Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

As 2020 finally comes to a close, may 2021 bring you and your family health, joy and happiness!

Ronn

December 7, 1941, . . .

. . . a date which will live in infamy, . . .

Remembering all who died at Pearl Harbor 

on December 7, 1941.

USS Arizona exploding

USS Arizona Memorial

Oops, that's not quite right . . .

 You know I write based on a plot that I prepare first and then update as needed. Yesterday evening, in Dunn's main story line's climatic chapter of the new book, I discovered I'd written myself into a corner, or a box. 

Rather than trying to figure out the solution at 9:45 pm, I switched to a different, earlier chapter for Saunders. This morning, while walking our dog, Lila, the solution suddenly presented itself all on its own. 

Fixed the problem and it only cost me 78 words.

Thank you, Lila!

Thank you Veterans!

To all veterans: 

Thank you for serving. Thank you for your sacrifices.

In Loving Memory (deceased)

Olga Munsterman (Mom) – U.S. Coast Guard

Major Harvey Mellion (Father) – U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force

Amos Munsterman (Uncle) – U.S. Army, Silver Star

Hugo Munsterman (Uncle) – U.S. Army, Bronze Star, Purple Heart

Norman Munsterman (Uncle) – U.S. Army

Maxwell Elder (Wife’s Father) – U.S. Army

Lester Knisley (Uncle) – U.S. Navy

Master Sergeant Frank O. Champion – High School ROTC teacher

In Loving Honor (living)

Alexandra (Granddaughter) Page Robinson – Army National Guard

Don Munsterman (Cousin) – U.S. Army

Joe Stutler (Friend) – U.S. Army

Dr. Byron Thornton (Nephew) – U.S. Army

Sgt. Dunn #14 update

 I thought I'd take a moment to say "Hi." I haven't posted anything for some time. I hope you are doing well and are safe and healthy.

I'm working on the next Sgt. Dunn novel, number 14. Hard to believe it's that many! I'm about 50% done with the first draft. Dunn and Saunders are back at it causing trouble for the Nazis in their own backyard.

That's it for now. Do take care.

Ronn

Our flowers were so beautiful the neighborhood deer snacked on them . . .

Our Asian Lillies bloomed late this year, but were as beautiful as ever. 

We have deer who browse through our neighborhood.

One liked our birdfeed. Another liked a shrub on the side of the house.

One of them ate all the Asian Lillies . . . 

Sigh. I forgot one night to use our Deer spray.

Maybe next year.

Radioactive no-man's land

In my book, Lethal Ground, published in 2018, Sgt. Dunn's main mission is to prevent the Germans from spreading nuclear material over the ground to sicken, kill, and stop the Allied advance into Germany. The story was triggered by my research, which found Operation Peppermint. It was created by the Americans in case the Germans did just that on the beaches of Normandy. The Germans didn't do it, but it was a real concern.

Fast forward to the present.

I'm reading The Korean War by military historian Sir Max Hastings. A few days ago I read the chapter about the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur. It turns out, unbeknownst to me, that MacArthur wanted to drop atomic bombs in such number that a radioactive no-man's land would be created between the Korean peninsula and mainland China, which would made that area uninhabitable for years. 

Here's an interesting article about Truman firing MacArthur.

100th anniversary of my mom's birthday

My mom, Olga R. Munsterman, was born on this day in 1920. She passed away on 3 January 3, 1991, and is buried at the Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery. She served as a SPAR in the United States Coast Guard, a Yeoman Second Class.

She left the family farm (near Stover, MO, about 95 miles southeast of Kansas City, Missouri) when she was 18 and moved to KC for work.

Her boot camp was in Palm Beach, Florida, where the Coast Guard had taken over the famous Biltmore Hotel. Here's a history of that period. Her assignment was at Norfolk Virginia. After the war, she went to college at Woodbury College in Los Angeles. Following that, she moved back to Kansas City.

Olga Regina Munsterman 

16 June 1920 - 3 January 1991

Happy Birthday to the United States Army!

Wishing a Happy Birthday to the United States Army, established on 14 June 1775.

Thank you to all who have and are serving.

Today is flag day

Commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States on 14 June 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. Note that this is the same date (14 June) the U.S. Army was established 2 years prior (1775).

Remembering D-Day, 6 June 1944

On a gray Tuesday morning, 76 years ago today, Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, the start of the end for Nazi Germany and Hitler.

Thank you to all those brave men who served, those who died and those who survived.

6 June 1944

Sgt. Dunn Novel #13, Bold Rescue, now available on Amazon!

Hi Sgt. Dunn readers!

I'm very pleased to announce the release of Bold Rescue, now available on Amazon.

The Battle of the Bulge is raging. The good news is the weather improved and the Allies’ air superiority comes back into play. The Americans have fought their way back, shrinking the bulge, but at a terrible price. The Germans, however, are resupplying the southern portion of their front line by convoys at night, when the Allied air power can’t touch them.

U.S. Army Ranger Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of deadly Rangers are assigned to parachute into Germany and destroy the last bridge available to Germans in that area. Getting in is easy . . . escape might be another matter.

British Army Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders and his men raid a Danish lighthouse used by the Germans to guide their shipping convoys. Having seen the same lighthouse on a previous mission to Sweden, Saunders is happy to go back and ruin it for the Germans.

Meanwhile, in Bologna, Italy, a twelve-year-old Jewish boy named Benjamin struggles to care for four younger Jewish children. All five are hiding from the Germans following the deportation of their parents to Auschwitz.

With the advance of the Allied Armies in Italy halted due to winter, Italian partisans take on a more and more important role. In a joint mission, Dunn and Saunders take their men to the Apennines Mountains northwest of Bologna to train an entire company of partisans. Horrifying news from Bologna arrives at the partisans’ encampment: the Gestapo is rounding up the last of the Jews in the city. Next stop by train: Auschwitz. Working together, Dunn, Saunders, and the partisans’ leaders plan a bold rescue. But can they stop the train to Auschwitz and rescue the Jews aboard?

In book thirteen of his WWII action thrillers, Munsterman reminds us of his masterful blending of real-life Nazi plans with fiction giving the reader an action-packed story in a non-stop page-turning pace. In Bold Rescue, he tackles just a small part of the single most horrific event in WWII, the extermination of the Jews in Europe, and shows us what men with integrity and who care can do.

Sgt. Dunn Novel #13, Bold Rescue – Cover reveal and publication announcement

Hello Sgt. Dunn readers! 

I’m pleased to reveal the cover for Sgt. Dunn Novel #13, Bold Rescue. 

The book will be released tomorrow (Tuesday) after Memorial Day. The description is below. 

David M. Jones (Jonesy) and his wife, Nathalie, created the gorgeous cover. Nathalie did the artwork.

David M. Jones

www.triarete.com

and

Nathalie Beloeil-Jones

www.nathaliesworkshop.com

Bold Rescue

The Battle of the Bulge is raging. The good news is the weather improved and the Allies’ air superiority comes back into play. The Americans have fought their way back, shrinking the bulge, but at a terrible price. The Germans, however, are resupplying the southern portion of their front line by convoys at night, when the Allied air power can’t touch them.

U.S. Army Ranger Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of deadly Rangers are assigned to parachute into Germany and destroy the last bridge available to Germans in that area. Getting in is easy . . . escape might be another matter.

British Army Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders and his men raid a Danish lighthouse used by the Germans to guide their shipping convoys. Having seen the same lighthouse on a previous mission to Sweden, Saunders is happy to go back and ruin it for the Germans.

Meanwhile, in Bologna, Italy, a twelve-year-old Jewish boy named Benjamin struggles to care for four younger Jewish children. All five are hiding from the Germans following the deportation of their parents to Auschwitz.

With the advance of the Allied Armies in Italy halted due to winter, Italian partisans take on a more and more important role. In a joint mission, Dunn and Saunders take their men to the Apennines Mountains northwest of Bologna to train an entire company of partisans. Horrifying news from Bologna arrives at the partisans’ encampment: the Gestapo is rounding up the last of the Jews in the city. Next stop by train: Auschwitz. Working together, Dunn, Saunders, and the partisans’ leaders plan a bold rescue. But can they stop the train to Auschwitz and rescue the Jews aboard?

In book thirteen of his WWII action thrillers, Munsterman reminds us of his masterful blending of real-life Nazi plans with fiction giving the reader an action-packed story in a non-stop page-turning pace. In Bold Rescue, he tackles just a small part of the single most horrific event in WWII, the extermination of the Jews in Europe, and shows us what men with integrity and who care can do.

Memorial Day 2020

In remembrance and honor of those who died fighting for our country.

Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery (Kansas)

My mother, Olga R. Munsterman, Coast Guard Spars (WWII) is buried there.

Just completed the final edit of Bold Rescue!

I finished the final edit of Sgt. Dunn #13, Bold Rescue, a few minutes ago. I still need to finish the Author's Notes and the Acknowledgements. 

I hope to be able to release it soon.

By the way, I'm even working on my birthday! I turned a whopping 68 today. I just realized this is my 50th anniversary of my graduating from Westport High School (1970). Hard to believe, but there you are.

Be safe.

Ronn

Right after the Chiefs won the Superbowl

75th Anniversary of VE Day, 8 May 1945, 8 May 2020

Imagine hearing the news that the war in Europe was finally, finally . . . over.

Here's a great History Channel video about it.

Sgt. Dunn #13 title reveal and book description

Hey Sgt. Dunn readers,

I hope you and your family are well and safe in this difficult time. Please adhere to the CDC social distancing protocols. My wife and I are isolating ourselves, especially because we are in our 60s. We only go out to the grocery store after ordering online. We drive up, they put them in the trunk and we drive off. We don't open the windows. When we get home, we disinfect the items.

Thank goodness for Facebook and Skype. They help us stay connected to our family.

v

On Thursday, March 19th, I finished the first draft of the newest Sgt. Dunn novel, #13. Today, I completed the first edit and sent it to my famous FIRST READERS. As for a release date, I'm hoping for late April, but that's dependent on many factors, not all of which are writing related. You can track my editing progress in the upper left of this blog.

Take care and be safe.

Title Reveal!

Bold Rescue 

The Battle of the Bulge is raging. The good news is the weather improved and the Allies’ air superiority comes back into play. The Americans have fought their way back, shrinking the bulge, but at a terrible price. The Germans, however, are resupplying the southern portion of their front line by convoys at night, when the Allied air power can’t touch them.

U.S. Army Ranger Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of deadly Rangers are assigned to parachute into Germany and destroy the last bridge available to Germans in that area. Getting in isn’t the problem, escaping through the porous front line is.

British Army Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders leads his men in a raid on a lighthouse in Denmark that is used by the Germans to guide their supply convoys. Having seen the same lighthouse on the previous mission to Sweden, Saunders is happy to go back and attempt to ruin it for the Germans.

Meanwhile, in Bologna, Italy, a twelve-year-old Jewish boy named Benjamin struggles to care for four younger Jewish children. All five are hiding from the Germans following the deportation of their parents to Auschwitz a year ago.

With the advance of the Allied Armies in Italy halted due to the winter, Italian partisans take on a more and more important role. In a joint mission, Dunn and Saunders take their men to the Apennines Mountains northwest of Bologna to train an entire company of partisans. Horrifying news from Bologna arrives at the partisans’ encampment: the Gestapo is rounding up the last of the Jews in the city. Next stop by train: Auschwitz. Working together, Dunn, Saunders, and the partisans’ leaders plan a bold rescue. Can they stop the train to Auschwitz and rescue the Jews aboard?

In book thirteen of his WWII action thrillers, Munsterman reminds us of his masterful blending of real-life Nazi operations with fiction giving the reader an action-packed story in a non-stop page-turning pace. In Bold Rescue, he tackles just a small part of the single most horrifying event in WWII, the extermination of Jews in Europe, and shows us what men of integrity, and who care can do.

My author interview

An interview I did with authorvoices.com is available here:

https://authorvoices.com/authorvoices-author-interviews/interview-ronn-munsterman/

Here's the first question and answer:

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I grew up in mid-town Kansas City, Missouri about 2 miles from the famous Plaza. I’m a huge Royals fan and got to see their second game ever, a 17 inning win over the Twins. I was in the sixth grade when the Chiefs came to town and am thrilled they are returning to the Superbowl in 2020. We live in Iowa now.

Go Chiefs!

When I was in the 6th grade, the NFL came to Kansas City. There was a radio contest to name the team, which was of course the Chiefs. I recall being able to get free Chiefs stickers at just about any store in the neighborhood. Naturally, I stuck them on my school notebook. 

A friend of my mom had a color TV, so we watched the first Superbowl at her house. Even though we lost, it was awesome. Four years later, the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV. I was a senior in high school.

Here we are 50 years later. Looking forward to the game a week from Sunday.

The patches