I just felt from personal observation that there is nothing more dislocated or alienated than a lifelong military person trying to cope in civilian life. It's like two completely separate planets.

I know I'm smarter than an armadillo

I was fired from my television job, simple as that. Well, downsized, really, a classic 1990s situation.

I like food, like any other guy, but it is not the main thing in my life. I can do without it.

It's a kind of zen question: if you write a book and no one reads it, is it really a book?

I don't care about the little guy. I just hate the big guy. I hate big smug people who think they can get away with things.

Anecdotally his fitness reports rated him well above average in the classroom, excellent in the field, fluently bilingual in English and French, passable in Spanish, outstanding on all man-portable weaponry, and beyond outstanding at hand-to-hand combat. Susan knew what that last rating meant. Like having a running chainsaw thrown at you