Welcome to my Web page.  Here you will find information about both my personal and professional life.  You can find additional information on www.bucksurdu.com/blog. Email Me

A Little About Me

My first career was as a career Army officer and computer scientist.  I began my career in 1981 when I entered West Point as a Plebe.  I served in a variety of infantry assignments as well as in technology development assignments.  Details of my career, activities, and publications can be found on the “Professional” page.

My second career was in industry, where I developed technology to improve the training of Soldiers and Marines.  I have three patents to my name.  My focus was on live training systems.  When I started at Cole Engineering Services, Inc., CESI had no presence in the Department of War live training.  When I retired, we were a major developer of cutting-edge training technologies, including small arms, the Stinger surface-to-air missile, and mortar systems.

I have embarked on my third career.  I write adult, clean-read, historical mysteries.  The first three books in the series are written, and I am seeking a literary agent to represent my manuscripts to publishers.  Updates on my progress can  be found on my blog site.

My hobby is tabletop miniature wargaming.  This is an exciting hobby and a great activity for children.  Details of my hobby and activities can be found on my “Hobbies” page.

 

This is a mockup of the cover for the first book I have written. Nineteen-year-old Frank Serafini returns to his Illinois hometown in May 1953, carrying survivor’s guilt from the Korean War and remorse for abandoning his childhood sweetheart and fiancée, Sylvia Martinelli. He hopes to rebuild his life and repair their relationship, but his homecoming is overshadowed by the recent, suspicious death of his father. Sylvia is torn when Frank reappears. His sudden departure shattered her trust, and before she can risk her heart again, she needs to understand why he left—and whether he intends to stay. When Frank receives a threatening phone call demanding papers his father supposedly possessed, the danger becomes unmistakable. After Sylvia’s father’s car is set on fire as a warning, Frank and Sylvia follow the clues his father left behind and uncover evidence implicating the town’s mayor in a far-reaching criminal enterprise. As the racketeers close in, Frank must confront the man he became in Korea and risk everything to protect Sylvia, expose the truth, and save the town he once fled.