Soldier turns author

Noel Thompson, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

After leaving Jamaica 19 years ago, Roderick Clarke has returned to introduce his books to the public.

Titled Black Reign, Loose but Bound and Manifest, the books speak profoundly of family values and the importance of restoring man to his rightful place in the family and society.

Black Reign is a collection of poems about the author's life experiences in Jamaica and then moving to the United States and the United Kingdom. His first work was published in 2006, while he and wife Erica were living at the military base in Lakenheath, England.

"I was inspired to pen this book, as it has a lot to do with growing up in Jamaica. As a child, I experienced ghetto juggling in Canterbury before my family and I moved to the more rural countryside of Salt Spring. It was a place where boys experienced life in the true Jamaican sense - climbing fruit trees and eating a bellyful right under the trees," Clarke said, reminiscing on the good old days.

In 2007, he wrote Loose But Bound, which is centred around encouraging people to avoid temptation. It reveals the nature of sin in all of us and gives a road map to get out of sin. But most important, Loose But Bound is a guide that reminds the reader to avoid sin, which comes in various forms such infidelity, the root cause of divorce.

Manifest, written in 2009, was inspired by conversations Clarke had with his late father-in-law, Calvin Harris, regarding the state of young men in today's society. Many young men are choosing a more convenient lifestyle to supply their living expenses, as opposed to previous generations who relied on hard work.

After graduating from Rusea's High School in Hanover at age 17, Clarke continued high school at John I. Leonard in Florida.

In September 1992, he joined the United States military and at the end of the introductory training graduated as a distinguished sharpshooter.

During his 13-year tour of duty in the Marine Corps, he visited places such as Okinawa, Japan, the Asian Pacific and England, which saw him being heavily involved in humanitarian missions.

"Many people think of the military as a force which only eradicates the enemy, but my desire was to help bring peace and I found fulfilment in undertaking humanitarian exercises - building bridges, orphanages pumping potable water from the rivers into villages," he said.

Clarke is now minister at the New Life Christian Church in San Antonio, Texas. "I encourage fathers and the wider society to inculcate the right values in young men to prepare them in identifying and achieving their goals," he said.

Clarke's books can be had by contacting: clarkes31@yahoo.com and www.authorhouse.com.