As my father wrote, one's courage, hope, and spirit can be severely tried by the happenstance of life. But as I learned on this Virginia mountain, so long as one never loses faith, it is impossible to ever truly be alone.

Depending on the situation, sometimes you can know a person better in ten minutes than someone you have crossed paths with all your life.

The military is a very cool world to write about. I went down to Ft. Benning, Ga., for military training, and I learned a lot about soldiers and officers and why they joined up and what their life has been like.

You learn a lot about a person when she saves your life, - Mecho

As a lawyer, as a private citizen, you see a lot of injustice.

That's what civilization sometimes did to threats, real or perceived. They walled them off. Us against them. Survival of the fittest. You die so I can live.

People have given me classified information, but always with the disclaimer 'This can never end up in a book.' And it never does.