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Stanley James Leslie. Sergeant, Infantryman, Pharmacist, husband, father, Grandfather. He died April 25th, 1993. I was born in August. I never knew my grandfather. All I knew were the glimpses that came with stories from my father and uncles. Stories of a hard-working man and the lessons he imparted to his sons, never speaking ofContinue reading “Finding Stanley”

Mist gathers at the edges of distant forests. A vast, emerald field in northern France lined with neatly maintained trenches, scars from long ago. A lonely paved road leading up to a towering white limestone structure reaching up into the sky. It is covered with figures, stone faces staring out across the field. Some inContinue reading “Vimy Ridge – A Memory of War”

After The Chicago East India Company was published in July I wasn’t able to write a word. I shied away from it, and only recently started knocking the rust off the brakes. In doing so I realized what I learned writing the book. Mostly, it’s that I am afraid I have nothing else to say.Continue reading “On the Rocks”

We humans worry about a lot of stuff, don’t we?  Did I leave the burner on when I left the house?  Did I remember to pay the hydro bill?  Do I have enough money in my change purse for a double-double (not a Double Dagger!) at Timmies?  Ok, maybe not the last one so muchContinue reading “Terrorism on the brain – is there a cure for that?”

In one of the first chapters in our book Hot Mics and TV Lights: The American Forces Vietnam Network, my co-author, Rick Fredericksen, a newscaster at AFVN-Saigon himself, wrote, “One of the worst miscalculations in movie history was averted by raw perseverance and auspicious luck. Studio bosses were afraid to commission a Vietnam War movieContinue reading “Good Morning, Vietnam and more!”

For more than 30 years I had a dream job.  Working in Canadian intelligence, having access to very sensitive information that could make a difference in my country’s political, military or economic strategy, and being asked to write about it on a daily basis.  What is not to like about that?

A wise woman once said: “PFC, money and titles don’t mean shit to me. My heroes have always worn combat boots.” A curious statement, given she was a civilian addressing me by rank and not by name. But I’ve come to view this slogan—this attitude, this ethos—as a subtle reminder to value a person not for whatContinue reading “Teacher, Trainer, Soldier, Fraud”

We Canadians have to acknowledge that we are one lucky nation.  Not only are we a staggeringly gorgeous land but we live in a stable democracy, have a neighbour with whom we are on good terms (usually!), and are seen by most other countries in a very, very good light.  It is surely not aContinue reading “A book on terrorism in Canada? You’re kidding, right?”

I became interested in the American Forces Vietnam Network totally by accident. Growing up in the 50s and 60s in California, radios (transistors and otherwise) were very much a part of every kid’s daily existence. Long after mom and dad had gone to bed, with a flashlight under the blanket, I’d listen to rock n’Continue reading “My Path to ‘Hot Mics and TV Lights”

We asked author Matt Hardman about his upcoming sequel to Interdiction, To Kill a Nightingale.