J. Charles (John) Cheek was born in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. John’s great grandfather migrated to Arkansas from Georgia in 1870. John was ten years old when his family moved to the State of Washington. He was an enlisted man in the Army Security Agency and participated in the Korean War. He held the rank of Sergeant when discharged in 1955. His novel STAY SAFE, BUDDY is based on his experiences during the Korean War. He was in a section of the Army Security Agency that monitored the front line voice communications of the enemy. It was called LLVI, the army lingo for Low Level Voice Intercept. He was on bunker duty in the combat area during the final three months of the war.
Fast Forward to Today
Now, over fifty years later, he is a retired engineering manager and, with Bev, his wife of 50+ years, lives in Vancouver, Washington.
STAY SAFE, BUDDY (A Story of Humor and Horror During the Korean War)
Synopsis
Promised by a recruiter that he will not be in the infantry and therefore is unlikely to be sent to the war zone, instead of being drafted for 2-years, 19-year old John Lefter enlists for a 3-year hitch in the Army Security Agency and, as you might guess, ends up in the Korean War. At first, Lefter has a “candy ass” assignment 30 miles behind the fighting area. He breaks down after his foul mouth buddy is hit with burp gun fire while saving Lefter’s life. In the hospital psychiatry ward, his recovery is aided dramatically by an innovative doctor and the only man he has ever hated. Back on the front line and atop the bunker celebrating the cease-fire that has just begun, Lefter is again confronted with a shocking incident that takes him over fifty years to find closure.
Short Author Bio
J. Charles (John) Cheek was an enlisted man in the Army Security Agency and participated in the Korean War. His outfit eavesdropped on the front line radio communications of the enemy. He held the rank of Sergeant when discharged in 1955. His novel STAY SAFE, BUDDY is based on his experiences during the Korean War. He was in a part of the Army Security Agency that monitored the front line voice communications ofthe enemy. It was called LLVI, the army lingo for Low Level Voice Intercept. He was on bunker duty in the combat area during the final three months of the war. Now, over fifty years later, his ia retired engineering manager and live in Vancouver, Washington with his wife of 50+ years.
The book is out of print so no new hard copies can be obtained through bookstores. However, a digital copy is available from www.amazon.com for $9.95.