New Book: DUTCH: From Rising Sun to the Rise of Jihad

[Gunboat1]

Hello, my BoreSite friends.  I hope you will indulge me a bit.  After several of you were so kind in your comments about the end of my collection of Sea Stories, I mentioned that I would be undertaking a new literary endeavor.  Well, it is now published and available on Amazon and Kindle, with an Audible audiobook narrated by me to be available in a week or so.

 

The book is entitled "DUTCH: From Rising Sun to the Rise of Jihad."  It is the biography of MSG Jan W. "Dutch" Wierenga, a retired US Army Special Forces veteran and CIA Paramilitary officer.  He has just retired, closing out a SIXTY YEAR career in the service of America.  Dutch is a thirty-year personal friend and colleague, and he asked me to write his life story.  It is an incredible one, so I was honored to accept.  How well I did is up to the readers to judge.  

If you think you might be interested, here is the link.  Thanks for your kind consideration, and should you be interested, I hope you will enjoy the book.  GB1

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SFG48XD/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1644787631&refinements=p_27%3AKim+Kipling&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Kim+Kipling

 

 

[holyjohnson]

Congrats!

that's Awesome.

[Gunboat1]

7 minutes ago, holyjohnson said:

Congrats!

that's Awesome.

Thank you very much!  GB1

[Gunboat1]

Sales are picking up!  Thank you.

[Gunboat1]

Audiobook version is now available!  I hope you enjoy.  

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T76LV5W/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1644809477&sr=1-6

[Gunboat1]

In case anyone is interested, I appeared on a popular YouTube podcast, "The Team House"  last Friday evening, talking about the book (books) and the subject of Book #1.  Here is the link if anyone wants to watch it.  Hope you enjoy.  If you do, please hit the "Like" button.

 

 

[Gunboat1]

Hi, everyone.  Just to inform you,  if any of you purchased the e-book version of my book, I recently revised and updated it.  You can download the revised version of the book at no cost using your Kindle ap or device. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/manage

Hope you enjoy the newest version.   GB1

[Gunboat1]

Just wanted to say Thank You to all of my Bore Site friends who supported this book.  Some time last month sales of the three versions (paperback,  e-book and audiobook) grew large enough to break even on publication costs.  We are firmly into profit territory, and half of the proceeds are going to the subject of the book, Dutch.  

 

Thanks to you all for your kind support.   I hope you have enjoyed the book.  GB1

[Gunboat1]

Jan Willem “Dutch” Wierenga

MSG, U.S. Army (ret.)

31 July 1936 – 09 January 2023

 

Matthew 25: 14-21.

14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

 

MSG Jan “Dutch” Wierenga was my teacher, my teammate, and my friend. Of all the things that I may ever say about my life, there will be nothing that I say that I will be more proud of than that. Dutch was a remarkable man, a superb soldier, and a supremely committed patriot. He will never be forgotten by anyone who knew him.

Dutch lived a life that in many ways seems beyond the limits of human endurance and achievement. Born in the Dutch East Indies (now known as Indonesia) in 1936, he spent four years of his young life, (ages 6-10) behind barbed wire as a prisoner of war, first of the Japanese and later of Indonesian rebel forces. Dutch and his family suffered much, and were fortunate to have survived this harrowing ordeal. He saw death, faced death, nearly experienced death before he was even ten years old. Dutch survived all this with an unbroken spirit, and with his soul kindled with a desire to serve: to fight to protect others. As a teenager, he volunteered to join militia guard forces chartered to protect his family's properties, and he was running active combat patrols by his sixteenth year. He later left Indonesia, moved to his ancestral home of Holland and served an enlistment in the Dutch Army. He emigrated to America in 1960.

They say that no adherent to a religion is ever more fervent than one who has converted to that faith in adulthood. While Dutch was not a religious man, he was absolutely dedicated to America; he strongly believed in the ideal that is America, and he spent his entire adult life serving our nation in extremely hazardous ways. Dutch was the consummate American patriot. He fought for this country. He bled for this country. He suffered for this country. He took extreme risks for this country. And he sacrificed much for this country. He repeatedly volunteered and actively served America for SIXTY YEARS of his life. How many wounds, visible and invisible, how many pains, how many fears, how many goodbyes and absences and how many personal losses he laid upon the altar of all our freedoms, we will never know. But we know they were myriad and worthy, and we, this country, indeed every American, owe Dutch our heartfelt thanks for these unselfish gifts.

Dutch loved being a soldier, and he was an exceptional soldier, one of America's finest. His Army service and in particular his Vietnam combat record reflects heroism of the highest order. Dutch expertly led other soldiers, trained and inspired other heroes, and brought out their best by his sterling example. He rose to the rank of Master Sergeant in the US Army Special Forces as a result. Many here know just what that means, and what his Green Beret and other decorations said about him as a soldier and as a man.

Dutch loved his family, and he demonstrated that love like many men of his generation, not through flowery words, or extravagant gestures; Dutch instead showed his love through his constant, abiding care, his steady provision, his unflinching willingness to say what needed to be said and do what needed to be done in the best interest of those he loved. He did his duty to his family as he saw it with the same dedication and deep, abiding affection he applied to his duty to his country. He loved his wife Kathy, his first wife Cathy who preceded him in death, his daughter Dina, his grandsons Bradley and Nathan and his daughter-in-law Michelle and great-granddaughter Mikayla dearly. We mourn his loss with you, and we humbly thank you all for sharing him with us.

Dutch also loved being a teacher. He recognized his special talents early, not only in his exceptional physical toughness and personal skills, but in his unique ability to teach others those skills, upon which their mission success and indeed their very survival would often depend. Dutch was never too busy, never too proud, and never too self-absorbed so as to be unwilling to teach anyone who wanted to learn from him. This he did with empathy, with patience, with sensitivity and with firm but fair discipline. In doing this, he made uncounted numbers of Americans better soldiers, better professionals, and better people. This enormous cadre of lives which he touched, and in turn the lives they affected for the better, will stand as Dutch's enduring legacy, contributing to our nation's defense far beyond his time on Earth.

Dutch was, for all his ferocity in battle, a reserved, kind, and generous man. He lived his life not through self-promoting words, but by extraordinary deeds. He moved though the world with quiet dignity and graceful humility. No man ever had a better teammate and friend. No country ever had a more stalwart defender. And we are all poorer for his departure from us. But we may take comfort in having known Dutch, and for having had him with us, serving, leading by example, giving of his best, for so long. We bid him farewell, but we know that we will never forget him for all the days of our lives.

Let me tell you what I think Dutch is doing now. I think Dutch was surprised to find himself authorized admittance at the Pearly Gates with no delay. He asked for the Sergeant of the Guard to check the book carefully, thinking that perhaps there had been a mistake, but the answer came back affirmative, and Dutch doesn't question orders from Superior Authority. He donned his Green Beret, which he was proud to see still carried the flash of the 5^th Special Forces Group of the Vietnam Era. Dutch sent word via a runner to his parents, brothers and sister, telling them that he will visit them as soon as his duty is fulfilled. The Bible tells us that Saint Michael the Archangel is the commander of the corps of angels whose duty it is to stand between us and evil, to do battle with the forces of darkness. Dutch reported to Saint Michael, who took him aside and explained that he had a special need. In order to combat the forces of evil, the angels need to know the details of what those agents of the darkness are doing, in ways great and small, in every dim and dangerous corner of the universe. And Dutch immediately volunteered to form a recon team to seek out that evil wherever it may be found, to discover its secrets, and to report them back to higher headquarters. Several former teammates of his among the corps immediately stepped forward to join his new team. And as we sleep, Dutch will be running recon, protecting us all. Godspeed, Dutch. Thank you for all you did for us, for our country, and for the world.   

[Gunboat1]