78th anniversary of D-Day. How the world has changed in that time, and not always for the better. Every generation should look at those fine young men and ask themselves if they have what it would take to bear the same risks and burdens.

In the Ukraine, equipment losses have forced the Russians to pull T-62 main battle tanks out of storage, a shocking development for the once-feared Russian Bear. That is of particular interest to me, as the T-62s were second-line equipment when I was stationed in West Germany in the early 1980s. The Red Army had loomed over us (on paper) like a massive tidal wave of doom, although Afghanistan was already starting to show the Red Army as a giant with feet of clay.

Grog IV has reached 57k words of rough draft, with 80k being the target number. The plot arcs are smoothing out, and progress is regular. I am eyeing other projects, as I think a break from fantasy will be called for once Grog IV is put to bed.