Cover art for "The Recipient's Son."

EOD Prep

I'm often asked, "What should I do to prepare for EOD school?" What the candidate or "wanna-be" usually really means is, "I'm running, swimming, and lifting...but what secret, what gouge can you give me to ensure I'm doing everything possible. My recommendation?

Official Navy Photo: Bay Swim at Naval Diving Salvage Training Center

Swim with fins.

One of the most challenging parts of the diving curriculum are bay swims whether in Alligator Bayou (yes, it's named that for a reason...it is Florida folks) or Saint Andrews Bay. Why? Because the time/distance requirement is daunting. You have to be able to swim straight and fast. This requires an efficient stroke and accurate navigation.

To prep, buy a set of booties and fins. Practice swimming using only your legs. The technique requires one to kick from the hip, not the knee. After a few times practicing, the technique is easily mastered. Then, build up speed and stamina.

For open bay swims, navigation is another important aspect. Fine a "line" on the shore, like to trees, and use it as a range to keep you on track. In other words, if you keep the two trees lined up, you'll be swimming straight, and thus a shorter distance leading to a faster time.

MOST IMPORTANT: Always train with a safety observer.

HOOYA!

Moving forward while looking back. "Angel" by Arnold Jansen op de Haar

              After winning the lottery, Tijmen Klein Gildekamp has a normal reaction. He takes off. Tijem and his girlfriend, a masseuse named Angel, run from everyday life or is it from their past?

Readers who identified with Tijmen in Arnold Jansen op de Haar’s King of Tuzla will enjoy catching up with him, but Angel does not feel like a sequel. In fact, an underlying theme is that Tijmen seems to be wrestling with his identity, but he starts by recognizing that he is focusing on a post-Bosnia Tijmen. Still, he and Angel both look to their families past to discover connections in the Dutch underground, and in Angel’s case, with German collaborators. Together they reach a point of recognition, an understanding, perhaps even an enlightened view that who they are in the here and now is what matters most. It is clear they could succeed in finding happiness, if only the       rest of the world, perplexed editors and former boyfriends, would leave them alone.

Jansen op de Haar continues to demonstrate a rare talent of writing succinctly, yet with impact. His chapters are short, but they draw the reader in and keep one moving through the story. The most refreshing aspect of Angel is that like Tijmen, one can sense they are reading Jansen op de Haar again, his voice is recognizable, but Angel does not feel like the same formula revisited, as is sometimes common among authors today. Angel makes a nice edition for those who enjoy books of romance, adventure, and self-reflection.

EOD Bomb Suit Mile

 
EOD classes are often encouraged to participate in a fundraiser for the EOD Memorial, Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation, or some other worthy cause. Class 11-360-N will conduct a EOD Bomb Suit Mile to draw attention to and funds for the latter.

I highly recommend supporting this worthy cause. They can be followed on facebook, and EODbombsuitmile.org.

Publishing Announcement: The Recipient's Son

 I am pleased to announce that the Naval Institute Press will publish my second novel, The Recipient's Son, in September 2012. It is a novel about the son of a Medal of Honor Recipient who attends the U.S. Naval Academy. I will post updates here, and can be followed on my page on facebook; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Phillips/49005121492