Book Excerpts

“The year was 1974, and the world outside the windows was abuzz with change and upheaval in the Cold War, post–Vietnam War era. The sign above the door read DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY. A white sign with black lettering next to the door read Defense Commercial Communications Office, or DECCO. Crossing the threshold of this drab building, I stepped out of the steam of the Southern Illinois summer and into the soup of US government civil service, where mission met bureaucracy. Walking through the door and down the hall, plodding across the waxed and worn linoleum tile floor, I noticed a faint squeaking noise coming from my recently shined shoes. When I finally found the correct office number, I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and stepped into this strange new world, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. The squeaking sound of my shoes stopped, replaced by a whisper of uncertainty.”