The following is a guest post by my friend and fellow author T. Martin O’Neil and his journey from a Naval Intelligence Officer to a popular author. I know you will enjoy his story as much as I did. Take it away Marty!
Thoughts About the Origin of My Background and Naval Career
by T. Martin O’Neil
It was a tense moment. Just plain and simple. Sweat glistened off my forehead forming bigger and bigger blobs until, unabated, it formed a torrent of rivulets streaking my camouflage skin paint. Sweat stung my red-rimmed eyes as I lay pressed into the surrounding clumps of grass, leaves, debris and tropical plant-life. There were no sounds of life. No sounds of monkeys, birds or even insects.
The two men I watched were not more than 30-meters away. I knew they were talking, albeit in low voices, but the sound of their words seemed to die as the words left their lips. The oppressive humidity and heat made every effort to become part of my surroundings futile. If just a bird had flown by, the movement of air from its wings would have spelled welcome relief. Instead, nothing.
One man lit a Chinese cigarette. The acrid, bitter smoke enveloped his head like an ethereal cloud. Even he could not stand the fumes and moved out of the way of the smoke-screen. His companion laughed lightly and teased his buddy. Both men side-stepped away from the brownish cloud.
A small python moved silently and stealthily away from the clearing the men stood in. Its small tongue flicking quickly from the end of its snout smelling, no doubt, its potential dinner.
My thoughts flashed randomly as to how I came to be in this place. Initially I wanted to be in Naval Aviation. I’d gone to Pensacola, Florida, to attend flight school. It was my dream even as a child to fly as my father had flown. He’d flown during World War II for the Navy, and I really wanted to do the same now.
While at flight school, I’d done quite well. Unfortunately my eyesight limited my choice to being a Naval Flight Officer but I still could fly “back seat” in the F-4 Phantom II. School progressed and I was fortunate enough to be top man in my class. This meant that I could have my first choice of any available assignments. I wanted to stay flying.
The time frame I speak of was in 1970, after the 2nd Tet Offensive in Vietnam and the whole war effort was being drawn down in a new tactic called Vietnamization. We were turning the war over to the benefactors of our support, the South Vietnamese.
It seemed the Communist North Vietnamese knew they could not defeat the far superior U.S./South Vietnamese forces militarily, so they resorted to the tactics that had worked so well with the French. Namely, they took the fight to the homelands using the dupes in the news media and liberal educational fields to subvert the military. After all, it worked before and appeared to working this time. Politicians, citizens and even the military were being badgered by the communists and were capitulating.
Vietnamization meant that the military was winding down its activities in the U.S. “Pipelines” were filled with men and women waiting to serve, but with no places to go. In its usual myopic way, the military just folded up its tent and walked away from thousands of students it had trained and paid for like so much trash left on the curb on garbage pick-up day. This meant in my case that I had two choices, go home or pick another field that still was available.
The draft had not gone away. My draft board was in Chicago. Because my draft number had already been called, if I went home, in spite of my education, degree and the flight training I’d been given, I could feasibly be made into so much cannon fodder.
Of the fields that remained open, however, Intelligence was the closest to my education. Less than two weeks later I found myself off to Denver, Colorado, to attend the Armed Forces Air Intelligence School at Lowry AFB.
Again, while there, I was fortunate enough to finish top of my class and had my choice of assignments. I chose to work not with the aviation commands, but with the Amphibious Forces. This gave me a chance to immediately have my own shop. Most junior naval officers worked in shops as trainees. In my situation, I was able to act as the shop director. This paid huge dividends later in my career. Instead of reacting to orders, I was able to see situations and direct solutions to those issues. I learned with OJT and not with browbeating and hazing-like experiences so common to other situations.
While assigned to the Amphibious Forces, I was introduced to flag officers that ultimately changed my life. I became acquainted with the head of all inshore activities in South Vietnam, termed the brown-water Navy. We hit it off and the door opened to work with Naval Special Warfare teams in Southeast Asia. My first experience was with SEAL Team One.
SEAL Team One was charged with the interdiction of weapons and supplies to South Vietnam from North Vietnam. The only catch phrase that seemed to change our charge was “and other duties as assigned.” It is these other duties I write about in my books.
Hollywood casts a cloud of farce on everything related to SEALS. If it is associated with SEALS, it means death, destruction and wanton killing. This is not the truth and in most cases reflects very little of the truth. SEALS are trained to accomplish their assignments and leave no one behind. Sometimes, it does mean killing enemies, but Hollywood wants viewers to see these men in only one way; cold killers. My books reflect the humanitarian efforts they performed.
As an Intelligence Officer, my duties centered on the 
planning and execution assistance of these men. Because of my relationship with the operators, I received opportunities to work reconnaissance operations with them. The stories in my books reflect my fieldwork, many of which were counter-narcotics and counter-human smuggling. The counter-piracy stories were added because our assignments were never dull or routine. Some of the events were adjusted to fit the time-frame of my books but all are based on fact; so much so, that my books have to be vetted by members of the Office of Naval Intelligence to ensure I don’t inadvertently use information that has not been declassified.
My books reflect the beginning of a 35-year career that I truly enjoyed. I know I made a difference. I have the satisfaction of knowing that my children can now read about my contributions. My experiences are more than war stories told around a campfire or plaques on a wall. You and my family can know I made a difference as well.
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I thank you for your service, Marty, and I am happy we all can read about the difference you made and gain a more realistic view of SEALS and their missions. Please follow the following links to read more about and purchase Marty’s books on Amazon: Into The Fire and The Worth of Souls. Marty’s books are also available on Author Masterminds.
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Robin Barefield is the author of three Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, and The Fisherman’s Daughter.
Mystery Newsletter
Very good, Robin. You are great! I feel like I now know T. Martin O’Neil far better than I did before.