Paul McKellips - Jericho 3

To my wife of 30 years, Debra, and our sons Andrew, Ian and Oliver, I thank you for your unwavering love and support as I served as a civilian in distant wars and now continue to play in the creative sandbox of my dreams.

During the first half of 2011, I had the distinct honor and privilege to serve alongside America’s finest in Afghanistan at a remote Forward Operating Base in Paktya Province called (you guessed it) FOB Lightning. Special thanks to my team of USAF professionals including Maritza Freeland, Eric Craft and Christopher Hummel as well as Ken Stewart who paved the way for our successful mission. I’d also like to acknowledge several of the life-long friendships that I was blessed to forge through our Friday night FOB Lightning Cigar Club; Mike Stany, Christopher Pearson, Mike Motley, Vince Littrell, Bulldog Kelley, Jason Cole, Gabe Mesa and Chris Frey. Jason, thanks for rescuing me from FOB Shank and getting up at 0300 for the Packers-Steelers Super Bowl.

One of the blessings of serving with America’s finest during deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan is the friendships I made with many Muslim brothers. We danced, drank a lifetime supply of hot tea, played chess, smoked hookah pipes, played ping-pong and talked about our children, families, peace, war, Islam and world religions well into many nights. Thank you for sincerely appreciating the sacrifices that were being made by American men and women in uniform and teaching me about the Twelvers, “rational” agendas and reinforcing the notion that the vast majority of Iraqis and Afghans still desire mutual peace and prosperity… inshallah.

The war in Afghanistan was so much different than Iraq. The people were different, the culture was different and the mission was much more complex and daunting. The way that women and teenage girls were treated in Afghanistan (that I observed) was abysmal at best. That must change! From the new recruits and training Afghan journalists; to training my ANA public affairs students and mentoring the Afghan National Army on FOB Thunder; I am grateful for their friendships and patiently teaching me more about Islamic and Afghan culture. And many thanks to Erin Freitag, who supported my mission in Afghanistan, and to the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce at DOD for sending me.

To my brothers in Iraq — Rafed, Mohanned, and Samir — I continue to pray for your safety and that of your wives and children. I will never forget your courage and genuine gratitude.

When I got back from Iraq I co-founded a military charity called No Greater Sacrifice (nogreatersacrifice.org) which provides college scholarship money to children of fallen and severely wounded American veterans. Please check out the website for more information and do all that you can for those who did so much for us.

According to a Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, from the Revolutionary War through the war in Afghanistan, more than 1,249,329 American men and women have been killed from battle or died from battle-related disease in 12 key wars; Revolution (4,435 war deaths), War of 1812 (2,260 war deaths), Mexican-American War (13,283 war deaths), Civil War (617,528 battle and disease deaths), World War I (116,516 war deaths), World War II (405,399 war deaths), Korean War (36,574 war deaths), Vietnam War (58,209 war deaths), Beirut (266 war deaths), Persian Gulf War (382 war deaths), Iraq (4,484 war deaths) and Afghanistan (1,893 war deaths and counting).

Just in the year 2009 alone, we lost 1,683,571 Americans who fought against eight diseases: heart disease (599,413), cancer (567,628), chronic lower respiratory disease (137,353), stroke (128,842), Alzheimer’s (79,003), diabetes (68,705), influenza and pneumonia (53,692), and kidney disease (48,935).

I have been blessed to serve in two wars as a civilian alongside America’s finest men and women in uniform as they accept the family sacrifices of multiple deployments and courageously fight for freedom. And I have been privileged to work with animal care technicians, veterinary care technicians, facility managers, veterinarians, investigators, biomedical researchers, scientists, professors and executives who fight every day on the front-lines of disease.

All of you are heroes in my book…

Captain David Taft (U.S. Navy, Retired) died while I was serving in Afghanistan and is among the heroic souls now resting in Arlington National Cemetery. Though we shared the same branch of the family tree as cousins, David was 26 years my elder. As such, I did not have much of an impact on his life. But my mother’s nephew’s courage and service, especially during the Vietnam War, had a profound impact on me as a child. After volunteering for active duty in Vietnam, David worked for 20 years as a general surgeon in Seattle. In 1989, at the age of 56, he re-entered the Navy. He deployed in August of 1990 as part of Desert Shield / Desert Storm and was attached to the 1st Marine Division entering Kuwait as part of Task Force Ripper. David deployed to Somalia in 1992, again serving with the 1st Marine Division. In 2002, he volunteered to go to Afghanistan but mandatory retirement age rules required him to sit down.

Captain David Taft was awarded the Navy Cross in 1967 for valor. The citation read, in part:

“For extraordinary heroism on 27 August 1967 while serving as a surgeon with the 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Division, FMF near Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, in direct support of combat operations against communist insurgent (Viet Cong) forces. When a seriously wounded casualty with an “armed” 2.75-inch rocket imbedded in his left leg was brought by helicopter to the 1st Medical Battalion, Lieutenant Commander Taft carefully diagnosed the case, concluding that surgical amputation was imperative and time was of the essence. Anticipating that the rocket might detonate at any moment, he immediately supervised the patient’s emergency treatment and transfer to the operating room, setting an outstanding example of calmness and courage. He assisted with the administration of spinal anesthesia which necessitated manipulating and positioning the victim several times. Lieutenant Commander Taft cleared the operating room of all personnel with the exception of the patient, himself and a Navy Hospital Corpsman, and then, with complete disregard for his own safety, coolly and competently performed the necessary surgery…”

Paul McKellips is the author of the first book in the series, UNCAGED, has written, directed and produced three motion pictures, served as a media advisor in Diyala Province, Iraq during “the surge” 2006-07 and again in Paktya Province, Afghanistan in 2011.

In a thrill a minute read, author Paul McKellips poses a frightening “what if” scenario that will leave the human race on the brink of certain disaster. When a series of attacks on animal researchers leave several people dead, the government—including the President—issues an immediate ban on animal testing. And that’s when the real trouble begins…

At the heart of the action are two government agents, the dashing Commander “Camp” Campbell, a man as decorated for his bravery in Iraq as for his own self-professed charm. Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Raines is the more practical of the two, a woman defined by her dedication to rules. Camp has returned to the States, newly reassigned to a government-funded test site. When the ban on animals comes down, Camp pulls a restless act by making off with two hundred rats… and winds up in deep trouble. He is immediately banished for a year, his superiors hoping the ramifications of his stunt will have worn off by then. Raines, uncharacteristically covering for him, finds herself joining him. But where they are headed only increases the risk—both to themselves, to the scientist whose very existence is threatened… and the future of the human race.