William MacArthur
William
MacArthur is a retired United States Air Force Colonel
whose thirty year career reflected many suspenseful Intelligence
assignments during America’s Cold War against the Soviet Union.
"Memoirs of a Cold War Colonel" recounts his adventures in the
intelligence field, ranging from supporting combat pilots about
to break through the Iron Curtain to briefing the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff on very sensitive operations in Europe
and Southeast Asia. The Colonel's career coincided with the rise
and fall of the Berlin Wall and is an example of the dedication
and sacrifices our military forces and their families displayed
during that very dangerous period.
"This is a great book!! I
enjoyed it thoroughly. It gives you insight on what
military men had to go through in the cold war era
and how it impacted their families." Amazon Book
Reviewer
PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part
of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
William MacArthur: I grew up in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and went to
college at Lawrence (now Lawrence University) in Appleton, WI. It was there
that I really took a great interest in reading and writing.
I had to, for it was a matter of survival in that very challenging liberal
arts environment. One specific area in which I was introduced to some of
the great authors of the world was the now famous Lawrence
"Freshman Studies" program which introduced us to authors from many
disciplines of life, regions where we students probably would not have
traveled. That course made me truly question my role in life.
PageOneLit.com: Why did you write Memoirs of a Cold War Colonel -- A Look
Into An Intelligence Officer's Thirty Year Career?
William MacArthur: I wrote Memoirs Of A Cold War Colonel out of love for my
wife of 47 years who passed away last year after losing a battle with breast
cancer. She was with me side by side during my thirty year career
working in Air Force intelligence operations in numerous countries around
the world. I dedicated my book to her, our children and all our descendants
who might wonder what their ancestors were like and what they did.
PageOneLit.com: Explain what an Intelligence Officer is over other types of
Officer's in the service.
William MacArthur: An Intelligence Officer in the Air Force works in just
one of hundreds of career areas of the service, ranging from all the rated,
flying positions to the support areas including logistics, personnel,
communications and the like. Even within Intelligence there are a multitude
of career areas, and as Memoirs reflects, I worked in and out of many of
these during the dangerous Cold War period (1959-89).
PageOneLit.com: Can you briefly describe your early years in the military?
Where did you sign up? Boot camp? What does it take for a young man in the
military to make Colonel?
William MacArthur: I joined the Air Force through the Air Force Reserve
Officer Training Corps (ROTC) while attending Lawrence. ROTC offered Air
Science classes which I took, and consequently, after "opportunities" of
drill sessions and visits to operational Air Force bases, I was commissioned
a second lieutenant the day I graduated from Lawrence, June 7, 1959. My
first operational assignment was to Biggs Air Force Base, El Paso, Texas,
where I met Peggi Melville, who I married June 18, 1960.
That was the beginning of our 30 year travels in the Air Force which landed
us in Germany (three times), Thailand, Turkey, Alaska and the Pentagon
(which is really akin to a foreign city). As in any service making it to
the ranks of senior officers is very competitive in the Air Force. It was
especially so in my case as I was always in competition with professionals
on the operational (as opposed to the support) side of the Air Force.
Fortunately I was assigned to many critically important positions (as
described in my book) in which I had the opportunity to work in front of the
right people.
PageOneLit.com: For this generation, what was the "Cold War"?
William MacArthur: The Cold War was the period after World War II until the
early 1990's in which the U.S. and its former ally, Russia, were engaged in
very heated conflicts, ranging from threats of nuclear extinction, to
economic turmoil, to dominance in space. After Russia lined up its
conquered allies (Warsaw Pact nations in Eastern Europe), the U.S. and its
Western European allies, plus Canada, formed the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), and these two blocs of nations faced off against each
their many times during my thirty years in the Air Force. My roles in this
conflict are described in Memoirs.
PageOneLit.com: Memoirs of a Cold War Colonel is a look at a 30 year career
- How much, in your opinion has the military changed?
William MacArthur: The military has significantly changed since I retired
from the Air Force in 1989. It had to because the nature of our
adversaries' methods of threatening and opposing us are completely
different. 9/11 clearly taught us that. The ensuing terrorist threat has
caused us to streamline our military organizations, and develop new tactics
and equipment in order to diminish it. What makes the current day global
military environment so challenging is the fact that Russia and the United
States still have nuclear tipped missiles facing each other! Consequently
the U.S. has to be ready and prepared for any and all types of conflict
which tends to stretch our federal budget.
PageOneLit.com: Your opinion on current events? Russia has been lately
stirring things up in Georgia - Your thoughts?
William MacArthur: Russia's current foray into Georgia is an example of what
I just described. While we are facing homemade roadside bombs in Iraq and
Afghanistan, Russian tanks are posing a threat to our ally in Georgia!
However, this seemingly dangerous saber rattling by Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin in South Ossetia and Abkhazia pales in danger compared to events like
the Soviets closing or threatening to close the Berlin Air Corridors during
the Cold War.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with Memoirs of a Cold War
Colonel -- A Look Into An Intelligence Officer's Thirty Year Career?
William MacArthur: By writing Memoirs Of A Cold War Colonel I have already
achieved my goal of passing down to our descendants what their forefathers
were about in a very dangerous segment of America's history. Once the book
was finished and passed around to friends and relatives, they ganged up on
me and convinced me that many others outside our circles would appreciate
what my wife and I went through raising four children in military
environments throughout a world of tension and conflict.
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
William MacArthur: I am really not sure if I am going to write another book,
but a little wheel in the back of my mind keeps churning to do so. Two
areas I am considering are biographies of some of our Iraq/Afghanistan
military heroes and a biography of an acquaintance of mine who grew up in
the Soviet system and is now a U.S. citizen.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?
William MacArthur: The last book I read was Quiet Strength, by Tony Dungy, a
man I greatly admire. To me, the most successful senior officers in the
military with whom I crossed paths didn't have to succeed with their
mouths. They succeeded with their brains and hearts. So too does Tony.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they
enhance your writing?
William MacArthur: The main "hobby" or really "interest" I have is
founding Exchange Clubs with a mission of preventing child abuse. My wife
and I have started five of these in Florida, two of which are
currently supporting a prevention of child abuse center in Bradenton,
Florida which is working with 1,100 families in a three county area. I also
golf a little, but the courses cringe whenever I show up. None of this
enhances my writing anymore. I'm an "old dog" -- but with a young spirit!
