All posts by Jack Lyndon Thomas

Jack has published an illustrated book of poetry, Whirling Fire (1997), and memoir, Coyote Jack: Drawing Meaning from Life and Vietnam (2006), based upon his Vietnam experiences, which included earning The Bronze Star Medal for Heroism in Ground Combat, The Bronze Star Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster) for Meritorious Achievement in Ground Operations Against Hostile Forces, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, while serving as an infantry officer/advisor to South Vietnamese militia. In October 1996 paid a return visit to operating area. He has ePublished his first novel, The Monsoon Killed the Tiger, a suspense/thriller , and is nearing completion on the first draft of Border Slot, in the same genre. In September 2013 Jack ePublished Lights on the Water/Depressions in the Sand: A Motorcycling Odyssey about his 105-day, 18,000-mile motorcycle journey and also ePublished Training Runs: The Regenerative Power of Motorcycling Back Roads, a collection of fifteen motorcycling journals that focus on learning to listen to his heart and soul. He has been published in motorcycle magazines such as Rider and BMWON. His motorcycling journeys have covered approximately 120,000 miles in over 30 years of riding. Additionally, the Houston Tribune published in its January 2001 issue essay about miscreant youths in ’50s suburban Houston, Texas, and in the fall of 2001, a prose poem and a short fiction piece appeared in Suddenly IV, an anthology of Texas writers. Jack also has been interviewed on both radio and television and has appeared as a paid performer reading selections from Whirling Fire. He has exhibited photography in juried art shows in Round Top and Salado, Texas, and was the July 1999 featured photographer/artist at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston. Jack is divorced, a retired CPA, and has two grown daughters and two grandchildren.

The 1918 Flu

The following is an excerpt from my dad's narrative. Interesting perspective about getting a bunch of bananas for a quarter and the meds given for those suffering from the 1918 flu.

"World War I came along about this time. I was always having to move from one family to another … Continue Reading ››

PTSD

I doubt I'm the only one. And yeah, I'm aware of overreacting, but the corona pandemic and shutdowns remind me of the short-timer status in Vietnam. Am I going to catch malaria, get shot, trip a booby trap, get bitten by a viper, or screw up? 

I've got a 50% … Continue Reading ››

PTSD

Over the years I've had lots of therapy and have read several books about PTSD--the triggers,  the brain-rewiring possibilities--and consider myself a reasonably informed layman. One of the most interesting works I've read is Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman, M.D. The initial copyright was 1992 and the version I read added a … Continue Reading ››

Training Runs: The Regenerative Power of Motorcycling Back Roads

THE IMPACT OF WAR LINGERS . . .

In Fall 1982 I took my first motorcycling journey with two of my older brothers, Steve and Harry, and Harry's father-in-law, Chuck. We rode to the Davis Mountains, in which I enjoyed the companionship and fell in love with The Ride. Subsequently I undertook … Continue Reading ››