I Wrote My First Book at 84: Here’s How Other Vets Can Get Published Too

Writing a book and getting it published are huge undertakings for anyone. When I embarked on this, I was 80 years old.

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I am proud to say that I did it. Diplomats & Admirals was self-published last December, by which time I was 84.

Each person is different, but I feel my experience means I can offer a few pieces of advice that might be helpful for others. 

Know your motivation

Writing a book at this stage of life was not primarily to make money or achieve belated fame — though if you want those things, that’s fine. I wanted to make a lasting contribution to history by writing about a subject that came from my experiences and that, in my view, had been neglected.

I served in the Navy from 1960 to 1963 after receiving a commission at the conclusion of my NROTC training. My perception was that the general public was not sufficiently aware of the contributions of the Navy, particularly during the first year of World War II. 

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Source of inspiration

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the engagement of U.S. forces in combat for the first nine months of the war was entirely a Navy commitment because it was not possible to insert combat troops anywhere. While the ships in the Atlantic battled Nazi U-boats, the naval victory at Midway in June 1942 allowed troops to be landed at Guadalcanal two months later. We were on course to victory in the Pacific war.

Keep it simple

I started writing on my laptop, using Microsoft Word. Yes, there are more sophisticated programs, but I use what I know how to use. 

Do your research

One of the benefits of being retired is that you have the time to do things properly. There are documents on the internet that were classified for many years, and I made use of them.

I also visited the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, where I used my Apple iPhone to photograph original action reports of the naval battles of the Pacific war. 

Savor the process 

When I say original reports, I mean I held in my hand Adm. Chester Nimitz’s typed report on the Battle of Midway and could trace with my finger over the original blue ink signature, “CW Nimitz.” There are thrills in this work. 

At the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, I read a handwritten account by a Midway flyer. I copied scanned documents at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. At the Houghton Library at Harvard, I photographed original reports by Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew.