From Editor in Chief P.J. O’Rourke
I
It began with a memorial service on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for my friend of more than 40 years, Winston Groom. He’s the fellow who wrote the novel Forrest Gump , and a lot of other wonderful stuff – eight novels and 15 works of non-fiction. Winston, as a young lieutenant, was a veteran of some of the worst fighting in Indochina. In 1978, he wrote what was then – and still is – the best novel about the Vietnam War, Better Times Than These . He was also a brilliant historian. History buffs, get off your buff and order some Groom histories. Maybe start with Kearny’s March , which is about the opening of the American West in the 1840s or Vicksburg, 1863 about the battle you think you know about until you read Winston’s account. Winston died of a heart attack a year ago, but the memorial service was delayed because of COVID. Maybe this was for the best... Winston’s sudden death had gone from blinding shock to clearly perceived grief for the loss of the man.
’d like to begin my monthly letter with an apology to Managing Editor Laura Greaver and Design Director Erica Wood (the two people who do most of the actual work at American Consequences ) for getting my copy in so damn late. Just as we were putting this issue together... I skipped school. I skipped without so much as a call to the attendance office saying – in an attempt at a high-pitched, female voice – “Hello, this is my mother... I mean Pat O’Rourke’s mother... He isn’t feeling so well today... Or tomorrow or the next day or the day after that...” I played hooky from life for a week. Or maybe more than a week... I wasn’t counting. With no laptop, no iPad, no smartphone, (or cable TV or landline, for that matter), I wasn’t sure what day it was. I didn’t even leave an “Away” notice on my e-mail. Had I done so, it would have read something like, “If this message is urgent, call... Oh, heck, I don’t know... 911 or something.”
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American Consequences
7
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