Today for Veteran’s Day, I’m going to kick back with a fresh cup of coffee and watch my all time favorite movie, “Stand By For Action”, 1942 with Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, Charles Laughton, and Walter Brennan. I served on the USS Arleigh Burke for 4 years, so watching a movie about a destroyer in action with a crew of truly the greatest generation is an absolute pleasure. I’ve worn my copy of this DVD thin. Later, I’ll be joined by fellow vet Dave Ditullio for some cartoon work, followed by a libation tipped in honor of those still standing watch over us.

Getting syndicated is a massively challenging task and as a result, highly comptetitive. I was extremely fortunate when I had the interest of a major syndicate editor, but due to economic reasons, the launch wouldn’t be possible for at least a year. At the same time, I had been speaking with Bill Kellogg, the Marketing Director for Ink Bottle Syndicate and the man responsible for bringing “Tundra” to over 550 newspapers in the U.S. and overseas – no easy task. As a matter of fact, the major syndicates are very interested in Bill’s success formula, which in my opinion is good, old-fashioned hard work – Bill is one of the busiest people I know! With only a minimum of threats of violence to his person, car, pets, wardrobe, and associated inanimate objects, he agreed to sign “Spectickles” (I’ll remain camped out on his front lawn wearing an intimidating grimace till we officially launch, or until my wife yells at me to stop it, whichever comes first.)

This is an incredibly exciting time, and Bill has begun the long process of introducing “Spectickles” to editors nationwide. If, perchance, you are interested in seeing “Spectickles” in your local newspaper, here’s what you can do:

If you would like to see “Spectickles” in your newspaper, and if you are willing to write a short letter to your paper to request that they consider Spectickles, please e-mail my marketing guy, Bill Kellogg, at bill@inkbottlesyndicate.com with your city, state and newspaper name. He will e-mail you the name and contact information of the person at your paper who handles the comics section. Requests from actual readers can make a big difference.

Well, that’s it for now – I’ll keep you posted as new developments occur. See you in the Funny Papers! Cheers!

My beautiful Shelly and I beside the small lake, just outside the historic building where we’d had out ceremony and reception.

Two of the finest warriors I’ve ever known and with whom I’ve gone into harms way stood with me during the ceremony – thank you Ed and Dave – your presence made the day extraordinary.

The ceremony just concluded, and Shelly and I are heading out to greet our guests as they enter for the reception. Shelly’s beautiful smile was the beacon that led me home after so many months spent overseas.

My background is a bit far afield of what you’d expect for a cartoonist, but whatever the events that led me here, I’m happy this is the result.

4 year old Aidan is overpowering me, dragging me onto the dance floor.

Thank you to all who follow my work and make every day a pleasure to be a cartoonist.

Cheers!

We’ll be reaching out to more of our Navy friends, family and professional associations and see their reaction. To date, hundreds of Navy Chiefs are excited to see it – we hope not to disappoint! ‘Chief’ and his “Foggy Bottom” gang will be available for weekly newspapers through Bill Kellogg’s Ink Bottle Syndicate – be sure to ask for it in your local weekly newspapers!

The Yang to ‘Chief’s’ Ying is another of our latest characters, ‘Sarge’. We gave him a ‘flat-top’, an appropriate rank tattoo on his right arm, the ever-bubbling cigar, and colors suitable to an Army-related character.

Dave, on the other hand, will be showing ‘Sarge’ around to his fellow Army servicemen and women for their feedback. Again, the response has been very positive. We look forward to hearing your feedback, and if you like it, let us and our syndicate, Ink Bottle Syndicate and its Marketing Director, Bill Kellogg know!

I’ve been thinking about this day for a long time. It’s hard to believe that it’s come so quickly. Tomorrow marks 20 years that I’ve been a part of the greatest Navy that ever defended the seas. Any seas.

This is me as an E-nothing in Norfolk, Virginia attending a navigation school. Not to be confused with the more dapper Men In Black.

I joined after being a disgruntled stockbroker for too long. Since I was a little boy I’d always looked at the pictures of other men in my family, standing proudly in their uniforms – my father beaming with pride in his ROTC uniform during Vietnam, my uncle in the Navy in the height of the Cold War, my grandfather with a machine gun in Europe in World War II, my father’s great uncle as a Dough Boy in the trenches of the First World War – even my Great Grandfather’s grandfather as a fresh-faced young Zouave soldier in the Civil War where his brother died a horribly violent death in Louisiana - his bones lie there to this day, and where he was grievously wounded in the same battle. Family legend has it that in his twilight years, a parade was specifically re-routed to pass in front of the porch of his Brooklyn home to render him the honors, since his wounds left him largely immobile for the remainder of his life. From this tradition comes a pride I can hardly contain.

My Great-Grandfather’s grandfather, John DuBois. Brave, young, and forever changed by the horrors of war.

During the years I’ve served, I’ve been a navigator on the destroyer U.S.S. Arleigh Burke – a fantastic ship with the finest crew this nation could ever hope to assemble, and a member of one of the Navy’s Special Warfare units – the Special Boat Teams.

The U.S.S. Arleigh Burke returning across a tempestuous Atlantic Ocean after a very successful first Mediterranean deployment. I wasn’t on her when this image was taken. I’m okay with that.

The selection and training of which, at the ripe old age of 31, was the greatest experience, albeit one that required getting a beat-down of the highest quality, of my life (surpassed in quality of discomfort only by my attending SERE training at the spry age of 44! Still don’t know why I thought that was a good idea). My SWCC and SEAL brothers are, you may be rest assured, the finest, most honorable and dedicated warriors on earth. Period. Even though I am no longer active – my family deserves my full attention after so many years of sacrifice and separation, I still find myself chomping at the bit whenever I see a news story which may, or may not, be a possible arena in which my NSW brothers are operating. God Bless each and every one of you. Honor is a word that can be uttered by nearly everyone, but it’s a concept lived utterly by so few. Gentlemen, you are among the few.

This is me in Iraq. I volunteered to help my team-mates in whatever way I could. If anyone tries to sell you real estate there, walk away.

While the Nation remains mired in a political morass, created largely by the greatest collection of rarified idiots ever to crawl out of the primordial soup, the people of this country never cease to amaze me in the depth of their goodness, in their unselfish response to their neighbors in need, and their resilience whatever the challenge. What greater honor can a man or woman have than to defend such a fine collection of human beings? It’s the intention of this post to state with unambiguous clarity, I love this country, I love our people, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to defend all that I love most, and to be a part of this Navy. There is, nor will there ever be, a greater one.

With my parents and oldest son at a ceremony at the team.

“I can imagine no  more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he  did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride  and satisfaction:
“I served in the United States Navy”"
-John F. Kennedy  (JFK)