In 2005, at a Chantilly, VA conv. center, I noticed an older man tucked away at a back table, sitting alone. It was Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, the Enola Gay’s navigator. What struck me was how many people simply walked past, oblivious to who he was. I made sure to chat a bit, and get a pic. #WWII

President Johnson is attributed to saying, "Any man is exhalted who stands in the presence of bravery." I had the privilege of meeting Capt Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, navigator on the Enola Gay, in 2005. #WWII #WorldWarII

I recently finished Michael Korda's _Muse of Fire_, and what a powerful journey it was. Korda offers a moving account of the First World War's poetic titans—Sassoon, Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, and Alan Seeger. What struck me most was how their lives often intersected in profound ways.

Nestled within the pages of a book I bought back in '93 from Key West Island Bookstore, you'll find this very bookmark – a small memento tucked in by the clerk that day.

Currently accessioned with the Niagara County (NY) Historian’s Office: Private First Class Frank Gaffney's Medal of Honor certificate, bearing the signature of Secretary of War John W. Weeks. -Nov 2023

To hold Private First Class Frank Gaffney's Medal of Honor was a deeply moving privilege, a tangible connection to extraordinary valor. Thanks to the Foran Family & Niagara County Historian, the Medal is now on permanent display in the Niagara County (NY) Courthouse rotunda. -Nov 2023

Writing a book is hard. Marketing is harder. Sales have never been my thing, and some days the weight of it all is overwhelming. Yet, I'm driven by the words of a renowned WWI scholar who once told me, 'You're his witness now. Never stop sharing the story.'

My first post on bsky. With the help of Boz.