Readers of Dogwoods Blush will recognize the significance of the VFW logo. The VFW Lodge in Leavenworth, Kansas plays a major stage for a critical plot sequence when the mysterious "Night Terror" comes to wreak havoc and extract vengeance on a member, Vietnam veteran Mike Ewing. In the story, Ewing's sordid past is a secret, unknown to the fellow lodge members who have welcomed this wolf in sheep's clothing into their midst. Thus, these fellow combat veterans from various services all rally around Ewing and try to protect him, not knowing that he is a murderer and evil to the core. As Ewing looks at his friends, he has this thought from Chapter 8:
"He knew them all now ... Redmond, Olds, Sinnott, Sullivan, Boyd, Whitney ... they were heroes all!"
The names of those brave veterans are the names of actual men whom I served with or personally befriended during my 26+ years in the Army. Allow me to introduce them to you!
Redmond: COL (Ret) Larry Redmond. Larry was my very first Battalion Commander when I joined the Army in 1980. He commanded the 1/505 Infantry (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, NC. I served first as his Assistant S-2 (intelligence officer) before he showed great confidence in me and selected me as his S-1 (personnel officer), a very unusual move as I was a brand new 2LT and trained in intelligence, not personnel. A highly decorated combat veteran from Vietnam with the 101st, Larry was the consummate professional and one of the greatest men I have ever known.
Olds: COL (Ret) Bowman Olds, Executive Officer of the 1/505. My mentor when I was selected to be the S-1, MAJ (at the time) Olds made certain I would not fail. He prepared me daily for my mission and was never too busy to lend me a hand. I would never have made it in the Army had it not been for the tremendous care and leadership I received daily from Bo Olds. When Bo was selected to move to 3rd Brigade as the S-1, he arranged for me to soon follow, where I served for nearly a year as the Assistant Brigade S-1 for the 82nd's "Golden Brigade."
Sinnott: Joe Sinnott, a WWII Vet and former member of the US Navy's "Sea bees," is an artist extraordinaire. The legendary inker for Jack Kirby during the iconic issues of Marvel's Fantastic Four in the 60's, Joe is still going strong today at age 83. He inks the Sunday edition of Amazing Spider-Man (still written by Stan Lee) and is probably the nicest man on the face of the planet. Check out Joe's amazing art and history on http://www.joesinnott.com/.
Sullivan: I chose this name to honor the five (5) Sullivan brothers who served in the US Navy during WWII. All five men died on the same day when their ship was sunk by the Japanese near the Solomon Islands. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Boyd: Major General (Ret) Maurice Boyd was my Brigade Commander when I served as the Brigade S-2 for the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade, V US Corps, Giessen, Germany. Colonel (at the time) Boyd led the Brigade into combat for Operations DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, and DESERT COMFORT in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait (1990-1991). During DESERT STORM, the 42nd Brigade fired 210 missions, more than any other artillery unit in the war. The Brigade's mission was Counter fire ... destroying the enemy's artillery. Not a single allied soldier was killed by Iraqi artillery during DESERT STORM, a tremendous tribute to the leadership of Colonel Boyd.
Whitney: COL(Ret) Robert Whitney was the G-2 (senior intelligence officer), 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, 1984-86. I was a junior captain and served as his Chief, All-Source Intelligence Production. LTC (at the time) Whitney was the finest intelligence officer I ever served with and one of the most respected gentlemen I ever met. His example of leadership still inspires me to this day.
So there you have it ... the roster of men who are mentioned by name in the VFW Lodge, Leavenworth, Kansas, in Dogwoods Blush. While Mike Ewing may be a bad guy, his take on these exceptional men was 100% on target ... "I knew them all ... they were, and still are, heroes all!"
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