PLEASE ENJOY A SAMPLING OF TOM PHILLIPS' WRITING....
BOOKS
"Fire in the North: The Minnesota Uprising and the Sioux War in Dakota Territory"
Until exceeded by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a little-known occurrence on the northern frontier would represent the highest number of civilians – perhaps as many as 800 – ever killed by hostile action on American soil. This is the story of a major Indian war that exploded suddenly in southern Minnesota in 1862 – a conflict that came to be known as the Minnesota Uprising – and over the months that followed extended far west into the vast reaches of the Great Plains. Interspersed in that broader tale is the true-life story of members of three families brought together in the chaos of war in a remarkable connection that continues to the present day.
Click here for a Reading Sample
In the Shadows of Victory II: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders, The Spanish-American War to World War II
The history of the United States is peppered with extraordinary military leaders. Fate has enshrined an exceptional few in the public’s collective consciousness while sometimes ignoring others often equally as deserving, relegating them to footnotes at best. Though the nation owes them considerable debts, there are many examples of men whose singular leadership is now little remembered or forgotten completely. This volume covers leaders “in the shadows” during the four major conflicts the United States engaged in from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To Order: Amazon- click here for link
In the Shadows of Victory: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders
History plays tricks sometimes. During the course of America’s existence, history has immortalized an exceptional few leaders while making footnotes, at best, of others. While enshrining some in the collective consciousness of the nation, it has overlooked others often equally as deserving. The book is about those who have been overlooked; military officers whose accomplishments have not been widely recognized. Although our nation owes them considerable debts, their services have been too little acknowledged and too seldom celebrated.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To Order: Amazon- Click here for link
Boots and Saddles: Military Leaders of the American West.
The Indian Wars of the American West were fought over a period of more than three decades across a landscape that spanned more than half of the land mass of the lower continental United States. The leaders of the small army that was sent to carry out the government policies faced formidable adversaries.Tenacious and aggressive, native warriors formed what some have called "the best light cavalry in the world." The officers who confronted them faced daunting tasks. Some succeeded brilliantly, others failed utterly.
Boots and Saddles: Military Leaders of the American West provides an encompassing look at the leaders and the battles they fought often in conditions notable for difficult terrain and inhospitable climate. This comprehensive work captures the personalities, abilities, triumphs, failures and lasting legacies of the leaders who waged the campaigns of the American West.
Click here for Reading Sample
To order: Caxton Press .- Click here for link
Touching all the Bases
Synopsis. The goal of Touching all the Bases is to tell the whole story of baseball---its evolution as a sport, its defining moments on the field, and the external forces that shaped its history.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Amazon, scarecrowpress.com, or 1-800-462-6420
Life in Small Parts: Stories and Verse for the Entire Family.
Synopsis: The small book is dedicated to all those who have served our country with honor and pride and to the families that have sustained them. Proceeds from sales go to the Fisher House Foundation, the United Services Organization, and Disabled American Veterans. The stories and verse contained in the book are about the human experience: life, and death; personal relationships; love; service; sports; humor, and a little bit of almost everything else along the way.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Use the Contact form on the Welcome page of this website, or email tdp06@neb.rr.com
Battlefields of Nebraska
Synopsis: Nebraska’s military legacy is surprisingly rich. Fifteen Medals of Honor were awarded for service on Nebraska soil; Great Power intrigue culminated in a battle that essentially decided the fate of a substantial portion of the North American continent; Custer fought a difficult battle; the final large clash between Native tribes occurred in the state as did the first battle after the Little Big Horn, the last great charge of the United States Cavalry, and so much more. The state’s military tradition has too seldom been explored – and never before has it been examined in a comprehensive fashion.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Caxton Press- Click here for link
-or-
Caxton Press, 312 Main Street. Caldwell, ID 83605
A Pilgrim in Unholy Places: Stories of a Mustang Colonel
Synopsis: During a 36-year career in which he rose from “slick sleeve” recruit to colonel, Tom Phillips guided an isolated detachment through a terrorist episode, served as Director of the Air Force Personnel Readiness Center throughout Operation Desert Storm, led some of the first American troops into Sarajevo, and commanded one of the most unique organizations in the Air Force. Along the way, he was the top graduate from Air Force Officer Training School, Squadron Officer School, and Air Command and Staff College.
The stories in Pilgrim describe people or units in peril, offer reflections or recount anecdotes from headline crises as well as from everyday life in the military; many are hilarious, others so searing they tear at the heart. Whether humorous or tragic, official or unofficial, the episodes teach, inspire, and recall a lifetime in uniform spanning one of the most turbulent periods in American’s history.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Heritage Books
-or-
Heritage Books, Inc., Publishing Division, 65 East Main Street, Westminster, MD 21157-5026
ARTICLES AND SHORT STORIES
“Doomsday 3.0,” published in Spank the Carp on-line magazine. When the nation’s fabric is irretrievably broken, a military officer is asked to activate an existing plan and take control of the government.
“Putting Things in Perspective” published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Military Families. Reflections on the value of military service.
”The Barnyard Stadium.”published in It’s not the Heat, it’s the Humidity. A boy visualizes a major league ball park amidst the barns, sheds, and granaries on the farm.
“Moonshine in the Attic”, published in Sowing Wild Oats. Complications arise during one man’s battle with Prohibition.
"Seagulls in the Storm,” published by Conversations Across Borders. “Seagulls” is the story of three people thrown together in the fury of an on-going conflict. Their brief encounters each evening provide respite from the devastation that surrounds them and each of them is changed as a result.
“Renewal,” published in Spitball. A baseball story. The persistence of memories and moments set inside an experience that provides an opportunity to transfer love for the game from generation to generation.
“Stevens Creek Garage,” published in Stories, Poetry and Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors.
“A Walk through the Village,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors
“Renewal,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors.
“Seagulls in the Storm,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors
“The Note,” published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Thanks Mom. A message carried through the course of a 36-year military career.
“It’ll be Okay,” published in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul. In the midst of a terrorist episode, comforting words from a military wife.
“The Perfect Season,” published in Elysian Fields Quarterly: The Baseball Review. A little league team learns about baseball and its magic while losing every game.
“Christmas on the Prairie,” published in Christmas in the Country. A unique family tradition celebrated on a prairie homestead.
“The Greatest Compliment,” published in Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul. A remarkable episode on a hillside above the war-torn Sarajevo.
POETRY
"Stony the Rock," published in Best Poets of 2021. A tongue-in-cheek consideration of the virtues of a very simple life.
“When Chores Were Done,” Nebraska Life. A farm family’s end of the day special moments.
“The Ritual,” Published in Best Poems of 2020. Much loved moments shared each evening with a child.
“Shadows,” Published in Months to Years. Reflections on legacies left behind by those who have gone before us.
“Sarajevo: January 1996”, published in No Achille War Poetry. Reflections on the shattered city.
“The Slugger” published in Baseballbard.com. The agonies and the ecstasies of children’s baseball.
“Shadows” published in Best Poems and Poets, 2013. Reflections on legacies left by those who have gone before us.
“The Question Poem,” published in International Who’s Who in Poetry. A rhymed poem all parents and grandparents will understand.
“Doubleheader at Mudville,” published in Baseballbard.com. What if Mighty Casey’s Mudville nine had “played two” on that infamous day? The poem preserves the length, style, and rhyming pattern of Ernest Thayer’s legendary verse.
“1908? Has It Been That Long?”, published in Baseballbard.com. Anguish, so long suppressed, eventually explodes.
"Do You Suppose," published in Capper's. Reverie about special memories that encompass a lifetime.
“The Day After Tuesday," published in Gatherings. Grand Prize Winner, Iliad Press International Writing Competition. Observations on 9/11; written the day after. Published also in the Lincoln Journal Star, September 11, 2021.
"If Ever," published in Theatre of the Mind. Contemplating the possible loss of a loved one.
"A Mark in Time," published in Grit. A dawning realization about leaving a meaningful legacy.
FREE VERSE
“Stevens Creek Garage,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors. Thoughts on transformations, memories, and life’s passage.
"Fire in the North: The Minnesota Uprising and the Sioux War in Dakota Territory"
Until exceeded by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a little-known occurrence on the northern frontier would represent the highest number of civilians – perhaps as many as 800 – ever killed by hostile action on American soil. This is the story of a major Indian war that exploded suddenly in southern Minnesota in 1862 – a conflict that came to be known as the Minnesota Uprising – and over the months that followed extended far west into the vast reaches of the Great Plains. Interspersed in that broader tale is the true-life story of members of three families brought together in the chaos of war in a remarkable connection that continues to the present day.
Click here for a Reading Sample
In the Shadows of Victory II: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders, The Spanish-American War to World War II
The history of the United States is peppered with extraordinary military leaders. Fate has enshrined an exceptional few in the public’s collective consciousness while sometimes ignoring others often equally as deserving, relegating them to footnotes at best. Though the nation owes them considerable debts, there are many examples of men whose singular leadership is now little remembered or forgotten completely. This volume covers leaders “in the shadows” during the four major conflicts the United States engaged in from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To Order: Amazon- click here for link
In the Shadows of Victory: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders
History plays tricks sometimes. During the course of America’s existence, history has immortalized an exceptional few leaders while making footnotes, at best, of others. While enshrining some in the collective consciousness of the nation, it has overlooked others often equally as deserving. The book is about those who have been overlooked; military officers whose accomplishments have not been widely recognized. Although our nation owes them considerable debts, their services have been too little acknowledged and too seldom celebrated.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To Order: Amazon- Click here for link
Boots and Saddles: Military Leaders of the American West.
The Indian Wars of the American West were fought over a period of more than three decades across a landscape that spanned more than half of the land mass of the lower continental United States. The leaders of the small army that was sent to carry out the government policies faced formidable adversaries.Tenacious and aggressive, native warriors formed what some have called "the best light cavalry in the world." The officers who confronted them faced daunting tasks. Some succeeded brilliantly, others failed utterly.
Boots and Saddles: Military Leaders of the American West provides an encompassing look at the leaders and the battles they fought often in conditions notable for difficult terrain and inhospitable climate. This comprehensive work captures the personalities, abilities, triumphs, failures and lasting legacies of the leaders who waged the campaigns of the American West.
Click here for Reading Sample
To order: Caxton Press .- Click here for link
Touching all the Bases
Synopsis. The goal of Touching all the Bases is to tell the whole story of baseball---its evolution as a sport, its defining moments on the field, and the external forces that shaped its history.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Amazon, scarecrowpress.com, or 1-800-462-6420
Life in Small Parts: Stories and Verse for the Entire Family.
Synopsis: The small book is dedicated to all those who have served our country with honor and pride and to the families that have sustained them. Proceeds from sales go to the Fisher House Foundation, the United Services Organization, and Disabled American Veterans. The stories and verse contained in the book are about the human experience: life, and death; personal relationships; love; service; sports; humor, and a little bit of almost everything else along the way.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Use the Contact form on the Welcome page of this website, or email tdp06@neb.rr.com
Battlefields of Nebraska
Synopsis: Nebraska’s military legacy is surprisingly rich. Fifteen Medals of Honor were awarded for service on Nebraska soil; Great Power intrigue culminated in a battle that essentially decided the fate of a substantial portion of the North American continent; Custer fought a difficult battle; the final large clash between Native tribes occurred in the state as did the first battle after the Little Big Horn, the last great charge of the United States Cavalry, and so much more. The state’s military tradition has too seldom been explored – and never before has it been examined in a comprehensive fashion.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Caxton Press- Click here for link
-or-
Caxton Press, 312 Main Street. Caldwell, ID 83605
A Pilgrim in Unholy Places: Stories of a Mustang Colonel
Synopsis: During a 36-year career in which he rose from “slick sleeve” recruit to colonel, Tom Phillips guided an isolated detachment through a terrorist episode, served as Director of the Air Force Personnel Readiness Center throughout Operation Desert Storm, led some of the first American troops into Sarajevo, and commanded one of the most unique organizations in the Air Force. Along the way, he was the top graduate from Air Force Officer Training School, Squadron Officer School, and Air Command and Staff College.
The stories in Pilgrim describe people or units in peril, offer reflections or recount anecdotes from headline crises as well as from everyday life in the military; many are hilarious, others so searing they tear at the heart. Whether humorous or tragic, official or unofficial, the episodes teach, inspire, and recall a lifetime in uniform spanning one of the most turbulent periods in American’s history.
Click here for a Reading Sample
To order: Heritage Books
-or-
Heritage Books, Inc., Publishing Division, 65 East Main Street, Westminster, MD 21157-5026
ARTICLES AND SHORT STORIES
“Doomsday 3.0,” published in Spank the Carp on-line magazine. When the nation’s fabric is irretrievably broken, a military officer is asked to activate an existing plan and take control of the government.
“Putting Things in Perspective” published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Military Families. Reflections on the value of military service.
”The Barnyard Stadium.”published in It’s not the Heat, it’s the Humidity. A boy visualizes a major league ball park amidst the barns, sheds, and granaries on the farm.
“Moonshine in the Attic”, published in Sowing Wild Oats. Complications arise during one man’s battle with Prohibition.
"Seagulls in the Storm,” published by Conversations Across Borders. “Seagulls” is the story of three people thrown together in the fury of an on-going conflict. Their brief encounters each evening provide respite from the devastation that surrounds them and each of them is changed as a result.
“Renewal,” published in Spitball. A baseball story. The persistence of memories and moments set inside an experience that provides an opportunity to transfer love for the game from generation to generation.
“Stevens Creek Garage,” published in Stories, Poetry and Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors.
“A Walk through the Village,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors
“Renewal,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors.
“Seagulls in the Storm,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors
“The Note,” published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Thanks Mom. A message carried through the course of a 36-year military career.
“It’ll be Okay,” published in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul. In the midst of a terrorist episode, comforting words from a military wife.
“The Perfect Season,” published in Elysian Fields Quarterly: The Baseball Review. A little league team learns about baseball and its magic while losing every game.
“Christmas on the Prairie,” published in Christmas in the Country. A unique family tradition celebrated on a prairie homestead.
“The Greatest Compliment,” published in Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul. A remarkable episode on a hillside above the war-torn Sarajevo.
POETRY
"Stony the Rock," published in Best Poets of 2021. A tongue-in-cheek consideration of the virtues of a very simple life.
“When Chores Were Done,” Nebraska Life. A farm family’s end of the day special moments.
“The Ritual,” Published in Best Poems of 2020. Much loved moments shared each evening with a child.
“Shadows,” Published in Months to Years. Reflections on legacies left behind by those who have gone before us.
“Sarajevo: January 1996”, published in No Achille War Poetry. Reflections on the shattered city.
“The Slugger” published in Baseballbard.com. The agonies and the ecstasies of children’s baseball.
“Shadows” published in Best Poems and Poets, 2013. Reflections on legacies left by those who have gone before us.
“The Question Poem,” published in International Who’s Who in Poetry. A rhymed poem all parents and grandparents will understand.
“Doubleheader at Mudville,” published in Baseballbard.com. What if Mighty Casey’s Mudville nine had “played two” on that infamous day? The poem preserves the length, style, and rhyming pattern of Ernest Thayer’s legendary verse.
“1908? Has It Been That Long?”, published in Baseballbard.com. Anguish, so long suppressed, eventually explodes.
"Do You Suppose," published in Capper's. Reverie about special memories that encompass a lifetime.
“The Day After Tuesday," published in Gatherings. Grand Prize Winner, Iliad Press International Writing Competition. Observations on 9/11; written the day after. Published also in the Lincoln Journal Star, September 11, 2021.
"If Ever," published in Theatre of the Mind. Contemplating the possible loss of a loved one.
"A Mark in Time," published in Grit. A dawning realization about leaving a meaningful legacy.
FREE VERSE
“Stevens Creek Garage,” published in Stories, Poetry & Prose: A Collection by OLLI Authors. Thoughts on transformations, memories, and life’s passage.