Synopsis

  Promised by a recruiter that he will not ve in the infantry and therefore is unlikely to be sent to the war zone, insteat 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.

NOTE: See www.amazon.com for a digital copy of this novel for only $2.99 (the printed version is no longer available).

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.

A FEW READER REVIEWS

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One reviewer, Tim Hancock of MWLA Review of Okalahoma, said, A Truly Amazing Story That Keeps You Moving. On the promise that he won’t see combat, John Lefter elnlists for a 3-year hitch in the Army Security Agency. I guess, since we are talking about the Army, you know what happens. He ends up in the combat area. It doesn’t take long until Lefter is in a bunker on the fron lines. A lot of things happen then and most of them were not good. Once I started STAY SAFE, BUDDY I had trouble putting it down. I went everywhere with Lefter. I shared a lot of his pain and hangovers. I even shared his hatred of Major Soss. This is a great tale of the way things were during the Korean conflict, or war or whatever you want to call it. Just read it! Recommendation: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. —Tim Hancock , Director of MWLA, a Reviewer and Author.

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I took the book STAY SAFE, BUDDY with me on our 2-week vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and sat up late one night to read it. It was so interesting that I couldn’t stop reading until I finished the entire book. I cried a lot and laughed too. That Mewman was some crazy guy. He also was a hero. I could feel the concern when the soldiers used the phrase, ‘Stay Safe, Buddy.’  The book is a very good read. —- Barbara Byzick of Atoka, OK

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One evening at 11:30 PM I decided I would read a bit of STAY SAFE, BUDDY. At 3:30 AM my eyes were blurring so I had to put the book down. I could not wait to get back to the book. I really enjoyed reading STAY SAFE, BUDDY and experienced a wide range of emotions from tears to “belly laughs” as Lefter called them.

At one point in my military service I was Officer In Charge of the Classified Message Center at Division Artillery and Crypto Custodian. As a result I could identify with many of the characters in the book, their jobs and the situation that is seldom discussed because of it’s security nature. It was a story that needed to be told and the author did a magnificent job of letting us in on some of the emotions with combat experience in Korea. This book is a must read for any Korean or any Vet for that matter. I recently read a newspaper article about a group of Infantrymen leaving their unit position on a patrol. “As they parted one of the troopers hollered, Stay Safe, Buddy” so the expression is still alive in the combat zone. I can’t even imagine the emotions the author went through while writing the book. — Jim Rowe of Renton, WA

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Just finished reading your book “Stay Safe, Buddy.” Enjoyed it immensely. Having spent 14 months over there with 1st Weapons Company and then Chalie Company, 1st Marine Division, I could visualize the terrain as I read. My wife thought I was nuts because I would suddenly break out laughing in the middle of the night. I could see many of my buddies in similar circumstances. Having been a Corpsman with the Marines, I can visualize myself as Doc Teele except that I wouldn’t know what to do as a full bird colonel. Again, Thanks for writing the book. It made me remember. Semper Fi, Buddy. John “Doc” Steele of Phoenix, AZ 

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