Colonel Donald R. Waddell, USAF (ret.)
“graduated from High School in 1950 and afterwards attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. After two
years at Chapel Hill he chose the opportunity to join the United States Air Force via the Aviation Cadet Program, first becoming
a navigator then becoming a pilot. His service career spanned twenty-three years. He has a BS Degree in History.” Colonel Donald R. Waddell, USAF is the author of Twisted
Justice; Cobra Undercover; The Christmas Box; Operation Pat Hand; Crying Blood; and, Forget Me! Not.
According to the book description of
Twisted Justice, “This book began on January 23, 1977 when a seventy foot, steel hulled, shrimp
trawler, 'The Gunsmoke' with twenty tons of high grade Colombian marijuana on board ran out of fuel off Tyndall Air
Force Base in eastern Bay County, Florida. Assistance was refused. On January 27, 1977 the Florida Marine Patrol discovered
31 bales of marijuana floating in the bay off Sandy Creek in eastern Bay County. This story, painstakingly researched, chronicles
this fateful night in which four residents from the Springfield community disappeared. The drug smuggling operation and the
disappearances dropped from public scrutiny. On August 7, 1977 two teenage divers searching for artifacts in the murky waters
of 'The Watering Hole' sink in Taylor County were startled and frightened at their discovery. They found the decomposed
remains of four bodies, murdered execution style and weighted down with concrete blocks. The bodies were those of the four
missing Springfield residents. One man, 120 miles away from the crime scene at the time of the murders, is convicted of the
crimes and remains incarcerated after 28 years of wrongful imprisonment. This story recounts every turn of events unraveling
a hidden conspiracy to mask evidence from the public resulting in an extraordinary twisting of justice. One man remains victimized
by this manipulated injustice.
According to the book description of
Crying Blood, “In February 1973, 'Operation Homecoming' brought back to the U.S. 591
POWs from prison camps in North Vietnam. The tales they brought to light on their return made us wince and weep at the torture
some POWs endured. Some prisoners died at the hands of Cuban interrogators sent to North Vietnam by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Their mission was to teach the North Vietnamese techniques for extracting information from captives. This fictionalized story
tells how one man met his death from these 'teachers of torture'. This man's son, when ultimately told of his
father's death, became obsessed with seeking revenge. Cherokee Indian lore recognizes spilled family blood as 'crying
blood' and avenging the loss is expected. Steeped in family tradition and heritage, the son is determined to find his
father's killers. His odyssey takes him to modern day Cuba. A CIA undercover agent in Cuba, Rosa Guttierez (Code Name
Cobra), is tasked with keeping him out of harm's way. After he and Rosa locate the two Cuban interrogators he is faced
with an unexpected internal challenge. His character and upbringing clash with his Indian heritage. He is morally incapable
of inflicting his revenge. His lessened efforts allow them to be discovered. A nation wide manhunt is instituted by Cuban
authorities. The two, with State Police on their heels at every turn, are chased out of Cuba. Their harrowing escape relives
the Mariel Boatlift escape of the 1980s. Rosa Guttierez a beautiful and strong Cuban-born-American leaves the reader wanting
more.
According to the book description of
The Christmas Box, “Sam Coulter, a confident and successful biochemist in his early sixties,
has his world shaken during his annual obligatory Christmas visit back to his home town and his step-father. During
his visit, Sam's step-father suffers a mortal stroke. Sam Coulter is appointed Executor of the Estate and in this capacity
discovers many secrets and surprises about this man whom he chose not to consider as a father. Sam explores
the contents of a special and personal box his step-father leaves behind. He discovers life-long sacrifices made for him and
his Mother and for friends and country. As he watches this man's life unfold through these personal treasures, Sam is
surprised and overwhelmed.”
The MOAA said of Forget
Me! Not, “This is the dramatic, tragic, fictionalized account of a volunteer undercover Air force pilot
serving his tour as an O-1 Bird Dog Forward Air Controller in the Kingdom of Laos. After being shot down, he becomes a POW
and is lost in SEASIA for 20 years. This story gives every pilot who flew in SEASIA the opportunity to recall the memories
of his tour, both good and bad.”
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According to the book description of
Operation Pat Hand it “honors a special group of secret undercover pilots. They wore civilian
clothes in a secret war in The Kingdom of Laos flying as Forward Air Controllers in the 0-1 Bird Dog aircraft. These one hundred
and sixty men were volunteers flying under the call sign Raven and were truly our nation's best. Because their mission
was 'Top Secret' their exploits were unsung. Incurring losses of nearly one in three their history deserved to be
chronicled. 'Operation Pat Hand' is the dramatic, although tragic, fictionalized account of one of these men, Raven
45. He was shot down in Laos. The ensuing crash and fire leaves him heavily disfigured. He was taken to North Vietnam as a
POW. After a long healing process he escapes and is lost for twenty years. A recovery team discovers him and brings him in
as a deserter. His status as a deserter is corrected and he is asked to attempt a final mission. His one last mission into
Hanoi is successful. The story gives every pilot who flew in Southeast Asia the opportunity to recall the memories, both good
and bad, of his tour. The story also brings to reality the 'what-might-have-beens' for those families still suffering
the loss of a loved one in a war that shouldn't have been.”
According to the book description of
Cobra Undercover, “Rosalita Guttierez, code name 'Cobra', is an undercover Cuban-American
working as a field agent for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. This book is the second in the Cobra series following her
exploits. After fleeing from Cuba with Rosa, private
citizen Jay Cobb returned to his corporate business in Oklahoma. Rosa Guttierez was assigned to the Cuban desk within the
Latin Affairs Directorate at CIA Headquarters; spending the last three years tracking Cuban Affairs.
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