Welcome to SixthFleet.Com, the Cyberspace Home of author David E. Meadows. "When Meadows' men set sail, it's sure to be a mission like no other." --W.E.B. Griffin "Rip-snorting, realistic action-adventure from a man who has been there. David Meadows is the real thing," --Stephen Coonts author of numerous bestsellers, including Flight of the Intruder, Saucer, America, and Liberty. "An absorbing, compelling look at America's future place in the world. It's visionary, and scary. Great battle scenes, believable heroes, plus villains you'll love to hate!" -Joe Buff, bestselling author of Straits of Power, Tidal Rip, and Crush Depth. "David E. Meadows is simply the best writer of naval thriller/adventure fiction out there today." --Tom Wilson, acclaimed author of Black Canyon, Desert Fury, Tango Uniform and other best selling military thrillers.

UPDATE:

JOINT TASK FORCE AMERICA hit the streets in January and since the last newsletter both it and JOINT TASK FORCE LIBERIA, released September 2003 have received some great reviews, which I will share with you. Both Liberia and America are in the top bestsellers for Amazon dot COM in the genre of action-adventure, men’s adventure, military thrillers, and Navy novels.

On Saturday, March 20, 2004, the same day I did a book signing at Waldenbooks in Frederick, Maryland, America was number 11 of over 3200 Navy books and number 11 of 2829 Men’s Adventure fiction. For the combined Men’s Adventure and Military fiction, America was ranked number 4 and Liberia was number 11. Eleven seems to be a lucky number for the Joint Task Force series.

The third book in the series JOINT TASK FORCE FRANCE will be released in September. I have completed the manuscript for AFRICA and will submit it to the editor in early May.

May and June will be busy months for me as I am on the road a lot, flying cross country in May and journeying over Europe in June. Then, I have to buckle down for a new novel, a stand-alone/non-series, titled ‘Iowa Rising’ and, no, it’s not about growing corn in a fabulous midwestern state.

I am a member of the Military Officers Association of America. Like the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other veteran organizations, the MOAA fights for legislation to improve the quality of life for the military person while on active duty and while retired. A current initiative of all of these organizations is to correct the injustice of what is called the Survival Benefits Plan. When a military member retires, they receive a pension. That pension is only good while the military member is alive. Once he or she dies, the spouse who served alongside him or her is left with nothing unless the military member selects to have a large portion of his pay withheld to pay for a survival’s pension. The pension is only 50% of the military member’s pension and, if the spouse should die before the military member, every bit of that pay withheld to buy SBP, is lost. No way to get it back. Plus, unlike an annuity or whole life insurance plan, the military member pays into this SBA forever. It never reaches a point where it is paid up.

If the retirement pay is $2000 a month, then when the military member dies, the spouse receives $1000 a month unless he or she remarries and then she or he loses every bit of it. Then, to rub sand in the wound for the spouse’s dedication and sacrifice of his or her own career so a military member could serve, at age 62, the survivor’s benefit is reduced to 35% with the expectation that social security will make up the difference. All across our great nation-surviving spouses of our veterans are discovering themselves victims of poverty because of this unfair benefits package.

Recently, the MOAA and other veteran organizations fought to have SBA modified so the widow or widower would continue to receive the 50% survivor’s benefit and for the SBA to paid up after 30 years of paying into it. They didn’t even ask for premiums to be repaid if the spouse for who the SBA was designed died before the military member.

The House budget committee nixed the idea. Lots of words from our elected officials on how important it was to take care of our service members and recognize their years of service, but when it came to the crunch, every Republican but one on the House Budget committee voted against it. I’m sure the state of the deficit and the importance of ensuring tax relief overrode taking care of those whom without many would never choose the military as a career. (Oh, by the way, the one congresslady –Republican who didn’t vote against correcting the inequalities of the SBA was absent from the meeting.) Visit http://www.moaa.org/Legislative/WeeklyUpdate.asp#Issue 1 for Details on the meeting. http://www.moaa.org/Legislative/SBPVote3_17_2004.asp shows you how the voting went.

JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA is Meadows' newest novel scheduled for release in March 2005.

Read More About JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA

JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA A Navy EP-3E is hit by a missile and before the pilot can recover control of the aircraft four aircrew bail out over West Africa, landing in the middle of an African civil war. It is a fast-pace story as Admiral Holman races to rescue the Sailors before they are killed or captured. "Meadows will keep you turning pages and thinking new thoughts." --Newt Gingrich "Rip-snorting, realistic action-adventure from a man who has been there." --Stephen Coonts "When Meadows' men set sail, it's sure to be a mission like no other." --W.E.B. Griffin "Fast-paced, roller-coaster ride with this exhilarating military thriller. Dynamic writer with a fresh voice in this technical-ridden, yet intriguing genre." --Midwest Book Review "An absorbing, compelling look at America's future. Visionary, scary. Great battle scenes, believable heroes, plus villains you'll love to hate!" --Joe Buff, author Tidal Rip.

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David E. Meadows / SixthFleet.Com David E. Meadows Washington D.C. E-Mail readermail@SixthFleet.Com