By Sharon Hall
The Nugget

Dahlonega resident Bruce Hoffman has read plenty of books on Vietnam. Many, perhaps most of them, he says, “are either all about combat, or crying-in-your-beer books.”

Hoffman had a different perspective on the war. He was a young (right out of high school), gung ho Marine, ready for action and stuck much of his time “in the rear with the beer,” he says. But recollections of those times, and the struggle and eventual success to get into combat, generated some good memories. Those memories are the basis of “And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller.”

The unusual title comes from a family story Hoffman says he often heard as a child. “My dad served in the Pacific with Marine Corps Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, the only Marine to earn the Navy Cross five times. My mother used to tell the story about being at a reunion with my dad, and Chesty Puller was there, sitting at a table. Marines would approach his table and shake his hand, but most just pointed him out to their wives or dates. My mother was never shy, and she told my dad the general was just sitting there and needed to get up and dance and enjoy himself and she was going to go ask him to dance, and before he could say anything, she did. I think later on, my dad told the story more often than my mom, but that story is one of the reasons I joined the Corps. I just always knew I would be a Marine like my dad.”

Hoffman joined the Corps soon after high school, right after the Gulf of Tonkin incident which propelled the U.S. into the Vietnam War. He then spent “three and a half years fighting to get into the war,” he says. “If you are a Marine, and there’s a war going on, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”

Most of this time was spent stateside or in Okinawa, with one tour of duty in the rear echelon in Vietnam before he was able to get into the action, finally serving as a gunner on a Huey helicopter flying Medevac and gunship missions during his last six months in service.

All the stories, from training to trooping through bars and brothels with his buddies, are there, along with stories of brave young men in combat. Amidst the recollections is the story of an adolescent’s growth into manhood, of a dedication to duty and the bonds of friendship formed by men in common cause.

“I just wanted to write all my old stories down before I forgot them,” Hoffman says.

He did have to do some research to refresh his memory about some of the details. He bought a collection of “Leatherneck” magazines on E-Bay, and accessed the Texas Tech Vietnam archives online, but he also “kind-of filled in the blanks a little bit with my own perceptions,” he says.

He was a little concerned how those perceptions would be received by other Marines who served at the same time as himself. He has since been vindicated, however, by reviews posted on the Amazon site where his book is available (www.amazon.com).

“I’ve really appreciated those reviews, especially since some were from folks I served with,” he says.

“The book aroused some strong memories of the times and the ‘men’ (most under 21) who humped the terrain, unloaded the bodies, resupplied their fellow Mariknes and that special group that came back to get you no matter how hot the LZ,” wrote one reviewer. “… a wonderful book that captures his Vietnam service and presents it in a very personal and real manner,” writes another; and “… an insightful and accurate portrayal,” writes a third.

“And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller” is Hoffman’s first attempt at writing. He is currently involved in a second project, writing his memoir of 27 years with the Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Fla.

And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller by Bruce Hoffman is the story of a young Marine’s adventure during the Vietnam War, sometimes humorous, sometimes hair-raising.

Drawn into the Marine Corps by World War II stories from family members and the ultimate dream of serving as an Embassy Marine in an exotic land, Hoffman enlisted in 1964. Over the next few years he struggles to get into the fight in Vietnam but mostly finds himself stuck “in the rear with the beer”. After volunteering three times for Vietnam he’s finally able to transfer to Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron VMO-2, and fly as an Aerial Gunner in UH-1E Huey Helicopters.

“My first kill and the loss of fellow Marines left lasting memories but so did the adventures at other duty stations along the way,” Hoffman said. “I wanted to highlight the adventure part rather than focus on the combat. From the feedback I’m hearing, my readers appreciate being reminded of the little details about their service that made the experience less painful.”

Hoffman shares stories about boot camp where he writes, “Parris Island, the first place the Marine Corps tried to kill me.” He also goes in-depth into being stationed at the Marine Corps Air Stations in Beaufort, SC and Cherry Point, NC. It was the Beaufort station where he turns down a part-time job as a shotgun rider for a bootlegger. Then off to war training at Camp Pendleton, CA followed by the endless tales of booze and brothels in Okinawa. He was able to find a few girlfriends in the Carolina’s, Okinawa, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The one life lesson Hoffman says he wants to pass along to future Marines who read this book was taught to him by a Major at his first duty station in Beaufort. “Be careful who you make friends with.” the Major warned him. “You become who your friends are, if you pick Marines who get in trouble, you will get into trouble, if you pick good Marines as your friends, you will become a good Marine. Pick your friends in this Marine Corps very carefully.” Hoffman says this is a life lesson he still carries to this day and has served him well throughout his life.

The book title refers to a story told by his parents that during a 1st Marine Division reunion in Chicago, his mother danced with the legendary Marine Corps General Chesty Puller. He writes, ” I told your father I’m going to go over and ask General Puller to dance, he is just sitting there, he needs to get up and enjoy himself…While we were dancing, I pointed to your father and said that’s my husband, he served with you and has great respect for you. After the dance the General led me over and he shook your father’s hand and told your father, “Thank you for being with me.” Your father tells that story more than I do now.”

Bruce Hoffman returned to Tampa and retired as a captain with the Sheriff’s Office, after twenty-seven years. He worked for a federal agency in Washington, DC, was security chief for the Tampa Port Authority after 9-11-01, and later owned an investigative business. He is retired and lives in Dahlonega, Georgia. To purchase the book, please visit http://www.mymarineyears.com.

Introduction
by Nikki Stone
Author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out

I pushed the enormous rocking chair across the lime-green shag carpet. This would be the last piece of furniture I would need to complete my own Olympic podium. I had just watched Olympic Gymnastics Champion Nadia Comaneci stand on top of the real deal, and I wanted to see how it felt.

I slowly climbed onto the wobbly rocking chair, my pigtails swooshing back and forth. Occasionally a few hairs would catch on my eyelashes and I would pull the strands away from my face so I could continue on my mission. I calculated the chair’s rhythm, carefully threw my leg over the back and slowly climbed up onto the lacquered old end table. I pushed myself to my feet and threw my fists toward the ceiling in victory. A huge smile broke across my freckled face as I imagined the crowds cheering around me and the camera bulbs going off left and right. I had my answer. It felt incredible!

My mother and father came in from the family room to see what the commotion was. I beamed down at them and stated with confidence, “I’m going to win the ‘lympics!”

Now, I think most parents would be a bit leery of giving their five-year-old daughter any genuine encouragement for this giant undertaking, especially seeing that, in all likelihood, she had a better chance of winning the lottery than the Olympics someday. But my parents never flinched. I never saw any reservation on their faces when I declared my goal.

My mom lifted me off the “podium,” plopped me down on the plaid easy chair and said, “Well, then I guess it’s time for me to teach you about the Turtle Effect.”

At the time, this meant little more to me than a chance to potentially hit them up for a pet turtle at Dom’s local pet store. But I realized that if I was going to turn those living room chairs and table into a real Olympic podium, I had to learn what this Turtle Effect really meant.

She explained to me that if I wanted to be successful, I needed to be soft on the inside, I had to have a hard shell, and I had to be willing to stick my neck out.

To have a soft inside, I would need a passion for my pursuits. To build a hard shell, I’d have to focus on the task at hand, completely commit to my goals, and develop the ability to overcome any adversity that was thrown my way. And in order to stick my neck out, I’d have to have confidence, take substantial risks, and be a team player in order to succeed. Those seven lessons were key in mastering the Turtle Effect.

As I grew and developed through my years in gymnastics, and eventually, aerial freestyle skiing, I found my mom’s advice invaluable. But it wasn’t just her words about the Turtle Effect that helped me to become an Olympic champion. It was putting them into action, and experiencing challenges and pitfalls that would eventually help me understand the true depth of their power. Later, I found that by explaining these ideas to others, though motivational speeches, I could help many individuals accomplish their goals.

Galvanized by the possibilities, I decided to create a book that would offer people many profound and amazing stories for motivation, as well as hands-on activities to help them make changes themselves. I sat down and put together a list of people whose lives I found to be truly inspiring, and who’d worked hard to reach the top of their “game”. I included accomplished businessmen and women, athletes, politicians, celebrities, authors, Nobel Prize winners, musicians and philanthropists. In telling their stories, these individuals, many of whom I’ve come to know, all shared a part of the Turtle Effect that helped them find their own success. To continue the inspiration, I’ve included one more special bonus story online that you can view at www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.

Each story is followed by a daily activity that has proved successful at my coaching sessions in changing people’s lives in a concrete way, exercises you can use to improve your own personal and professional life. They serve as hands-on tools to help you enhance and develop your passion, focus, commitment, ability to overcome adversity, risk taking, and team building. From my years of experience as an athlete, speaker and peak performance coach, and by studying the habits of many powerful individuals I’ve encountered, I’ve come up with highly effective steps to encourage advancement in any career. Each activity includes blank space for you to keep notes on your own transformation.

Whether I’m mentoring future Olympic medalists, motivating hotshot businesspeople, or coaching eager young professionals, I find the Turtle Effect works brilliantly to help people reach success.

It’s never too late or too early to pursue your dreams, and you’re never too successful to work toward new goals. So get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

Get ready to fly!

The above is an excerpt from the book When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out by Nikki Stone. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2010 Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out

Author Bio
At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out, became America’s first-ever Olympic champion in the sport of aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that, less than two years earlier, a chronic spinal injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing off a twelve-foot-tall snow jump that launches aerialists fifty feet into the air. She overcame the injury and went on to earn 35 World Cup medals, 11 World Cup titles, 4 national titles, 3 World Cup titles, a World Championship title, and membership in the Ski Hall of Fame. Nikki is also a magna cum laude graduate of Union College and a summa cum laude masters graduate of the University of Utah. Her aerial retirement is less than restful as she trains Olympic athletes and business professionals in speaking/media skills, coaches personal and professional development courses, hosts group skiing adventures, sits on five different charitable committees, and writes articles and columns for many magazines, newspapers, and websites. Nikki’s career focus is now on traveling around the world working as a sought-after motivational speaker, sharing her secrets to success by inspiring her business audiences to “Stick their necks out.” Every spare moment is spent with husband, Michael Spencer, and daughter, Zali, in Park City, Utah.

For more information, please visit www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.

*** I received this book for free to review from FSB Associates.

Publisher Note: I was sent this book for free to review. The amazon link at the top is my affiliate link. I will earn a small commission if you purchase through the link.

I’m always happy to promote new books that interest me. That’s why FSB Associates has been sending them to me for the last few years. If you like it, buy it through the Amazon affiliate link above.

by Scott Bittle & Jean Johnson,
Authors of Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis

The energy issue is very confusing, and frankly, most of us will never catch up with the experts on all the details. Still, there are some basic facts that are good to know. Do you know them?

True or false? When it comes to global warming and air pollution, nuclear power is one of the most dangerous forms of energy.

Not true. The accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island left lots of people worried about nuclear plant safety, but if you’re worried about climate change, nuclear power is one of the least dangerous forms of energy we have. Generating electricity from nuclear power releases virtually no carbon dioxide (the major green house gas) into the atmosphere, and it doesn’t cause air pollution either.28 Small amounts are emitted during mining and processing the uranium (you need uranium for nuclear power) and in other related activities, but it’s nearly impossible to do anything from start to finish without releasing some green house gases. Experts say the carbon dioxide released in these associated activities puts nuclear power roughly on a par with wind or hydroelectric power.29 Like every form of energy we’ve discovered so far, nuclear power does have drawbacks, but global warming isn’t one of them. The big drawback to nuclear power is that the leftover waste, the spent fuel, has to be stored very, very carefully, and it lasts a really, really long time. Even so, nuclear power is widely used in Europe and Japan, and despite the controversies about it, it supplies 19 percent of electricity in the United States — enough electricity to keep air conditioners, TiVos, and iPods going in California, New York, and Texas.30 Scientists are working on other ways to dispose of nuclear waste, including recycling it into the nuclear power plant itself, but the problem hasn’t been solved yet.31 See Chapter 9 for a more complete discussion of the pros and cons of relying more on nuclear power, including the safety issues.

True or false? ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron control nearly half of the world’s known oil reserves.

Not even close. In fact, none of the big multinational oil companies we complain about so often even makes the top ten list. So who’s controlling the lion’s share of the world’s oil reserves?

The national oil company of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Aramco) has the most oil reserves, followed by the national companies of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Venezuela, Libya, Nigeria, China, and Lukoil, the largest oil company in Russia. ExxonMobil comes in at number 13, BP at 15, and Chevron/Texaco at number 20.32 Congress likes to have the corporate heads of the major oil companies appear in hearings so our elected representatives can have their fifteen minutes of fame asking tough questions about gas prices, but in many ways, the big multinationals such as ExxonMobil have much less control over the country’s oil situation than they once did.

Which country is guiltiest when it comes to releasing green house gases into the atmosphere, the United States or China?

It’s a trick question because, frankly, the United States and China are running neck and neck for worst greenhouse gas polluter in the world.33 There are several ways to look at this, and none of them exactly puts the United States in the clear. Global warming is caused by the accumulated green house gases in the atmosphere (carbon dioxide and its brethren). Since the United States got a head start (we started using large quantities of coal about the time of the Civil War), our country alone is responsible for about 29 percent of the total accumulated gases, compared to just 8 percent for China.34 Then there’s the per person measure. In 2005, each American gushed out about 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide, compared to about 5 metric tons for each person in China.35 But China has a billion more people than we do, and they are building and manufacturing and transporting like crazy there now. If the average Chinese person begins emitting greenhouses gases at the same rate as the average American, it will just wallop the environment. As of now, China is producing about 21 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.36 Bottom line? The United States and China need to stop pointing fingers at each other. Both our countries really need to get with the plan.

Who sets the price for a barrel of crude oil?
A. OPEC
B. Oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco
C. The U.S. Department of Energy
D. The New York Stock Exchange
E. None of the above

The answer is none of the above. The price is actually set by bidding, buying, and selling on major commodities trading exchanges in New York, London, and Singapore.37 These are different from the stock market, but they operate in a similar way. Basically, traders buy and sell all day at the best price they can get, which is why the price for a barrel of oil goes up and down so much and generally changes daily.38 That doesn’t mean that OPEC and other oil producers have no impact on prices. As OPEC itself puts it, member countries “do voluntary restrain their crude oil production in order to stabilize the oil market and avoid harmful and unnecessary price fluctuations.”39 In other words, they calculate how much they’re willing to pump based on the price they want to get. One of the disputes about oil that erupts from time to time is the degree to which the OPEC countries are producing as much as they can or whether they are holding back. (You can read more about what affects the price of oil in Chapter 6.) On the other hand, since the oil is theirs to extract and sell, it’s also fair to ask whether, from their point of view, they should produce as much as they can as quickly as they can, or whether they want to preserve some of their countries’ natural resources for the future.

What percent of the world’s known oil and natural gas reserves are in the United States? A. About 20 percent B. 10 to 20 percent C. 5 to 10 percent D. Less than 5 percent

In area, the United States is the world’s third-largest country; only Russia and Canada have more territory than we do.40 Unfortunately that doesn’t mean we control a substantial share of the world’s oil and natural gas reserves. According to 2008 estimates, the United States has about 2.4 percent of known world oil reserves and about 3.6 percent of natural gas reserves.41 These are figures for the “known” or “proved” reserves — that is, geologists actually know the stuff is there — so more exploration could definitely up those numbers a tad. However, as we mentioned earlier, many experts believe that the remaining U.S. supplies of both oil and natural gas are in less convenient places and less convenient forms (such as tar pits). That means they’ll be costlier to extract. Just to make your day, would you like to know that Iran, which is tiny in comparison with the United States, has more than four times as much oil42 and natural gas as we have?43

True or false? As long as global warming doesn’t increase world temperatures more than 5 or 10 degrees, the effects will be easily manageable.

Not according to the climatologists who worry about global warming. In 2007, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change summed up the judgment of scientists worldwide predicting that average global temperatures will rise 3.5 to 8 degrees by the year 2100.44 It sounds minor. After all, most of us would be hard pressed to say whether the temperature was 70, 75, or 80 on a nice spring day. But sustained changes like this over time cause glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise. People living near water, especially poor ones in poor countries, can be displaced, and miserable, disease-carrying microbes can flourish. It changes what crops you can grow where, which can cause serious economic and social upheaval. In 2008, the U.S. government released a report summing up the scientific consensus on what climate change could mean here in the United States.45 Among the conclusions: it is “very likely” that “abnormally hot days and nights and heat waves” will be more frequent, increasing the number of people who die from heat-related causes, especially the elderly, frail, and poor. The report warned that “climate change can also make it possible for animal-, water-, and food-borne diseases to spread or emerge in areas where they had been limited or had not existed.” Lyme disease and West Nile virus are two examples mentioned.46 As we said before, there are a lot of good reasons to revamp the country’s energy policies, and global warming is only one of them. But if you’d like to see exactly what the scientists are worried about, you might want to check out NASA’s “Eyes on the Earth” interactive global time line showing the changes in sea levels and the polar ice cap that scientists are already observing. It’s at www.nasa.gov/multimedia/mmgallery/index.html.

NOTES
28 EIA Kids Page, “Nuclear Energy (Uranium), Energy from Atoms,” www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/nuclear.html.

29 International Atomic Energy Agency, “Nuclear Power Worldiwde: Status and Outlook,” State News Service, September11, 2008, www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2008/prn200811.html.

30 EIA Kids Page. “Nuclear Energy (Uranium), Energy from Atoms.”

31 See, for example, Global Nuclear Energy partnership, www.energy.gov/media/GNEP/06-GA50035b.pdf.

32 Based on an analysis by Pricewaterhouse Coopers presented at the 2005 Global Energy, Utilities and Mining Conference, November 16-17, 2005, http://www.pwc.com/extweb/industry.nsf/docid/49f2db1ed1eb0236852571c6005adc63/$file/tom-collins-noc-presentation-for-web-site.pdf. This Analysis and others are available at the Energy information Administration’s Web page” Energy-in-Brief: Who Are the major Players Supplying the World Oil Market?” accessed April 2, 2009, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energy_in_brief/world_oil_market.cfm.

33 EIA, www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/tableh1co2.xls.

34 World Resources Institute, Navigating the Number: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Policy, http://pdf.wri.org/navigating_numbers_chapter6.pdf.

35 EIA, “Frequently Asked Questions — Environment: How Much co2 Does the United States Emit? Is It More Than Other Countries?” updated August 14, 2008, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/ask/environment_faqs.asp#greenhouse_gases_definition.

36 EIA, Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Report: U.S. Emissions in a Global Perspective, Report #DOE/EIA-0573, December 3, 2008, www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/index.html.

37 OPEC, “Frequently Asked Questions: Does OPEC Set Crude Oil Prices?” www.opec.org/library/FAQs/aboutOPEC/q20.htm.

38 www.nymex.com/CL_spec.aspx.

39 OPEC, “Frequently Asked Questions: Does OPEC Set Crude Oil Prices?”

40 CIA, The World Factbook 2008 www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html.

41 BP, Statistical Review of World Energy, 2009. http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/2009_downloads/statistical_review_of_world_energy_full_report_2009.pdf.

42. Ibid.

43 Ibid.

44 See, for example, www.nytimes.com/2007/02/02/science/earth/02cnd-climate.html.

45 National Science and Technology Council. Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States, Report of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resource, May 29, 2008. www.climatescience.gov/Library/scientific-assessment.

46 Andrew C. Revkin, “Under Pressure, White House Issues climate Change Report,” New York Times, May 30, 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/washington/30climate.html?_r=us&oref=slogin.

The above is an excerpt from the book Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis by Scott Bittle & Jean Johnson. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2009 Scott Bittle & Jean Johnson, authors of Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis

Author Bios

Scott Bittle, co-author of Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis, is executive editor of PublicAgenda.org, where he has prepared citizen guides on more than twenty major issues including the federal budget deficit, Social Security, and the economy. He is also the website director for Planet Forward, an innovative PBS program designed to bring citizen voices to the energy debate.

Jean Johnson, co-author of Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis, is co-founder of PublicAgenda.org, and has written articles and op-eds for USA Today, Education Week, School Board News, Educational Leadership, and the Huffington Post Website.

For additional energy resources and supplemental material, please visit www.whoturnedoutthelights.org

The old blog archives can be found here:  Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog Archives