# Any ideas for an author's next book? Military or rescue stories? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122 "2019-06-26T19:59:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/1 "2019-06-26T19:59:41Z")
Hi gang, I’m searching for a new book topic and I’m always impressed with the depth of knowledge here, especially with arcane subjects and little known events. So does anyone have an idea for my next book? I have published several popular non-fiction narratives of true stories, mostly from WW2 and Vietnam. Here are a few of the criteria that makes a story work for me: - Recent enough that there are participants still alive to talk to, as opposed to only document research. (This is increasingly hard to find with WW2 stories, unfortunately.) - The story is not widely known. It doesn’t have to be a complete secret but it hasn’t received a lot of attention and there aren’t already five books on Amazon about it. - There is a dramatic story to tell, rather than it being an interesting topic but not really a story. - That story preferably takes place over time, rather than a singular event that is over in hours, no matter how dramatic. (A lot of Medal of Honor stories, for instance, are very dramatic but don’t last long enough to tell the story in a whole book.)There are some exceptions to this if the event is big enough that it involves a lot of people whose stories can be told. - The story involves the American military in some form. Or perhaps law enforcement or the fire and rescue services. It’s my niche for this writing. - Bonus points if there is something to reveal, a wrong to be righted, someone’s name to be cleared, long overdue recognition to be brought, etc. So I’m looking for that story you’ve heard and said, “why hasn’t anyone written a book or made a movie about that?” I’m happy to hear any ideas, including anyone’s personal stories or those of your relatives. If it’s something you don’t wish to discuss publicly at this point, feel free to PM me. FYI, my books are known for taking a sensitive and respectful approach to what are often traumatic experiences of the subjects. More on that privately, if it’s a concern. Thanks for any suggestions! ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/2 "2019-06-27T14:05:27Z")
Here is the Congressional Research Services’, “_[Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2018.](https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42738.pdf)_” Perhaps one of the troop deployments mentioned might provide inspiration for your next book? Off the top of my head, some dramatic stories involving the US government’s military, police or fire rescue include: how and why piracy seems to have declined, and hostages besides Captain Phillips were rescued, in the Horn of Africa region; US Special Forces in West Africa, like the [Tongo Tongo ambush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongo_Tongo_ambush); advisers assisting the Iraqi Army in clearing out ISIS/Daesh from Mosul and Northern Iraq. In those interventions, I would think there has to be a non-combatant rescue that hasn’t already received a lot of ink. Perhaps the various rescues and FID that Special Forces have done on Mindanao, assisting the Phillippine Army in their fight against Abu Sayyaf? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/3 "2019-06-27T14:30:36Z")
I have always thought that the China-Burma-India theater of World War II was under-reported. My father died some years ago, but some of his squadron-mates are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/4 "2019-06-27T15:50:54Z")
This may already be sufficiently covered, but maybe something about the looting of antiquities after the US invasion of Iraq? Was there someone in the military who tried to protect them but was prevented from doing so? Are there any good stories to tell about the recovery of some of the artifacts? ---
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/5 "2019-06-27T20:49:05Z")
Those are all good ideas for me to think about. Thanks, and keep them coming. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/6 "2019-06-27T21:40:49Z")
Simo Hayha Jack “Mad Jack” Churchill Hans-Ulrich Rudel Percy Hobart All interesting people with not enough written about them. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/7 "2019-06-27T22:02:50Z")
[Operation Airborne Dragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Airborne_Dragon) - It was the invasion of northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom by airborne troops and Task Force 1-63 Armor to open a northern front. Okay it was less than company strength total for the supporting mech forces despite the name. They deployed with 5 M1A1s and 5 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles. It’s maybe a touch short for what you want - four days for the major piece with the armor coming in slowly. It can be fleshed out some with a look at the capability being already in existence and trained. It wasn’t an ad hoc task force created just for the war. The impact on the overall operational plan is another possible theme to explore. It certainly didn’t get a lot of press and is an interesting use of heavy forces. The S3 (Operations Officer) of TF 1-63 wrote an [article](https://www.benning.army.mil/armor/eARMOR/content/issues/2003/SEP_OCT/ArmorSeptemberOctober2003web.pdf) for Armor magazine that was published later in the year. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/8 "2019-06-28T01:45:49Z")
The [Ouvéa cave hostage taking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouv%C3%A9a_cave_hostage_taking)? It involves the GIGN, and flamethrowers. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/9 "2019-06-28T14:18:26Z")
I have one that’s almost perfect for you: > [@Anybody here ever visited the remote islands of St. Helena, Ascension Island or Tristan da Cunha?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-here-ever-visited-the-remote-islands-of-st-helena-ascension-island-or-tristan-da-cunha/824536/28): > > I have a particular fascination with [Howland Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howland_Island). Howland is a tiny speck of not much that’s situated more-or-less halfway between Hawaii and Fiji. In your standard American high school history textbook, its only mention is the fact that it was Amelia Earhart’s destination on her around-the-world flight when she disappeared. Otherwise, it’s pretty much been lost to history. > > Which is too bad because its story is fascinating. The U.S. gov’t claimed possession in the mid nineteenth century for the purpose of guano mining, which it carried out for several decades. The island was abandoned late in the century until 1935, when an airfield was built in preparation for Earhart’s voyage. Howland has absolutely no natural resources other that some rocks, sparse grasses, and bird shit. Everything had to be brought in by ship. The orientation of the island meant that the airfield had to be built in such a way that planes landing would be hit by strong crosswinds, so ultimately it was never used. A few shacks were built, but most of the dwellings were tents. > > The colonists stayed on Howland for whatever reason, periodically resupplied by a coast guard cutter. Life was pretty boring until Dec. 7th, 1941. Unaware of the morning’s events in Hawaii (the colonists were supposed to do a daily check-in with Honolulu over the radio, but on that particular morning decided that a lazy cup of coffee was more important), the 4 colonists were cleaning fish at the water’s edge when 14 Japanese bombers appeared on the horizon. The bombers dropped their payloads on the tiny “town”, destroying the solid structures. Two of the four colonists were killed. The survivors fled to the other side of the island—which was less than a mile away—where they dug a couple of coffin-sized trenches and hunkered down. The next morning a Japanese sub visited the island and shelled the remains of the town for good measure, ensuring all radio equipment was destroyed. > > The two survivors buried the two men who had been killed in the initial attack and, after another visit from Japanese bombers, made the decision to stay in their tiny shelters during the day, only coming out at night. They were forced to collect rainwater for drinking, but enough canned and preserved food had survived the bombing that they didn’t go hungry. They lived like that, crouched in little trenches and only venturing out on dark moonless nights, until a U.S. Navy destroyer rescued them on January 31, 1942. They had been in those trenches 53 days. > > That was the last time anyone lived on Howland. > > The two men killed in the bombing—Joe Keliihananui and Dick Whaley, who was only 19—were re-interred some years later at the Hawaiian State Veteran’s Cemetery on Oahu. > > Today Howland is a wildlife sanctuary and access is strictly limited. The coast guard checks up on it every once in a while, and there are annual visits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Reasons. A navigation beacon, a lighthouse-shaped structure made of stone to act as a visible beacon for ships and aircraft, is the only remaining structure on the island. > > Why the Dec. 1941 - Jan 1942 events haven’t been made into a movie yet, I don’t know. > Edit: Here’s a page that has more info, including a pic of the “town” and a pic of the two men killed in the bombing. > > [http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/archives/historical/huipanalaau/end.php](http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/archives/historical/huipanalaau/end.php) This hits all your bullet points except the first: the two colonists that survived the Japanese bombing are now dead, although [this faculty member at the UofH](http://manoa.hawaii.edu/amst/archive/portfolio_page/noelle-m-k-y-kahanu/) has extensive knowledge of the incident as well as the U.S. program that put the colonists there in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-for-an-authors-next-book-military-or-rescue-stories/836122/10 "2019-06-28T15:54:31Z")
Good ideas! I’m looking into them. Thanks for the tips.