The Life of an Airborne Ranger

About the Book

The trilogy ends with “Everyone Comes Home.” Jack has a serious clash with Pentagon superiors threatening to resign his commission over a debacle in Grenada. He loses men due to incompetent units, and what he considers the immoral Rules of Engagement. Jack graduates with a master’s degree from the prestigious War College, returning to the Rangers with combat operations in Panama and Somalia. When Jack has two platoons ready to take back the embassy in Iran when it is stormed by student dissidents, he is told to stand down from his brilliant plan. An operation by the Delta Force totally fails. As a new Brigadier, Jack returns to the 101st. The incompetent Orin Jensen is surprisingly promoted as commander of the division. Just as the sounds of war are heard from the Middle East, Orin collapses with acute appendicitis. Jack takes command of the division making an historic flight with 100 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters from Ft. Campbell up the Potomac River, past the Pentagon, leap frogging across the North Atlantic through Europe to Saudi Arabia, when Iraq attacks Kuwait. This action is key to thwart Iraq’s planned attack on Saudi Arabia. Jack is promoted to head the XVIII Airborne Corps. Meanwhile their different moves have allowed multiple teaching positions for Mary Clarke. Jack receives his fourth star and sent to the Pentagon where he is given a large research project to evaluate the basic military skills of all major Amy units. In the Middle East he and his driver are ambushed. While wounded he is still able to take out four enemy soldiers, saving his driver before he passes out. Jack and Mary Clarke decide to semi-retire, but Jack is offered the opportunity to teach at West Point. Four years later Mary Clarke retires as a full professor at Columbia University. The cadet corps make a special request to have a Pass-in-Review parade to honor the general, followed by lunch and a speech by Jack on a topic of his choice. In attendance are an unexpected contingency of over thirty Generals and Command Sergeant Majors, having played a part in Jack’s astonishing career. Jack delivers a surprising speech covering topics unexpected by all. Later, there is another surprise with a telephone message, asking Jack to return a call by someone that has likely read his new book Unjust War Theory and perhaps listened to his speech.

About the Author

Born in Maryland Michael attended Gettysburg College and was a member of their famous acapella choir. Lack of funds forced him to withdraw in his senior year and with the draft loaming enlisted in the Army completing three distinguished years with numerous commendations as a Sergeant E-5 Paratrooper and Recondo with the 101st Airborne Division. He completed a degree in music from the University of Maryland spending eleven years with the Rand McNally College Publishing Company, leaving as the Western Sales Manager. He has worked in sales and management with such companies as ITT Information Systems, Dictaphone Corporation, AST Research, the Branch Group and AIG. His publications include “Your Basic Peddler” and “Paratrooper,” a memoir that included his parachuting with Iranian paratroopers during the little-known Operation Delawar in 1964 and herewith published book three of “The Life of an Airborne Ranger, Everyone Comes Home.” He has also published numerous articles in military and association magazines on the Airborne School and Recondo School, Operation Delawar and on Just War Theory and Rules of Engagement. He is retired, living with his wife on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.