PART ONE:

After serving 22 years in the U.S. Army and enduring tough, challenging deployments in Germany, Bosnia, and Hungary, I retired in Vilseck, Germany, a tranquil Bavarian village in eastern Germany near the Czech border. Vilseck includes Rose Barracks, a sprawling U.S. Army training area. My once fast-paced, hectic military life ended in this serene Bavarian town.

I had so much time on my hands that I did not know what to do with myself. I quickly b...