Rick DeStefanis

Rick’s Blog

  • JUNE 2026

    The Vietnam War Memorial, the Next Book, and Squirrel Allergies

    Hey Y’all, betcha cain’t do this here! Just kidding. Birthday Greetings…I mean…mine….

    So, here’s the latest from the world of the ungracefully ageing. That’s right. I’m going down kicking and screaming—none of that noble puffery about old soldiers fading away. Don’t get me wrong. I still stand by my axiom that “Fame is for fools,” but I’ll take it only for whatever ancillary monetary benefit that its fleeting dopamine rush leaves behind. I treasure your friendship, more so than a thousand clicks. Anyway, back to the point at hand: I turned 76 and I want to share some observations with anyone who cares to listen.

    Birthdays, I have noticed, are no longer like automatic subscription renewals. When one comes around, it’s now become somewhat of a more mindful event. Each one has the effect of the subtle rumble of distant thunder—not in a bad or ominous way—but a gentle reminder from on high that I need to get stuff done. So, here’s a quick summary of my author world.

    The 5th Rawlins book, A Winchester Reckoning, is out and available wherever books are sold. If you want to read a summary of the story, here’s an internal link to see it on this website. BUT wait! Not now! Come back to it after you finish reading the post…please….?

    Silhouette of 5 men on horseback against the background of a sun and a foreground of prairie grass on fire

    ( https://rickdestefanis.com/rawlins-a-winchester-reckoning/

    If you think you want to read the story, click the cover after you click the link and it will take you to Amazon, or you can use the link below to take you to other bookseller sites.

    https://books2read.com/Rawlins5 )

    Meanwhile, back at the ranch….check this out. Other writing news: The next book in the Vietnam A Soldier’s Heart Series is targeted for publication next spring. Scooter Red and The Spirits of The Dead is a continuation of my focus on the spiritual beliefs of the Vietnamese people and their counterparts in the American army—in this case an American Creole/Cajun soldier who finds himself in Vietnam.

    Scooter Red grew up in Yazoo City, Mississippi, but spent most of his summers with his Uncle Gautreaux down in the Louisianna Bayou County where he learned the ways of the Acadian Catholics, the Cajuns, and the Creole spirits made famous by Madam Laveau…and of course, his outlaw uncle. Yes, it’s another of my “Ghost” stories that takes place in the jungles of Southeast Asia, but one that tells with meticulous detail and unrelenting realism the experience of jungle combat in Nam.

    While I am at it, I want to thank those of you who purchase my books by reminding you that 10% of the profits earned through your royalties go to veteran charities. There are only a select few that I have chosen based on their rankings on Charity Navigator. My mailbox is packed most every day with mail from various other charities, and sometimes they test my resolve at not being smart-alecky, but it’s hard when I get these wonderful color brochures begging for funds for such diverse recipients as blind dogs and one supporting aging donkeys—really. As a matter of fact, I am contemplating starting my own charity. I think I will call it Donations for Squirrels with Nut Allergies. Send your hard-earned cash before another squirrel suffers. 

    Here’s a special salute to some of my dear veteran buddies: Lee Thomas, Buddy Klein, Recon Walker, Orie Illie, Eric Barnhardt, Doc Enzenauer, Nite Train Hoskins, Full Throttle Antis, Top Spencer, Jay Klages, and all of you in the Warriors Lunch Group.

    And one last reminder: the Traveling Vietnam Wall comes to Olive Branch, Mississippi tomorrow 6/4 with a 300 motorcycle veteran escort. The opening ceremony will be Friday at 10:00 a.m.

    Next month…or maybe August, I’ll talk about what in the world made me think I had to be a paratrooper. Stay tuned, by subscribing here on the website: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/702640/106123997749445740/share

     

  • A Memorial Day Comment

    I saw some recent posts on the internet saying veteran support was going out of style and honoring veterans was a dying trend, especially for the younger generations—never thought of myself as a “trend,” but they might be onto something. We are dying. The World War II vets are mostly gone, and the Korean and Vietnam War vets aren’t far behind.

    Yes, it would be easy to get angry, but it would be a waste of time and energy. After all, the internet is much like a septic tank where a lot of light-weight turds float to the top and spew their progressive observations before floating away. Sorry, my writer creativity got the better of me on that one. No vitriol here, just a little sadness.

    Anyway, I believe this all started long ago when the word “hero” began to be marginalized by using it to describe dudes who could hit baseballs or dunk basketballs—harmless enough. But now, every Sunday the eulogies of those passing away roll by on the television screen listing guitar players, Hollywood actors, broadcast industry talking heads, and just about anyone other than veterans who may not have won Grammys, Emmys, or Oscars, but things that came after a much higher degree of self-sacrifice—little purple ribbons and medals that aren’t displayed in a trophy cabinet or on the fireplace mantel.

    I say this so I can say the ones who deserve recognition most are those who never came home—those who died for their country or have been eternally listed as Missing in Action. Monday is the day set aside for that purpose. Many people will attend events where headstones will be marked with flags and taps will be played. Gold Star families will visit the graves of their lost members and leave flowers. And most Americans will spend time with family and friends, attend cookouts, and enjoy a holiday that most of us know was bought with the lives of real heroes.

    Enjoy your holiday. It’s meant to be enjoyed, but when you say that prayer over the food, remember those who gave their all.

    If you happen to live in the metropolitan area of Memphis, Tennessee, The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be visiting the community of Olive Branch, Mississippi just south of there from Friday, June 5th through Sunday, June 7th. It will be displayed at the soccer complex on Church Road. Here’s a schedule of events.

  • Why fiction Instead of Non-fiction?

    January 2026 Newsletter and Blog Post

    I’ve often been asked, “Why do I write fiction instead of non-fiction?” It’s an understandable question, especially since it most often comes from my most prolific readers: active military, military veterans, and those in military families. I believe their questions arise from reading novels that are little more than pulp fiction war stories. Romanticizing combat is no better than romanticizing pornography. That is to say readers expect more facts and less sensationalism, but there’s more to it than that alone. In order to provide a better answer, I will reference another author, one of the first Americans to write about the combat experience using the format of the novel.

    That author, Stephen Crane, was one of the first to write a novel about the combat experience, not in glorified terms of noble flag-waving charges, but from the common soldier’s perspective. In his novel, The Red Badge of Courage, Crane took his readers beyond casualty reports, tactics, and surface responses of soldiers in combat by probing the depths of the soldiers’ hearts and minds. He rejected the romanticization of American Civil War battles for a more realistic perspective as seen through the eyes of his character, a Union Soldier named Henry Fleming. He portrayed the fear and confusion that accompany combat by exploring the inner emotions and psychological reactions of men facing the moral ambiguity of battle. These aspects are lacking in most non-fiction books, AARs (After Action Reports), and even in personal journals.

    Sponsored Ad - The Red Badge of Courage (Reader's Library Classic)

    As I have with many of my characters: Brady Nash, Buck Marino, Billy Coker, Sam Walker, and others, Crane used Henry Fleming to represent the real soldiers he met and interviewed. He did this so well, veterans later praised his novel for its realism, and some even refused to believe Crane hadn’t fought. Crane never served in the military, something that makes The Red Badge of Courage all the more remarkable. His ability to show common men in uncommon circumstances is what made veterans come to appreciate the power of the novel.

    This is why you learn about my characters, before the war and after. You will also find a love interest in the form of a strong woman in almost every story. Yes, some of the stories are somewhat fanciful, but never do they sensationalize the combat experience. They don’t depict grinning men with an arm in a sling, a rifle jauntily propped on a knee, or trading high-fives, but instead peel away the facades of glory by showing men quietly returning home to pick up the pieces of their lives.

    As many of you already know, going home is a significant element in several of my novels, especially Raeford’s MVP, Valley of The Purple Hearts, and The Birdhouse Man. If you’ve read one, send me your comments. I’d like to know if you found them worthwhile. Your comments and written reviews are what keeps me writing.

     

    Click Here to See More on My Amazon Author Page

    Next month, I’ll send an update on Book #5 of the Rawlins Saga. I hope to have it published by this Spring.

    –Rick DeStefanis