Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Veteran Stories

Memorial Day Thoughts

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                                          First Peace rose bloom in my garden this month after a rain shower. The drops look like tears.

Recently, I fished clumps of crud out of my shower drain and I asked myself; how did I get here? My goal was to clean the bathroom counter and sink. But first I needed to clear an assortment of items off the counter. This led to sorting a small tray in my top bathroom drawer.

Then I grabbed the cleaner from under the main sink and found one of the bottles had dripped. Next, I pulled everything out to clean that up which meant I then reorganized the plastic baskets under the sink to add one for the cleaning supplies. Then I wondered if I could use a basket from under the second sink.

I pulled those containers out and found water in one. Uh oh. A quick inspection revealed the drainer stopper holder pipe thingie (technical term) had popped out. The last time I opened it, a part of my plastic glove ripped off and jammed it. Okay. Easy enough fix. Cleaned and reorganized those baskets under the sink, grateful the plastic one contained all the overflow.

Then I saw the small sink drain snake that hangs on the inside cabinet door. Maybe I should use that on the shower drain? There was some stuff in it. That led to popping the drain cover which revealed sludge city. Way more than the sink snake could handle. I scooped out as much as I could with my gloved fingers, but my digits were not long enough.

Creativity works, so I dashed to the garage to get my recycled wire coat hanger used for toasting marshmallows for s’mores in the fireplace. (I upgraded to fancy ones from the sports store) Proceeded to mangle it into submission and happily fished out clumps of muck.

And boy howdy, I felt like I’d landed a wild ocean salmon when I got great results on this specific fishing expedition. So proud of myself. And that’s when I realized how similar my activities were to what it’s like to live in the United States today.

Fishing through crap looking for gems.

Whatever your feelings about the war in Iran, please SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.

Trust me, I have very strong opinions about this war as an Army veteran, former Air Force Reserve officer activated for Desert Shield/Storm, and the proud daughter of two World War II veterans.

As the creator and instructor for the Writing War Stories class from 1998 to 2000, I witnessed the impact on the men and women who served and still bore the brunt of unpopular public opinion decades after the Korean and Vietnam Wars. I’m sure the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can relate, plus all the other deployed military members and their families.

Don’t take your frustrations out on the troops. They are doing the best they can in an untenable legal quagmire full of dangerous physical situations.

My condolences and heart aching support goes out to our recently fallen and wounded, and their families and friends. There are no words to ease their sorrow.

On this weekend meant to honor all who gave their lives in defense of our nation, we have troops in harm’s way.

At a time when the Department of Veterans Affairs is decimated, and our current veterans are not supported, this song gets old fast for those of us who have seen it happen again and again.

War is not a game.

Nor should it be used to make people money.

Women, men, children, pets, and animals die. And suffer.

The brave people of Ukraine know this agony firsthand.

In addition, every war stirs up an ugly bunch of emotional sewage for all veterans and their families.

This weekend would be a good time to check in on veterans, friends, family members, or those serving, and let them know you support them.

Because our days in the United States right now resemble cleaning my bathroom.

What I thought was a simple job turned into three and a half hours.

Life is never simple. Neither is logistics.

We’ve got a lot to clean up these days, in the USA and around the world. We’ve got big messes on ALL of earth’s grocery aisles.

We break it, we own it.

But we must support our troops when they are mobilized.

Do it for the future veterans we are making today who are honoring their oaths to the Constitution. At great risk to themselves and their families.

Because real warfare requires steady professionals with strategic and tactical brilliance and logistical magicians.

Leaders who truly care about our troops and humanity in general.

I don’t see that from the current civilians responsible for this tragedy. Far from it.

More like subpar soap slime in my shower drain.

But you know what comes out of our current American decay? Decomposed rot turns into compost. With that we can grow a better democracy out of the wreckage that works for we the people. Not just the billionaires.

Right now, we have to be like oxen and plow ahead to create a better country that is fair and equal for all.

Because as a veteran and military romance author, I don’t want to keep writing about the trauma of our military members who are used as pawns, not people, and the lasting effects of those tragic decisions on their lives.

Serving in the military, we fight, cry, bleed, and die together. We are bonded by blood.

This weekend, please remember the ultimate sacrifice of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard personnel and military animals over the last two-hundred and fifty years.

We owe their priceless gift to our nation more than fancy speeches and photo opportunities for a day.

We have to do the daily work to carry on the ideals for which they gave their lives.

Every small step forward counts.

Lead with kindness and love.

Support our troops.

Have a safe weekend.

Peace out.

 

“Memorial Day Thoughts” Copyright © 2026 by Kimberly A. Cook. Image Copyright © 2026 by Kimberly A. Cook

Romance Books? Especially In Pandemic Times

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When last we chatted, my goal was to get my next book out pronto. Nothing happens fast during a pandemic, except transmission. Bollocks!

But with dogged determination, lots of cookies, and too many donuts in the house, my new book is out. Only about seven monthsMission: Canine Hearts behind schedule. I’m giving myself an A for effort. Because I could write like a wild woman in lockdown, but not edit. Brain fade, fog, or avoidance. Let’s assume all three.  Then family medical issues, not Covid. Focus can be a challenge. Right?

Please check out my new book, Mission: Canine Hearts.

Enough marketing. Back to our regular programming.

It seems, for some unknown reason, I can upload pictures again. Priceless! Through the power of procrastination, somebody in WordPress-land fixed that debacle from several months ago. Thank you so much. I hope it lasts. So, to celebrate before I lose that capacity again, let’s look at some pics!

@#$%^ Spoke too soon. I have to make my pics smaller. Argh! I’m sure it’s a pixel issue. Let me hunt down the frozen chocolate donuts first.

In that case, let’s look at some videos! This Oregon Zoo video made me howl a few weeks ago because it is exactly what’s been happening in my fiction critique group Zoom meetings. Someone’s tech is always going sideways. For no rhyme or reason, but we plow on. And look a lot like these humongo Hornbills in front of the webcams. Either Claudia’s smoke alarm beeps when we meet, never at any other time, or we can’t see Cindy.

She has tried to get us to see her face. Halfway through our last meeting, Cindy’s face popped up from a black screen and startled the rest of us. I’ve had to hack in from the main web site when the prior meeting email worked fine. Such are the times we live in. I like everyone’s creativity and the willingness to adapt.

Soapbox alert. The Army and Air Force taught me that masks save lives. Mine and others. Whether it’s a gas mask or an oxygen mask, they work. It’s an educational moment to be standing in the gas chamber in Army basic training. You can feel your skin crawl when they pop the gas. You learn to trust your mask in the chamber.

Then they make you take off your mask to really appreciate it. You have to repeat your name, rank, and something else unimportant, to keep you inside long enough to take a fine whiff of chemicals before getting permission to leave. Very educational.

Our scientists, healthcare personnel, and essential frontline workers have become our modern day fighter pilots, like in the movie Independence Day. As ground support crew to them, our cloth face masks are one crucial tool to fight this global enemy and support our new pandemic fighter pilots. Mask up America!

Off my soapbox. Where was I? See, this is what happens during these times. Squirrel!

I’d like to close with a few items I’ve been doing to keep me from going nuts. (And I bet you think it’s not working!) 

  1. Taking walks.
  2. Listening to Great Meditation on YouTube
  3. Following The Minimal Mom on YouTube to help edit out the clutter in my home.
  4. Watching way too many YouTube videos.
  5. Major League Baseball. (I’m an NFL gal, but I’m enjoying their efforts. Calms me down.)
  6. Giving myself a break. If we only get one thing done a day, bloody brilliant!
  7. Taking flower pictures.
  8. Laughing with friends on the phone and on Zoom.
  9. Filling up my local Goodwill with donations.
  10. Writing things in my After Pandemic To Do booklet.
  11. Being grateful to write the stories of my heart.

Hope you are all healthy, safe, and coping. Hugs to all. We are in this big earth SUV together, so let’s quit fighting in the backseat and get along.

Moving forward together is the best way to defeat this damn virus. Onward America! 

We’ve got a lot of work to do.

Right after I chomp on a frozen chocolate donut.

Blessings.  

And because we need it. The Red Panda cub at the Oregon Zoo!

 

 

Happy Veterans Day To All Who Have Served

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George W. Tuthill, Army, Union, 1861-1865. My great-great-grandfather.

I come from a long line of warriors. On this Veteran’s Day, I would like to thank all who have

John Tuthill, Army, World War I. My Grandfather.

served in the United States military. Past and present.

All who have served in the National Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and all working military animals. I also salute those in the Merchant Marine who have endured hardship and sacrifice to support us on the seas.

With the United States population estimated at 329,064,917 million, there are approximately 23,234,000 living veterans, of those 16,962,000 being war veterans.

That works out to roughly seven percent of the entire United States population, of which five percent are war veterans. Numbers change daily with worldwide conflicts and deployments.

On this Veteran’s Day, I’ve decided to share photos of my family citizen soldiers who have taken the oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

When you raise your right hand and take that oath, it is a solemn occasion. Three times I’ve felt the weight and responsibility of that oath settle on my shoulders.

To those serving on active duty and in the reserves today, I salute you, thank you, and look forward to welcoming you into the veteran family when your duties have come to an end.

For those of us who are veterans, we celebrate this day given to us by the service of those who have gone before us.

Betty Cook, Marines, World War II. My Mom.
James Cook, Army-Air Corps, World War II. My Dad.

Men and women of each generation step up to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Hats off to all who have dug deep and sacrificed to protect our freedoms.

I am here because of their legacies.

Happy Veterans Day!

Rod Tuthill, Marines, served during Korean War. My Uncle.

 

Gordon Hubbard, Army, served during the Vietnam War in Berlin. My brother-in-law.

Memorial Day – Never Forget

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Last week I was watching a YouTube video where widows of service members were being brought together to make new friendships and heal. The Gary Sinise Foundation hosted their visit to Los Angeles, California.

One widow voiced the pain of all families and friends of fallen service members: their worst fear is their loved ones will be forgotten.

That is why this Memorial Day, pause and take time to remember, reflect, and respect the sacrifice of those who gave all when asked to by our country. This holiday is to show these families we will not forget their loss and their loved ones service, whether man, woman, or military working animal.

Let us also remember the families who still don’t have answers about the fate of their missing loved ones.

World War II  72,719

Korean War  7,661

Vietnam War  1,589

Cold War    126

Gulf Wars   5

El Dorado Canyon   1

Enjoy the holiday weekend, be safe, and never forget.

A Veterans Day Reminder

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ARCTIC OCEAN – (From left) Carl Felten, U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Annabelle Gagnon, Merchant Marine Academy Cadet Taylor Crisci, Luc Rainville and Jeremy Wilkinson pull a buoy across the Arctic ice Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, about 350 miles northeast of Barrow, Alaska. The buoy was deployed in the Arctic and contains a series of sensors to measure wind speed and direction, air temperature, barometric pressure and other measurements to study stratified ocean dynamics. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) is underway in the Arctic with about 100 crew members and 30 scientists to deploy sensors, buoys and semi-autonomous submarines to study how environmental factors affect the water below the ice surface for the Office of Naval Research. The Healy, which is homeported in Seattle, is one of two ice breakers in U.S. service and is the only military ship dedicated to conducting research in the Arctic. (NyxoLyno Cangemi/U.S. Coast Guard)

Election Day. Brought to you by the good women, men and military animals of our armed forces, Coast Guard, National Guard, veterans and their families. The first time I voted was by military absentee ballot on a pool table at Fort Carson. Colorado. My Lieutenant had to observe to make sure I complied with the then rules for voting out of state. The Recreation Room seemed the logical place.

For the past twenty years Oregon has had vote-by-mail and I highly recommend it to all the other states. Except Washington and Colorado, they have it too. No online, no clunky machines, mail with a stamp or drop off and a complete vintage paper trail.

This year I even got to track my ballot through the mail using www.ballotscout.org by way of my ballot address bar code. Simple. Effective. Private. And nobody messes with United States Postal Service employees; a lot of veterans work there too.

For those of you who might think twice about getting to a polling place stateside if you need to, don’t. Do it. Vote. The men, women and military animals in these photos are working hard right now around the world to make sure we all keep our right to vote. Use it or lose it.

It’s not like you’re a Marine hiking in Iceland!

Happy Veterans Day on Sunday to all who have served. Thank you for your service to your country.

 

Members of Team Andersen load water purification equipment onto a 36th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules to be delivered to Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Oct. 28, 2018, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Service members from Joint Region Marianas and Indo-Pacific Command are providing Department of Defense support to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ civil and local officials as part of the FEMA-supported Typhoon Yutu recovery efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Donald Hudson)
Candidates participating for the Expert Field Medical Badge disassemble and reassemble an M4 rifle as quickly as possible during the standardization phase of EFMB testing on Fort Bragg, N.C., Oct. 30, 2018. The first week of testing introduces the candidates to all the tasks that they’ll be expected to complete to earn the coveted badge. The EFMB was established to showcase and recognize medical Soldiers for their exceptional skill level and competence in the medical field. The testing consists of a written exam, land navigation, three separate combat testing lanes and concludes with a 12-mile ruck march. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Liem Huynh / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
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NORWEGIAN SEA (Oct. 27, 2018) An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sunliners of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81 is prepared for launch aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in support of Exercise Trident Juncture 18. With more than 50,000 participants from 31 allied partners, Trident Juncture 18 is taking place in Norway and the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Thomas Gooley/Released)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Angela Cardone, a military working dog handler with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, conducts training at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 19, 2018. Military working dog handlers are military police who are trained to employ a military working dog to conduct searches in open areas, buildings and vehicles. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Seth Rosenberg)
U.S. Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit hike to a cold-weather training site inland, Iceland, Oct. 19, 2018, during Exercise Trident Juncture 18. Trident Juncture training in Iceland promotes key elements of preparing Marines to conduct follow-on training in Norway in the later part of the exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Menelik Collins/Released)

Happy Veterans Day

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by Kimberly A. Cook

On Veterans Day eve I want to send out Veterans Day wishes to all our military vets, two and four-legged. Thank you for your service and your dedication to our country.

Since those of us who have served in the military are a smaller and smaller percentage of the United States population, veteran stories may not reach all our citizens.

For veterans struggling with the return from war, deployments and even sexual assault, know you are loved and hugged by your fellow veterans. Reach out and get help. We’re all still in the buddy system.

Whether you prefer Veterans Day ceremonies or choose to spend the day in reflection and quiet, know you have served our country with true citizenship in action.

Thank you. Enjoy your day.