Detective Nick Forte, the hero of ASmall Sacrifice, has military experience in his background. Not a
lot is made of it, but there are elements that help to shape his
character between the lines, especially in later books. It stems from
my at least partial adherence to the hoary adage, to “write what
you know.”
I don’t say much about my time in the
United States Army, mainly because I was in a band stationed at Fort
McPherson, Georgia. Basically, Atlanta. We performed post ceremonies,
did gigs in and around Atlanta, and traveled a few times a year for
up to three weeks. Our most hazardous “mission” was to fly in the
cargo hold of a C-130 to the Virgin Islands for a Veterans Day
concert.
I was a “soldier” in only the
broadest definition of the term. Real soldiers have jobs that place
them at risk as a matter of course. I did get to spend some time
around real soldiers—my drill sergeants were all Vietnam veterans,
most of them from the same Air Cavalry outfit depicted in Apocalypse
Now, which came out right before I left for basic—and I had the
presence of mind to appreciate a chance like this would not pass my
way again. I paid attention, asked questions when opportunity
presented.
When I first came up with the idea of
Nick Forte, I wanted to leverage as much of my experience as I could.
We’re both “recovering” musicians with minor military
backgrounds. His takeaway from the service—as was mine—is not of
the flag-waving, “making the world safe for the American Way of
Life ™, American Exceptionalism means we can do what we want”
attitude so often portrayed in books, movies, and politics today, but
the attitudes of the common soldier. He fights for the men on either
side of him, trusting them to fight for him. He keeps his weapon
clean and his mind clear under incredible stress, for his mates as
much as himself. He may not have a lot of friends, but those he has
he trusts with his life, and will exchange his for theirs if called
upon. He also will place the task at hand—his mission—above his
personal safety. He doesn’t advertise this—beware the man who
wears any conviction too much on his sleeve—shows it through his
actions. It’s far more deeply embedded in Forte’s psyche than in
mine, if only because I routinely place him into at least one
life-or-death situation per book.
My small experience with actual
boots-in-the-mud soldiers piqued my interest and led me to books and
movies that looked at things more from that perspective. Band of
Brothers, Generation Kill (both the books and the TV series),
Saving Private Ryan, and many non-fiction choices. A downside
is, I can’t watch The Longest Day anymore without cringing;
soldiers don’t make speeches like that.
The upside is, I hope this has given me
an appreciation, if not an understanding, for the mind-set of a
combat soldier. (Though I hate the idea of “You have no idea what’s
it like unless you’ve done it” in general, I feel safe in saying
no one who has not been in combat can truly “understand” what
it’s like.) I know it’s helped to make Nick Forte a richer
character in my imagination; only readers can decide if I have been
able to transfer that to the page.
Short additional note from Gerard - A Small Sacrifice and 3 other Dana King books can be nabbed for free for the next few days. Be quick. Get yours now!
