You might say Bill and I discovered Dennis R. Blocker II…In 2008, we asked Dennis to write the Foreword to our Pacific Express: The Critical Role of Military Logistics in World War II (BMC Publications, 2009). Pacific Express became our best seller and landed on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List on the subject of Logistics for all officer and enlisted Marines, whether active duty or reserve.

Dennis was then – and still is – the Historian for the Pacific Theater of Operations for the USS LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) National Association. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more dedicated to preserving WWII military history than Dennis. He was the inspiration and researcher behind The Heart of Hell (Dutton Caliber, 2016) by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Mitch Weiss, based on the untold stories of the crew of Landing Craft Infantry 449, including Dennis’ grandfather, Clifford Lemke, U.S. Navy, S1/c.

And this month, Dennis has just released The Dogs I’ve Known In 2 Wars, Book 1: Iraq, co-written with his father, Dennis R. Blocker, a K-9 trainer and handler. (Book 2: Afghanistan is scheduled for publication in December 2020).

My copy of Book 1 is on its way…I believe Dennis and his father have written about a subject few know about and I’m looking forward to getting cozy this month and learning all about these specially-trained dogs who help to defend our country.