John Wilson

John Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June, 1965. By late 1966, as the ranking Navy Journalist at Ellyson Field, Pensacola, FL, he was named Editorial Advisor of the base newspaper. In February, 1968, at the close of the infamous Tet Offensive, John was assigned as supervisor of the radio news section, for the Commander Seventh Fleet’s Detachment “C” in Saigon, Vietnam. Here, he and his staff provided news and feature coverage of Navy operations; both “in country” and throughout the Tonkin Gulf. Through “news feeds,” they delivered 7th Fleet news on a daily basis to the civilian networks based in Saigon; to the Armed Forces Vietnam Network; and to to the Armed Forces Radio service at Johnston Island. He returned home in May, 1969 and later spent several months as a news and weatherman at WEAR-TV, Pensacola, FL. One of John’s most vivid post Vietnam memories – in addition to the memory of flag burnings and chants of “Hell no, we won’t go!” was interviewing for a position in Miami, FL. Suddenly, the young executive conducting the interview asked: “So how’s it feel to be a baby killer?”

In his book Coming Home: Reflections of Vietnam, John shares in verse, his thoughts and feelings about service in Vietnam; the protesters of the 60's; the attitude of the far left towards Vietnam veterans; his deep respect for those who gave their lives; and his gratitude for those who fought to build the Vietnam War Memorial - The Wall.

On the lighter side, a favorite story is one that involves John’s unit in Vietnam – one that he characterizes much like the MASH unit of TV fame. After six months as Leading Petty Officer in the Detachment’s Radio News Section, John entered the office one day, passing a LCDR with feet propped up on the desk and reading Playboy. Suddenly aware of John, the officer inquired in an authoritative voice: “Who are you and where are you going?” Shocked by the question, John responded: “I work here.” With that, the officer jumped to his feet, thrust his arm forward for a handshake and with a broad smile, said: “Well, let me be the first to welcome you aboard!”

John went on to serve 32 years as a law enforcement officer, retiring as Director, National HIDTA Assistance Center in 2002. In that position - reporting to the Office of National Drug Control Policy – he and his staff provided training, multimedia and budgetary processing services to HIDTAs throughout the Continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Earlier, as Associate Director of South Florida HIDTA, he assisted in the development of federal, state and local law enforcement coalitions, in grant making activities, budgeting, and in the development and continuous improvement of grant reporting guidelines and accountability measures. Prior to that, he served more than 20 years with the Metro-Dade Police Department – one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. During his career, he worked for several years as a Patrol Officer and uniformed Sgt. in a high crime, inner city area and through two major civil disturbances. He spent several years as Commanding Officer of his Department’s Basic Training and In-Service Training Sections; and taught, or provided consulting services to the U.S. Dept. of Justice in Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Jamaica. He is the author of two college-level criminal justice textbooks; the first published by Prentice-Hall and the second by Waveland Press. Additionally, he has had articles published in several venues, including Police Chief Magazine, Law Enforcement News, Criminal Justice Journal and Training Aids Digest.

Wilson is also the author of "203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama" - a book he says might now be better thought of as "203 Warnings that Could have Saved America" - and is currently working on another book regarding this Administration.