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TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE
OF MY NEW WEBSITE
https://RobertMacomber.com
-- same domain name; different look --
Share it with your friends ~ Onward & Upward!
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We had the privilege of visiting our friends, Gayle & Jim Sheets in Gainesville, Florida this past June. Capt. Jim was a fighter pilot [U.S.A.F., (Ret.)], and he later practiced law. He's a man of many talents, and is a diehard Wakian, with an incredible sense of humor! We got to know each other well 10 years ago when he & his wife, Gayle, went on our Inaugural Havana Reader Rendezvous in June of 2016. See the photo below for a moment when most of our group gathered at the Punta Fortress in Cuba. Jim & Gayle are just behind Barbara, who is seated in the middle. Fond memories!!
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Have a photo of a Wakian wearing our hat or t-shirt or using our koozie? Send it by email & we'll post it in an upcoming newsletter.
[Robert.Macomber1@gmail.com]
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IN PETER'S WAKE
I checked off a few Presidential Libraries from my want-to-do-list this past summer, and thought of two Presidents whom Peter Wake would have met in his life. One was Rutherford B. Hayes. His Presidential Library & Museum is in Fremont, Ohio. It was extremely impressive. This historic site has preserved Hayes' home, and the tour is a must-see! Hayes was a collector of historical artifacts, as was his son, Webb, and this added to all that was available to see. In the photo on the right, I took time to pay my respects at Hayes' cemetery. You can read about Wake's time under the Hayes administration in my book:
A Different Kind of Honor. https://www.rbhayes.org/
I also stopped in Canton, OH to visit William McKinley's Presidential Museum and Library. It was an interesting & unique display. You can learn about McKinley and Wake's shared time period in my 3 books: An Honorable War, Honoring The Enemy, and Word of Honor, focusing on the Spanish-American War. Here's the museum link: https://mckinleymuseum.org/.
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[Below is William McKinley's Monument on the
grounds of his Presidential Library and Museum.]
| | CLOSING THOUGHTS
~~ September 11th ~~ | |
~ In honor of 11 September 2026, longtime Wakian and friend Bill Williams sent me this photo of him holding my 17th book, Full Naval Honors, while visiting the National 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan. Bill's photo brought a flood of memories to me from that day. The 11th of September in 2001 completely changed my life.
~ In 2001, I was a senior law enforcement investigations commander, getting ready to retire in three weeks after a quarter century of active service. My 1st Honor Series book was coming out in seven months. My 2nd book was done and the publishing contract signed. My 3rd book was being written by then, and I was mentally planning the transition into a calm, low stress, civilian life. But, after that fateful day, I didn't retire. My life got more chaotic than it ever had been, and I had more stress in the next year than I'd ever thought possible. I finally did leave law enforcement another long year later and ended up doing 15 more years as a consultant to the Department of Defense. 9/11 and the year that followed was a heavy influence on how I wrote the Honor Series.
~ We all can remember where we were and what we were doing on 11 September 2001. I remember the tragedies and my rage. But I also remember a nation which came together, supported by allies around the world. Most of all, I remember average people showing incredible courage and kindness, not just on that day, but for a very long time afterward. And the concept of honor was no longer a quaint historical notion from times past. We all saw it and felt it.
~ I think we need to never forget that, too...
Onward & Upward my friends,
Bob
Robert N. Macomber
Distant Horizons Farm
Pine Island, Florida
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