Interview with Lamar D. Vine, Author of Eagle 12

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I was twenty-one years old, broke, and had nothing left to lose when I enlisted. I’d just survived the tail end of Operation Just Cause in Panama, and the Army gave me a way out of a dead-end life back home. That’s where Eagle 12 came from. I became the youngest Military Police Investigator on post and picked up the call sign “Eagle 12.” One single weekend in the old Coco Solo barracks changed everything for me. The loneliness, the pressure, the feeling that you’re either going to make it or you’re going to break—I carried those real moments for thirty years. I finally wrote the book as fiction based on true events because I wanted readers to feel what it was really like to be that young, that far from home, and suddenly responsible for other people’s lives. It’s short, it’s raw, and every page is rooted in what actually happened. The story behind Eagle 12 is really the story of one intense weekend that never left me. After the invasion of Panama, the whole base was still on edge. I was brand new to the MPI job, still learning how to wear a suit and tie instead of BDUs, and I caught a case that pulled me into the underbelly of post-life—drugs, desperation, and guys who were just trying to survive like I was. I worked around the clock, barely slept, and saw things that showed me how thin the line is between doing your duty and losing yourself. I turned that real weekend into fiction because some details and people needed to stay protected, but the heart of it—the pressure, the fear, the feeling of being completely on your own—is all true. I wrote it as a novelette, so other young soldiers (and anyone who’s ever felt trapped and had to fight their way out) would know they’re not alone. It’s the shortest book I’ve ever written, but it might be the most honest one, too.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

For the main character—the young 21-year-old MPI nicknamed Eagle 12—I’d pick “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses. That song was everywhere in 1993, right when this story takes place. The emotion and the weight in it really capture what that young soldier was feeling—the loneliness, the pressure, and trying to hold everything together when you’re so far from home.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre to read is military fiction and stories based on real events. I’ve always been drawn to books that show what it’s really like for young soldiers—the pressure, the loneliness, the brotherhood, and the hard choices. Guys like W. E. B. Griffin, Nelson DeMille, and some of the newer veteran writers keep me turning pages late into the night. And yes, it’s exactly the same as my favorite genre to write. I only write military drama and short stories pulled straight from my own time in the Army. That’s what I know, that’s what feels natural, and that’s what I keep coming back to even after all these years. I guess once a soldier, always a soldier—on the page and off it.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

My TBR pile is getting ridiculous these days! I keep buying more books than I can possibly read. Right now I’ve got: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir—smart sci-fi that actually sounds like a blast. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides—a psychological thriller everybody keeps raving about. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles—everybody says it’s fantastic, so I finally gave in. At this rate, I’ll still be working through this pile when I’m 85.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Hands down, the scene where I first get called “Eagle 12” over the radio. I’m standing there in my Hawaiian shirt and jeans, trying to look like I know what the hell I’m doing, when this voice crackles through: “Eagle 12, Eagle 12, respond.” I smiled the whole time I was writing that part. It’s the exact second everything changes. One minute I’m just this scared 21-year-old trying not to screw up; the next minute, I’ve got a call sign and the whole post is waiting on me. That mix of pure terror and “holy crap, this is really happening” is what made the whole story feel alive to me.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I mostly write on my Samsung Galaxy phone. Most of my books are written on my phone. I proofread on my MS Pro, but I prefer lying by the pool or waiting at the doctor’s office. I’ll just take my phone out and start writing.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Stop daydreaming. I’m retired now. It’s time to get my thoughts and ideas down—on paper or in pixels—so others can read them. Writing them down makes them real.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Writing down your thoughts—getting them out of your head and onto paper or a screen—is the single most powerful way to turn daydreams into something real, lasting, and shareable.