hence my warning or caveat. When one of these guys pops up on your TV screen to tell you about this or that, be sure to carefully filter it. When he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael G. “Mike” Mullen (Ret.), was faced with a situation where retired Generals and Admirals were trotted out by almost all of the news networks over a particular incident. In his very classy style, Admiral Mullen simply reminded the public of what I’m saying now. The way things were, aren’t necessarily how they are now. Listen closely to what the guys are saying that are currently holding the position and remember, if you’re not getting details from them, then don’t just fill in the blanks from what the retired guys are saying. Doing so will often lead to the wrong conclusions. ~ Michael S. Pauley I try to be careful about not pointing to a specific political leaning in either my book or in real life. Honestly, I find it distasteful when currently-serving Senior Military Officers, or former Senior Officers for that matter, spout off their politics in a public forum. The Government Shutdown has unfortunately engendered much comment from both sides of the aisle. The rhetoric is down right heinous, and yes, I’ve even heard Senior Military officials weighing in on the topic. This is precisely why I won’t. Do I have an opinion, yes I do, but it is mine. Still, the entire process, disgusting as it may seem, is nothing new. There are stories, some of which appear quite accurate based on the old Congressional Records, that show that the floor of both the House and Senate are no strangers to acrimony. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, there was no 24/7 news cycle in the 1850s, so the hateful words were not always shared in real time, if at all. This does take me to my point. There is nothing new here, and while we would like to see ourselves as great innovators, we’re not doing anything any differently than we did 200 years ago. I know several of the people from both sides of the aisle, and to them it would be easy to say “play nice”. Still, this flies in the face of reality, and here we are, where we are. Is it a little scary? Sure it is, but it is actually democracy in action.
I think it was Will Rogers who said something about how Politics are like making sausage, it just isn’t something you want to see happen. Now, thanks to the almost instant news cycle, we’re seeing it up close and personal. Another quote, which really isn’t as much a quote as it is an old curse. (There are many derivations and claims to this one, so I won’t attribute it exactly.) This curse goes like this, “May you live in interesting times.” Now whether you think we’re there or not is purely a matter for conjecture, but the entire process can’t help but leave me just a little exhausted. ~ Michael S. Pauley If you have read my bio, you will see that aside from the military, I’m also an attorney. As a middle-aged lawyer fresh out of law school, with already a number of years of military experience, I was extremely fortunate to work for one of the greatest minds in South Carolina’s legal profession. She has the distinction of being the first woman to ever serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court, and now she is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. The two years I spent serving as her judicial law clerk were jammed with a lot of hard work and tons of writing and research. The opportunity to work for her was perhaps the best two years I could have ever spent in the profession since, at the end of my tenure, I had a far greater working knowledge of how to practice law than many of my peers. The Honorable Jean H. Toal, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, is a mentor, scholar, and, most importantly, a friend. I point out this back story mainly because it was an honor and a pleasure to finally get her a signed copy of my book.
I had wanted to get her a copy for several months, but last week two things finally came together. Armed with a brand new copy of my book, I found myself with a few moments to get by the Court and, even though they were holding court in the morning, Chief Justice Toal actually found a few minutes to meet with me that afternoon. Clearly I won’t go into any great detail about our meeting, but suffice it to say, she is a true science fiction fan, and the reaction that I had written such a story was priceless. I was proud and delighted to give her a signed copy of the book, but the most wonderful thing for me was seeing that reaction. It literally was like going home, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. My two years working directly for her gave me an insight into things that have more than a little bearing on my work. She is brilliant, and perhaps the greatest legal mind I have ever seen in action. Her ability to swoop through a mountain of records, files, evidence, briefs, etc., is unsurpassed and her further ability to get to the key details in that mountain of material are absolutely uncanny. Without a doubt, her tenure as our Chief Justice is marked by accomplishment, and I will always be very proud to call her my friend. ~ Michael S. Pauley One of the interesting things in writing a series of books is that the reader isn’t meant to see the big picture on the front end. This series is no exception. In the first book, we are examining an Elephant with a magnifying glass, in the second, we’re seeing it through binoculars, and the third, well, the damn thing is now outside the window.
Similar to that analogy, Command of military forces requires a similar process. In the first book we see the transition of a military commander from the more local, “save my own ass” approach, to where the concerns are far wider. Trust me, a battlefield will look different to the Lieutenant Platoon Leader, as opposed to the Battalion Commander, up to the very top at Theater Command. This is because they each have a role to play, and must keep their eye on their part of the ball. If the Lieutenant thinks that the Theater Commander has a clue about the location of his platoon, then think again. General Patton was successful, in part, because he knew that you can only track so much, and do it well. As an Army Commander, his scope of concern was limited to the placement of Corps and the Divisions they controlled. General Eisenhower, on the other hand, limited his view to where the Army Groups were located, along with the Armies they controlled. Of course, Eisenhower’s plate was even more full at times, because he had to concern himself with where the Navies and Air Corps/Forces, were located. This is how it works, and so too, you will find that these are the views taken by the leaders in these books. The higher up the chain of command, the more the view changes. |
AuthorMichael S. Pauley is a Navy brat and an old soldier who served in all three components of the United States Army. Living in Lexington, South Carolina, Michael is now a practicing attorney and member of the United States Naval Institute and the American Legion, Post 154, Tybee Island, Georgia. Archives
June 2021
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