Heroes come in many forms. For a number of the wounded military service personnel in recovery and those young men and women still putting themselves in harm’s way, escape into a thriller novel might be the best way to keep one’s sanity.
For the authors of those fictional thriller stories, the heroes are the men and women in uniform.
Round Pond resident and bestselling author Douglas Preston recently returned from a trip to the Persian Gulf with fellow authors and members of International Thriller Writers for a USO-sponsored tour in mid-November called, “Operation Thriller.”
Preston joined authors Andy Harp, James Rollins, Steve Berry, and David Morrell as they met with troops in the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Baghdad, and in Kuwait.
“The most moving part of the tour happened before we even left for Iraq,” Preston said in a recent interview, commenting on how he and fellow writers visited wounded military service personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Navy Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.
“Many of these soldiers are missing half or more of their bodies, complicated in some cases with brain injuries. I have never seen such courage. I write about fictional heroes but these are the real heroes,” he said.
The trip was, as described by the author, sort of an experiment for the USO, “to see if the troops would welcome tweedy authors instead of, say, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders or Kid Rock.”
It was the first time in the organization’s 69-year history authors were sent to visit military personnel in a combat zone.
“We were encouraged,” Preston said, “because we authors get a tremendous number of emails from servicemen and women, thanking us for providing a temporary escape from the reality of war.”
Preston described their visit as quite different from a traditional celebrity appearance on stage in front of an audience of thousands.
“This was a much friendlier, more intimate experience,” he said. “We mingled and chatted with the troops in small groups in their places of work and recreation – the motor pool, the flight line, fire stations, explosive ordnance disposal units, mess halls, and USO centers.”
Preston and his fellow writers wrote daily blog postings during their visit, which were published in the online journal, The Huffington Post.
On day four of their excursion, Preston described the experience of flying in a C-130 transport plane and an abrupt descent that brought their hearts into their throats.
For this interview Preston said he and the other writers wore the same flak jackets and helmets as the soldiers and lived in the same spartan living accommodations.
“No “celebrity” luxury for us,” he said. “We didn’t need it, and we didn’t want it.”
The men and women who came to meet with the authors were happy they did so, according to reports, and Preston said the authors were welcomed with tremendous warmth. As photos can often tell so much more than words, the genuine smiles on the faces of these men and women is evidence enough.
Escape, at least for a little while, into a fictional story looks like it is an appreciated luxury for the military service personnel. The men and women in uniform in a number of USO photographs clutching signed copies of their favorite thriller novels might even be inspired to write from their own experiences.
“I was floored by how many had a strong interest in writing and in telling their stories,” Preston said. “They asked many questions about publishing. We urged them to keep a journal, to write down their experiences, because they are the living embodiment of American history.”
Preston said he spoke to troops about his grandfather, Jerome Preston Sr., who kept a journal documenting his experiences as he fought in World War I at age 18.
“That journal is the most precious heirloom passed down in our family,” he said, adding that many of the soldiers and other military personnel he met asked for advice on writing. He said a number of these men and women have contacted him since his visit, to thank him and to follow up with more advice.
“I am so happy to give them encouragement,” he said. “Despite the official end of hostilities, Iraq remains a bleak and dangerous country. Our troops there are doing amazing work without complaint under hard conditions. I was really impressed by their dedication and cheerful hard work.”
The atmosphere back home strikes a stark contrast from his experience in the Persian Gulf and Preston said he was taken aback by the complaints voiced by fellow civilians.
“In two weeks in Iraq and in the hospital rooms of the wounded warriors, I had not heard a single word of complaint, anger, or self-pity,” he said. “I decided to quit complaining about what I thought was wrong with this country (and I love to complain) and focus instead on what a wonderful country we have and how lucky we are to be Americans. What unites us is far more important than what divides us.
“I was honored to be included in the tour and grateful to be able to thank the troops in person for their service. I was moved and inspired by them in a way I can hardly put into words,” Preston said.
Preston said that Paramount Pictures and producer/director Michael Bay (producer of “The Rock,” “Armageddon.” and other films), have picked up the movie rights to the series.
Fans can catch a glimpse into the series and read the first two chapters of the novel at the authors’ website: www.prestonchild.com.
“If you do buy the book,” Preston said, “don’t forget to support our local bookstore, the Maine Coast Book Shop in Damariscotta.”
Preston is the author of 17 novels he co-wrote with Lincoln Child, which includes Gideon’s Sword, as well as 10 novels of his own.
Preston is perhaps best known for his non-fiction thriller mystery, “The Monster of Florence,” for which actor Tom Cruise and United Artists have picked up the movie rights. Preston’s most recent solo work is his fiction thriller, “Impact,” released in January.
Born in Cambridge, Mass., Preston began his writing career out of college as editor, writer, and manager of publications at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Following an eight year “stint” at the museum, Preston wrote his first book, “Dinosaurs in the Attic,” edited by, “rising, young star at St. Martin’s Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child,” he said.
Studies in anthropology, geology, physics and astronomy (not to mention English literature) likely influenced his subsequent novels. The latest of his solo works, “Impact” is a mystery thriller involving the connection between a jewel mine, meteorites and strange, otherworldly occurrences.
For his research in writing the non-fiction novel on Coronado’s search for the Seven Cities of Gold, Preston followed the 1000-mile journey on horseback through Arizona and New Mexico.
According to information from his website, he and a friend, Walter Nelson, slept in the saddle under the stars, battled intense heat, flash floods and “paralyzing droughts.”
Preston contributes regularly to The New Yorker and has written articles for numerous publications including National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonian, Harper’s and Travel and Leisure.
According to the website, he is a research associate at the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, N.M., a board member for the School of American Research in Santa Fe and is a member of PEN New Mexico.
He and his wife, Christine, have three children, Selene, Aletheia and Isaac. They live in Round Pond.