I want to thank JP Johnson of the Lexington Public Library for inviting me to speak at the downtown branch’s Farish Theater for Veterans Day. I began by talking about how Veterans Day started with the World War I armistice and why it’s important to remember those who have served. I shared a personal story about how veterans’ sacrifices can impact our lives in unexpected ways. I also shared excerpts from my father’s letters and discussed findings from my investigative memoir, “Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew.” I finished by mentioning my ongoing lawsuit against the CIA, led by the law firm of Mark S. Zaid, P.C., which represents intelligence personnel and national security whistleblowers seeking justice from the US government
Veterans Day Event
- Post author By James b. Wells
- Post date November 12, 2026
- No Comments on Veterans Day Event
- Tags family-history, history, memoir, military, mystery, nonfiction, veterans, vietnam, vietnam-war, war
By James b. Wells
JAMES B. WELLS is a retired criminology and criminal justice professor in the School of Justice Studies in the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science at Eastern Kentucky University, and is the recipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences John Howard Award, an award given intermittently, upon significant demand, to recognize an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the practice of corrections. A former carpenter, soldier, and correctional officer in a super-maximum-security prison and later as a researcher/planner assisting architects in prison design, he has multiple degrees, including an M.S. in Criminal Justice, a Ph.D. in Research, and an MFA in Creative Writing. He’s authored or co-authored over sixty-five books, chapters, articles, and essays, as well as over a hundred and fifty research reports for various local, state, and federal agencies. Recent essays from his research and memoir work appear or are forthcoming in Collateral Journal, About Place Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Military Experience and the Arts, The Wrath-Bearing Tree, Shift, Proud to be: Writing by American Warriors, Trajectory Journal, and From Pen to Page III: More Writings from the Bluegrass Writers Coalition.
His investigative memoir about his father's still CIA-classified death in Vietnam in 1965, titled Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, will be launched on Father's Day weekend, 2025. Links to publications, presentations, trailers, social media, blog, and other information can be found at https://jamesbwells.com. James enjoys spending much of his leisure time with his spouse on their Lexington, Kentucky farm located on the palisades of the Kentucky River, where he is an organic gardener and beekeeper.
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