Review: 'The White Donkey'

 "I hope you find what you're looking for..."

I never really followed the Terminal Lance comics while I was in the Marines. Being a Sergeant when it came out, it seemed to me like following it would give the impression that I wanted to be a Lance Corporal again. Once I left the Marines, though, it was a different story. Maximilian Uriarte paints life in the Marine Corps with a brutally honest brush, showing how the chain of command looks from the bottom up. When I heard about this book, The White Donkey, I knew I would have to read it.

The White Donkey tells the story of a young Marine named Abe's first deployment to Iraq, in 2007. The story begins with pre-deployment training at his home station, followed by a Mojave Viper exercise in Twentynine Palms, California, then a couple of weeks of leave, and finally, the actual deployment and the subsequent homecoming. Anyone who has served in the military knows the drill, and I thought the book would be predictable in that aspect, but I was wrong. The book surpassed my expectations in every category.

Reading a graphic novel, to me, should be like watching a movie. Unlike the screenwriter of a movie, however, the author of a graphic novel must supply the sound. The first thing I noticed about this book was that the onomatopoeia was spot-on. Uriarte accurately captured the sounds of everything, from the drone of a HMMWV engine, to the almost ever-present automatic weapons fire in the distance, even the sound of an entire battalion coming to the position of attention. The tone and feel of the story was also exactly how I remembered Iraq. The air-conditioned sleeping quarters and the plethora of food choices in the DFACs felt out-of-place, compared with what I had expected of a war zone.

Without giving too much of the story away, it's hard to accurately describe the feelings portrayed in the book. The part dealing with returning from the deployment, though, was what resonated the deepest for me. Contrary to popular belief, the military doesn't just dump its members back on their doorsteps after serving in a combat zone. There is a process to the reintegration. There are meetings, there are checklists to fill out, there are questionnaires to answer. However, as shown in the book, the Marines returning from the deployment don't want to deal with the process. They want to get home and take their leave, and escape the unit as quickly as possible. After months on end of being around the same people, they want to get away. They want to be left alone to decompress and deal with the experience in their own ways.

Unfortunately, for many, that means relying on alcohol or other drugs to cope. The support system that the military offers is ignored, because nobody wants to be "That Guy." That Guy who couldn't handle it. That Guy who wimped out and talked to the chaplain. There is a stigma associated with asking for help. This is your rifle, this is your pack, this is your equipment, this is your responsibility. Even in a team environment, personal responsibility is stressed, and nobody wants to be the weak link who can't pull his own weight.

Even without having personally gone through the sequence of events portrayed, The White Donkey is easy to relate to. It's impossible not to relate to, really. I was a POG in the Air Wing. I only spent two months in Iraq, and never went outside the wire. In reality, the only thing I have in common with the characters in the story is the "U.S. MARINES" on the left side of the uniform I wore. But, regardless of the individual experiences in-theater, I think everyone who has deployed can relate to the homecoming process. How everyone thanks you, and you feel guilty because you don't think you did anything. How you get sick of hearing the same questions over and over, but you try to be polite about it. How you can't relate to people your own age, because you've been to a part of the world they've only heard about on the news.

I would recommend this book to anybody. Veteran or not, regardless of your position on war or the military in general, regardless of whether you read for recreation or not, I think everyone can get something from this book. Maximilian Uriarte has done a hell of a job with The White Donkey, and deserves the success it has found. I can't wait for the movie, which will undoubtedly be coming. Just don't let M. Night Shyalaman anywhere near it...

  

Sunday Funday #1: OBX

The far Northeastern corner of North Carolina is occupied by Carova Beach. To most of the tourists who flock to North Carolina's Outer Banks, it is known for the wild horses that reside there. Several businesses offer Wild Horse Tours, driving specially-equipped pickups, SUVs, and even Humvees up and down the beach. The cost of two tickets will fill the fuel tanks, and several tours can be made on a single tank, so these businesses are almost pure profit. A much more economical way to see the horses is to just drive yourself.

Just north of the town of Corolla on NC Hwy 12, the pavement ends and the beach takes over. Four-Wheel Drive is required, and the highway runs an additional twelve miles on the sand to the Virginia state line. It's recommended for vehicles with street tires to air down (let about half of the air out of the tires, down to about 12-15 psi), although trucks and SUVs with larger tires are usually fine at street pressure. It is also recommended to carry a shovel and at least a flat board to spread the weight of your vehicle's jack in case you get bogged down.

Mile Marker 24 is the last marker before the state line, which is visible (the vertical pilings) in the distance. With twelve miles of beach -and the deterrent effect of needing the skills to drive on the sand without getting stuck- there is always plenty of wide-open space on Carova Beach, as opposed to the elbow-to-elbow crowds on other beaches. It's possible to park on the beach and have a hundred yards between you and the next vehicle.

For us, it's about a three-hour drive to Corolla, so we try to leave pretty early in the morning. We also prefer to go on Sundays, when most of the weekend crowd is leaving to go home. We can go to the beach, spend a few hours in the sun (the water doesn't really warm up until June), and hit a gift shop or two on the way back to Nags Head. There are a few restaurants on the sound-side of the island with great sunset views for dinner. 

Having the ocean nearby is one of the best parts about living in Eastern North Carolina. After my time in the military was over, I thought about moving back to Ohio or Alabama, but I like it better right here, in the middle. My wife's family is from the area, while mine is split between two states, so this allows us to be near her family and equidistant from each side of mine. If you ever come out to the Outer Banks, you might see me on the beach.

Of course, if you do find yourself stuck in the loose sand, it won't be long before someone comes along with a tow strap to give you a helping hand, as this Ohio native found out the hard way.

Introducing: John Smith

This is intended as the first of several 'Introducing:' posts; each focusing on a different character from my books. Although I have dabbled in Science Fiction, most of my writing is Action/Thriller fiction. These books follow the adventures of John Smith, a Marine Corps veteran of the Global War on Terrorism.

Like me, John Smith was a POG (Personnel Other than Grunt), serving in a combat support MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) rather than direct infantry combat. The idea came to me after my time in the Marine Corps had come to an end. Out of boredom, I joined the Army Reserve. I realized that two things happened whenever I told a soldier I used to be in the Marines. First, he or she automatically assumed I had been a Grunt and had aspired to be a Scout Sniper or MarSOC Raider, which I never did. I had toyed with the idea of transferring to EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) or Counterintelligence, but I lacked the motivation to complete the necessary paperwork. Second, he or she would feel the need to justify to me why he or she had joined the Army instead of the Marines. It was never for me to judge who should have joined which branch, but I always listened politely, anyway.

Since his separation from the Marines, John Smith has had similar experiences. He's a fairly big guy, six feet tall and over two hundred pounds, so people automatically assume he was some kind of Special Forces badass when they find out that he was a Marine. For simplicity's sake, I gave John my old MOS: 6541, Aviation Ordnance Systems Technician. Instead of humping a fifty-pound MOLLE pack across the desert in Iraq and Afghanistan and getting shot at, he never had to leave the FOB (Forward Operating Base) to accomplish his mission. All he had to do was interpret the munitions requests from the aircraft squadrons, draw the components from storage, supervise the assembly of the munitions, and deliver them to the squadrons.

Some POGs feel inadequate for not being in the infantry, and lie about what they actually do in the military to feel better about themselves, but John Smith proudly claims the title of POG. However, "POG" is the military equivalent of the "N" bomb. John calls himself a POG, and he doesn't get offended when another Marine calls him a POG, but he doesn't tolerate any civilian using the word.

Aside from the military's influence on his life, John came of age in the late nineties, when Office Space and Fight Club came out. His mindset on his place in society was molded by repeated viewings of those movies. Office Space taught him that his life didn't have to revolve around his job; that the two could exist on separate planes. Fight Club taught him not to be a lemming; to forge his own path. As a result, he became a trusted NCO in his unit by impressing his supervisors with his knowledge, skills, and abilities, rather than by doing everything he was told to do and kissing ass. In his personal life, he found balance and happiness alone before he tried to find it in relationships.

It's John's inward focus and self-reliance that the founder of Reflex Engineering, Incorporated saw in him during the events of Favor For a Favor. His determination to succeed on his own terms has lead him to become resourceful, like a modern-day MacGyver. Unlike MacGyver, though, John has no reservations about killing the enemy when all lesser means of resolution have failed. John Smith is a character very close to my heart, and I hope to keep telling his stories for years to come.

Lords of the House

Whatever value a cat can add to a human life, my wife and I have it, times five. My dad was always a cat person, and I think I got it from him. I got my first cat, Jack, when I was 25 and on my first marriage.

Jack was a kitten when my ex-wife and I adopted him. He got his name because he liked to climb onto my shoulder, like a pirate's monkey, so we named him after Captain Barbossa's monkey in Pirates of the Caribbean. He is the only one of our pride of house lions whose birthday I know, so every March 25th, we celebrate all of the kitties getting a year older. He is one of the best companion cats I've ever seen, and he automatically loves everybody.  

I got Diane to keep Jack company after my ex-wife and I divorced. She kept Jack's first companion, a calico named Roxy. Diane came from the Carteret County Humane Society, in Newport, North Carolina. They were calling her Whitney, which I didn't feel was any name to call a cat. I needed something that would go well with Jack, and one of my friends suggested Jill. Not having any toddlers in my house, I wanted something a little more grown-up sounding. So, she got named after the Mellencamp song. She wasn't the most social cat for the first few years I had her, but she took to my wife like they were old friends when we started dating. Diane will always remind me when it's time to feed the kitties. She treats it like her job, sitting by the bowls and meowing at me every time I walk by.

My wife and I found Abby in a cornfield beside her mother's house in the summer of 2012. She was just a tiny kitten, too young to be away from her mother, but somebody had thrown her out because she had a gunky eye and a respiratory infection. We spent a small fortune at the vet, getting her well, and she has grown into the beautiful cat in the photo above. She has imprinted herself on me, and doesn't like anybody else to pet her. She even hisses at my wife. She's my secondary alarm clock, coming into the bedroom every morning and lying down on my chest to wake me up for cuddles. Abby is also the spitting image of my Dad's cat, Cassie, who was by his side for 14 years. Cassie hated any woman who tried to come into my Dad's life, just like Abby does with me.

Bug came from a trailer park about 40 miles away. The lady who had her said she also had snakes in the trailer, and didn't want anything bad to happen to the kitten. For the first three days, we called her 'Little Kitty', which we just shortened to Lily. As she grew up, she started burrowing into the covers on the bed, earning the nickname 'Cuddle Bug.' She did it so much that we eventually just started calling her Bug. She is the most talkative cat in our family.

We found this cat living outside, and brought him inside when we realized he was neutered and declawed. Since he had survived so long without having any claws to defend himself, we named him MacGyver. He loves to give kisses and sleep on the body pillow on the bed. We call him and Jack brothers, and they actually look like they could be.

Cleaning litter boxes for five cats gets to be a chore, and they go through a lot of food, but we love our kitties and there's nothing we wouldn't do for them. They have such dynamic personalities, not to mention that little thing they do where they run through the house as fast as they can. There is also the occasional wrestling match, and their cardboard box antics to watch.

#SHELFIE

During my time in the Marines, I spent more than my share of time waiting for a flight to somewhere or other. Most military air terminals have a shelf unit full of paperback books, well-worn and sometimes missing pages. I enjoyed picking up a book with no expectations and just seeing where the story went. It wasn't like I had much else to do.

It was on one of these shelves that I first discovered Brad Meltzer. The Book of Lies pulled me in and kept me turning the pages so well that I bought The Book of Fate at my destination. I liked how his writing told a story and built a puzzle at the same time.

Executive Power by Vince Flynn caught my eye on a trip to the grocery store. The realism in the story, the way that consequences were considered before decisions were made, added to the genuine feel of the story. Mr Flynn did his research well, and I was disheartened to hear of his passing a few years ago.

Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler was one I picked up after reading Treasure of Khan during my trip home from Afghanistan. It was a good story, with the science to back up the actions. An author should write what he or she knows, and Clive Cussler knows the ocean.

One of my favorite movies, Shooter, was based on the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter, so I bought Night of Thunder because it has the same protagonist. The story revolves around a NASCAR race, which I've never really been into, but the book was good, regardless. Bob Lee Swagger was older, but still a force to be reckoned with.

Mark Greaney's The Gray Man inspired my protagonist, John Smith, with the ability of the character to assimilate into whatever surroundings he finds himself in. His character also tries to get out of sticky situations without bloodshed, but doesn't have time for regrets when he is pushed into killing to survive.

I first heard of the character John Kelley/John Clark from Without Remorse in the film adaptation of The Sum of All Fears. I wished there would have been more scenes with him in the movie, because he didn't seem to care if he caused an international incident in the course of doing his job. His entire background story in this book satisfied that craving, and the hyperbaric chamber scene was pure badass. I read the whole book over the span of three days, during my last week in Afghanistan.

I enjoy reading The Oatmeal comics, so it was a natural choice for me to buy Matthew Inman's book, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth.

I have a MacGyver complex, which is why I own a book on tying knots. There are some applications where a shoelace bow will not work, and knowing the right knot for the job is important.

Absinthe and Flamethrowers by William Gurstelle is the ultimate how-to book for having fun without getting arrested. It tells how to make your own gunpowder and rocket fuel, how to throw knives, and several other things that make a person feel alive inside.

I've been a fan of The Punisher since I was a kid, and the Marvel MAX run written by Garth Ennis is the best storyline I've ever read. While each book in the ten-part series is its own story, the narrative flows all the way through. There are also stand-alone Punisher books, too.

Alan Moore's The Killing Joke is one of the best Batman stories ever written. I bought it because I had read somewhere that Christopher Nolan gave it to Heath Ledger for inspiration to play the Joker.

The drywall book and the Haynes manual for my Tacoma are only there because they don't fit on any other shelf, but they both see their fair share of use. I have a house to remodel, and I don't like paying anyone to do anything on my truck that I'm capable of doing for myself.

My Writing Project

Last year, I started on the path to becoming a published author. Putting words together to tell a story came naturally to me. It was selling that story that I had no experience doing. Three manuscripts later, still no publishing deal, but a lot of good feedback has come my way.

My first manuscript became the basis for a series of stories following the life of John Smith, a Marine Corps veteran. I had grown tired of military veteran always being portrayed as troubled, conflicted men who couldn't adapt to civilian life and suffered from PTSD. Also, from my own experience, Hollywood has convinced the public that Marines are all elite, Special Ops super-grunts who know three hundred ways to kill someone. So, like me, John Smith was a POG (Personnel Other than Grunt) in the Marine Corps Air Wing. He had a nine-to-five job he did, then he went home. Despite his admission of being a POG, a situation arose where he had to become the kind of badass that everyone thought he was supposed to be.

In Favor For a Favor, John travels from his home in Arizona to visit his friend Jason in North Carolina. While out drinking at a bar, he successfully defends himself against three attackers, putting all three of them in the emergency room. Security footage of the fight is seen by the owner of the bar, a small-time crime boss named Jeff Davis. Jeff Davis has invested enough of his dirty money into legitimate business ventures to be able to get out of the criminal world forever. The only problem is, he has partners who have no interest in legitimate business, and they could drag him down with them if they ever got caught. After calling in a favor, Jeff Davis finds out everything he needs to know about John and arranges a face-to-face meeting. Finding the name of Stephanie Sweeney, a girl John chased for most of his twenties, he threatens to kill her if John doesn't eliminate the four partners, and do it quietly. Knowing it won't help his chances with Stephanie, but not wanting her to suffer because of him, John reluctantly accepts the job. Being an Air Wing POG, he has never killed anybody before. John is forced to rely on his quick thinking and imagination to accomplish the mission without getting himself or anyone he cares about caught or killed.

The events of Favor For a Favor lead John to be hired by Reflex Engineering, a firm specializing in investigations and retrieval operations. The story of his first undercover job for Reflex Engineering is told in The Erie Incident, where he is sent to a small town in Northern Ohio to uncover the players in a synthetic morphine distribution ring. The investigation is a baptism by fire, with John being thrown into the job with no formal training and only a very loosely-stated objective. Also, for the first time, he has a girlfriend back home to worry about. Making up the process as he goes along, he has to piece together the framework of the organization from the junkie customers, all the way up to the kingpin.

Favor For a Favor and The Erie Incident are the first two books in The POG Series. I have the plot points for the next three to follow after them, and the general idea of where I want the next five after that to go. With the architecture for an open-ended series in place, I turned my attention to a Sci-Fi series, limited to three books. I have written the first manuscript, The Ondellus Determination, and have a general idea of what the other two should be.

The Ondellus Determination is told from the point of view of Commander Lokewa, Son of Krexel the Pathfinder. He is a Patrol Team Leader in the Meron Prime Orbital Defense Force. On a routine patrol of the orbital territory of the third moon of his planet, his team encounters an unknown vessel approaching. It turns out to be an escape pod from a Meronian research ship, and it is carrying information regarding the new species of sentient life that the crew had discovered. Upon rescuing the scientists aboard the pod, Lokewa is assigned to protect them and study the new species. A twist of events leaves both scientists dead, and Lokewa becomes the leading authority on the now species. It falls to him to present the species to the Ruling Council at the Determination Trial. He must decide whether to present them in a favorable light to convince the Council to initiate First Contact, or to present them as a potential threat that the Council should dismiss.

With three manuscripts to pitch, I would have thought I would have a publishing deal by now, but so far, no dice. Every rejection letter so far has included a nudge in the right direction, though, so hopefully I will have something to show for my efforts. In the meantime, writing awaits.