The First Born [Paperback]

William Arket (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2003

First Born tells the story of Frank Arket, an average guy who becomes an American hero as he struggles to escape from the steel mills of Pennsylvania and embarks upon a career in the U.S. Army and military intelligence. Born to a pair of star-crossed teenage lovers, Frank struggles to survive a childhood marred by the tragic deaths of both his parents. He desperately wants to escape from the grind and filth of his hometown, marry the girl of his dreams, and live happily ever after. However, a family curse declares all first born Arket children will suffer horrible fates. Frank is drafted into the Army shortly before America enters World War II. He travels to Europe with the Army's 63rd Division and later becomes involved in military intelligence. During the day, he protects presidents and powerful Army secrets. At night, he returns home to his family and "normal life," the curse ever present in his mind.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR William F. Arket was an orphan at the age of eleven. He was raised by his grandparents in a small Pennsylvania town with an Ozzie and Harriet atmosphere. After graduation from high school he was employed in a Steel Mill. He was drafted into the Infantry six months prior to War II in July 1941. He married his high school sweetheart. Then followed three years of training infantry divisions. He was on the original cadres of the 9th, 82nd, 84th, and the 63d Army Divisions that were all distinguished in combat. He was in combat with the 63rd Division in France and Germany in the winter of 1944 – 1945. He received the coveted Combat Infantryman’s Badge and meritorious awards of the Bronze Star and the Oak Leaf Cluster thereto. After a short period as a civilian, he returned to the Army and was trained as a special agent, military intelligence, Counter Intelligence Corp (CIC). He was assigned to a CIC Detachment in Munich, Germany and worked with classified projects to counter Cold War objectives by the Communists against the Army. He was in Panama and was the Liaison Officer to the Secret Service and the American Embassy during President Eisenhower’s visit to the Meeting of the 24 Presidents of the Western Hemisphere. He was later assigned to a special Pentagon Army Security Detachment, a unit of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Department of the Army. At that time he gained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Military Science from the University of Maryland. From The Pentagon Detachment, he was selected to perform a Secret undercover operation at a sensitive military installation in the Southwest. The objective was to counter a Communist Cold War collection (Spying) effort at the installation. Upon his retirement from the Army, the author accepted an appointment in the Army Civil Service and became the Installation Intelligence Officer on the Commander’s Staff. He retired from Government in 1981 and now resides in Houston, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 466 pages
• Publisher: Imprint Books (June 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591097878
• ISBN-13: 978-1591097877
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,853,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading!, August 9, 2007

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Dodie - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The First Born (Paperback)

Very good and entertaining reading. Good character development and to know it's based on Frank's life makes it even better. Glad he wrote this book!