The Wereth Eleven - Docudrama

Among the greatest "unknown stories" from WWII is that of the Wereth 11. Shortly after the outbreak of Hitler's Ardennes Offensive or Battle of The Bulge in 1944, members of the all-black 333rd Artillery Battalion were just eleven miles behind the front lines. With the rapid advance of the Germans the 333rd was ordered to withdraw further west but C and Service Battery were ordered to stay behind to give covering fire to the 106th Infantry Division. 

On Dec 17th the 333rd were overrun with most killed or captured. The remnants of the unit were ordered to Bastogne and incorporated into its sister unit the 969th Field Artillery Battalion. Both units provided fire support for the 101st Airborne Division in the Siege of Bastogne, subsequently being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

11 soldiers, however, from the 333rd were separated from the unit shortly after they were overrun by the Germans. These men wound up in the little Belgian hamlet of Wereth, just 25 kilometers southwest of Malmedy, Belgium, site of another much more well known WWII atrocity.

At about 3 pm on Dec 16, 1944, the 11 men approached the first house in the nine-house hamlet of Wereth, owned by Mathias Langer. A friend of the Langer's was also present. The men were cold, hungry, and exhausted after walking cross-country through the deep snow. They had two rifles between them. The Langer family welcomed them and gave them food. But this small part of Belgium did not necessarily welcome Americans as “Liberators.” This area had been part of Germany before the First World War and many of its citizens still saw themselves as Germans and not Belgians. 

Word leaked out from a Nazi sympathizer in the area that the men had been sheltered and were hiding in the Langer home. When the SS troops approached the house about 4 pm that day, the eleven Americans surrendered quickly, without resistance. The Americans were made to sit on the road, in the cold, until dark. The Germans then marched them down the road and gunfire was heard in the night. In the morning, villagers saw the bodies of the men in a ditch at the corner of a cow pasture. Because they were afraid that the Germans might return, they did not touch the dead soldiers. The snow covered the bodies and they remained entombed in the snow until January when villagers directed members of the 99th Div. I&R platoon to the site. 



In the official US Army report it was revealed that the men had been brutalized, with broken legs, bayonet wounds to the head, and fingers cut off. And It was apparent that one man was killed as he tried to bandage a comrade's wounds.

In 2001, three Belgium citizens embarked on the task of creating a fitting memorial to these men and additionally to honor all Black GI’s of World War II. With the help of Norman Lichtenfeld, whose father fought and was captured in the Battle of the Bulge, a grassroots publicity and fund-raising endeavor was begun. The land was purchased and a fitting memorial was created There are now road signs indicating the location of the memorial, and the Belgium Tourist Bureau lists it in the 60th Anniversary “Battle of the Bulge” brochures. The dedication of the memorial was held in 2004 in an impressive military ceremony. 

It is believed that this is the only memorial to Black G.I.s, and their units, of World War II in Europe. Norman's goal is to make the Wereth 11 and all Black G.I.’s “visible” to all Americans and to history. They, like so many others, paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Please visit his site www.wereth.org where you can learn more about this dark and virtually unknown chapter from WWII.



I am completing the screenplay adaption this month of the Lost Eleven novel. It will soon be sent to major film studios for their consideration. It was always the dream of my co-executive producer, Joseph Small, that this story become a "movie: and the good Lord willing, it will.

Both the Wereth Eleven docudrama and the Lost Eleven novel are available everywhere around the world.

Since I write and direct as many television and film projects as I write books I have added a new section to my website, Film and TV in Development where there's a drop down menu to three exciting projects I have in the Pipeline. One is not listed there yet.

If you have a chance check out these new forthcoming projects.





The Psychic Cop:  Justice Never Dies™ (Status: Pitching, Preproduction)

10x1 Docu-Reality Series Produced by RSC Media Group, LLC
Chuck Bergman, Host, Robert Child Exec. Prod., Director

A former police officer uses his heightened psychic abilities and confessions from the dead to crack cold cases, locate missing persons and solve crimes in the critical first 48 hours.

Learn More.

The Wisdom of President Reagan

It started out as a picture perfect, cloudless and warm Tuesday in the New York City seventeen years ago today before the events of that day would change the world forever.

Two years ago on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 I posted my thoughts about being in New York City on that tragic day. Since this year's 9/11 anniversary falls on a Tuesday like it did in 2001 I thought it might be a good idea to repost those thoughts.

It doesn't matter how much time passes for me the images of that day remain vivid.  I suspect they will for the rest of my life. Below is the article I wrote on the 9/11 anniversary two years ago.

9/11 Fifteen Years Later

I almost did not write this post as I had second thoughts but I felt I wanted to share my memories fifteen years on. On 9/11/2001 I was right in the thick of it in a production studio in Manhattan. It was a beautiful cloudless Tuesday which on occasion I can recall as vividly as if it were yesterday.

As I mentioned I was at a TV studio preparing to do The People's Court television show before all hell broke loose. In the control room we watched the mayhem unfold. In fact I vividly recall watching Channel 4 News in a live report from the World Trade Center area when during the actual live report the second plane hit the second tower. The shocked reporter just took off running and so did the cameraman.

Cell phones did not work. Neither did landlines for that matter. The only way I got word to my wife about my situation was sending an email via AOL. Does anyone have AOL anymore? I had no idea if the email would reach her.

In the studio we simply did not know if we should stay or go. What was safer choice? After the plane hit the Pentagon the director turned to me and waved goodbye adding, "Good luck, get home safe." Home for me at the time was Bucks County, PA, 90 minutes to the south via Penn Station. So I headed in that direction. The studio was at 37th Street and 5th Ave. and I could look south and see the brown smoke rising above the towers. As I walked toward Penn Station I passed by several churches with hastily posted signs on which someone scrawled with a sharpie, "Come in and Pray." At one church I saw people actually kneeling on the sidewalk praying.

As I got to Penn Station it was bedlam but I saw a line of people going down an escalator onto a train. I joined them. I didn't care where the train was going - just out of Manhattan. As I got on and actually got a seat before the aisles filled up there came an announcement, "Attention all passengers by order of the NYPD, Penn Station is now closed. All must exit to street level and exit the building."

A collective groan was heard on the train as we all made our way out. My next thought was - water. There must be a boat I could get on. So I headed up 8th Ave. then onto 10th. Coming toward me down the avenue were thousands of people headed to Penn Station. As I made my way up 10th my next thought was cash. I was going to take as much cash out of an ATM as I could before they too were shut down. I dashed in a deli and took out as much as I could and then continued north.

Once I got to 12th Ave. I saw a line of about 500 people waiting to get on a Circle Line boat. I jumped right in behind them. We all boarded. The stuffed to the gills ship slowly pulled away from the dock. At that moment there was almost an audible sigh of relief. The boat was headed over to Weehawken, NJ and you could turn and look across the Hudson and see the Towers engulfed in brown smoke. You could also smell it. It smelled like an electrical fire. People on the boat were actually joking around trying to mask their fears. No one knew what the hell was going to happen next but at least we were off Manhattan.

When we docked at Weehawken I ran to a payphone to see if it had a dial tone. It did. I dialed my voicemail and heard a message from my now ex-wife that I will never forget. I will not detail it just to say it was filled with tears. I was able to call her back and told her I would try to grab a train from Hoboken.

I headed down there with thousands of others and the trains were going nowhere. At the station they had set up hundreds of gurneys with IV poles awaiting trains from the Trade Center. Trains that would never come. It was an image I'll never forget. But that was not the final enduring image I would remember from that day....the one that still gives me chills and I will never forget.

After leaving the train station I headed up to a Cuban bar / restaurant. I thought a beer was just what I needed at that point. There were actually only a few people in the place and at the bar. After a few moments a near hysterical woman who had to be 8 months pregnant ran in with someone who had to be her mother. Through her tears I overheard her say to her mother, "his last words were he'd meet us here." I turned to the bartender and he looked back at me, we were both speechless. The pregnant woman then headed into the Ladies room as the Mom stood by the bar.

As I turned to continue watching Peter Jennings anchor the coverage on the TV behind the bar a man bolted in who was covered with the dust. It was the same dust which had covered people who were seen on TV running from the towers. As the man came in the Mom started crying and they embraced. The bar fell silent. Then the pregnant woman emerged from the bathroom, saw her husband and ran towards him crying, overjoyed. No one in the place moved and many including myself teared up. It was scene I will remember till I die.

Several hours later the trains began to run and I was able to get one to Montclair where my wife met me. I don't remember what we said to each other we just held each other tight for a long moment before heading back to Pennsylvania.

Did the world change that day? Without a doubt. Did it change for the better? For a short while it did in the aftermath. We were united as one people and a nation that was wounded and hurting. Can we look back from today and say that we have grown or are safer as a nation? I am not certain we can. In many ways the world is much less certain and certainly much less innocent than before 9/11/2001.

But it remains up to us to make it the world in which we all want to live. And by live I mean live in peace. I am a spiritual person and I believe that the dark forces in this world have increased the level of terror and violence that they spread because they know their days are numbered.

More and more common everyday people especially those in the Middle East simply want to live their lives and raise their families in peace. The time is coming soon when killing in the name of God or Allah will not be tolerated, promoted or accepted by people of any faith on the planet. When that day comes...and I truly believe I will see it in my lifetime then finally there will be lasting peace on earth.

Fans of FBI Special Agent, Frank Murray will be delighted to learn that a 2019 release date for the second book in the Frank Murray FBI Thriller series has just been announced. Pre-orders go on sale early next year.

Felony Express the follow up to, Blood Betrayal, sees agent, Frank Murray, transferring from OC (Organized Crime) to the Philadelphia FBI Office, Drug Squad. Based on a true story and set in the early 1990s Frank transfers in at the height of the drug-related homicides in Philadelphia. The Junior Black Mafia (JBM) has cornered the cocaine trade in the City of Brotherly Love into the hundreds of millions of dollars. With that much money on the line, the matching violence has spun completely out of control.

One man, Rick Jones, leader of the JBM controls the vast majority of the cocaine trafficking from Miami and South America. Murray sets his sights on bringing the elusive drug kingpin down. Jones has evaded capture for more than two years with PHPD, DEA and even the IRS failing to get a conviction against him. Murray's new drug squad supervisor doubts Frank will fare any better so he offers Murray a deal than any sane FBI agent would refuse —but not Frank Murray.

At the same time, a west coast drug kingpin establishes a multi-city cocaine distribution network including Philly unbeknownst to PHPD, the DEA or the FBI. The kingpin's lucrative drug trade only comes to light when an overnight express parcel bound for Los Angeles rips open at Philadelphia International Airport spilling out over $285, 000 in cash —the kingpin's weekly haul.

The FBI and DEA get pushed to their operational limit and Frank Murray has to dig deeper than he ever has before to combat the overwhelming mayhem and violence. He puts himself so far out on a limb that there may be no coming back this time.

Blood Betrayal is the first book in the series. Purchase Direct from My Website

 If you love characters Mitch Rapp, Pike Logan or Jack Reacher you'll love Jake Hamilton in this new Modern Patriot Series.

I am excited to announce coming in 2019 I will be launching a new Political / Military Thriller Series, which has been in development and percolating for three years. This thriller series features a brand new main character, Jake Hamilton.

Meet Jake Hamilton

Rogue Soldier (Book One)

ROGUE SOLDIER (Book One)

Rogue Soldier introduces us to Jake Hamilton and the series. In this nail-biting first installment a Marine in Jake's former unit who served in Afghanistan has gone rogue.

The man a troubled (SOCS) Special Operations Capability Specialist  expert in explosives is deep into shadow government conspiracy theories and researching black ops.  The rogue soldier determines he has been fighting for the wrong side and decides to give the country a national wake up call using his expertise in military grade explosives and taking hostages at a national VA hospital.

Jake Hamilton, the man's former commander, is pressed back into service as a high-level negotiator. The situation spins completely out of control and before all is said and done Hamilton will question which side he should be fighting for.

Elevated Threat (Book Two)

ELEVATED THREAT (Book Two)

The President of the United States receives on average 30 threats on his life every single day via text, social media, phone and email. That amounts to  over 10,000 death threats per year.

The vast majority are not credible. But even the small percentage that warrant serious investigation number in the hundreds.

President Sloan is no stranger to daily threats on his life. But when cryptic threats begin reaching him in highly secure areas in unexplained ways suspicions of a deep-state military coup move to the forefront.

Jake Hamilton is inserted to find and eliminate the threat as the messages morph into a race against time —simply listing the date, hour, minute and second of President Sloan's execution.

IMMORTAL VALOR (Book Three)

"Some Battles Don't Stay Buried"

The Marines are one of the proudest branches in the U.S. military.  The Marine Raiders which originated in WWII in the South Pacific striking deep in enemy territory causing death, havoc and destruction in the enemy ranks are no exception.

Victory has a cost and sometimes that cost is paid with silence. One WWII Marine Raider veteran who has kept quiet for nearly 75 years decides not to take his secret to the grave.

Jake Hamilton is dispatched and reminded that he is duty bound to protect the honor and integrity of the Corp.  What he discovers will shatter his world and make him question his life long patriotism.

Jake Hamilton Series, First Three Books

I am very excited to launch this series which I intend to be multi-volumed and long running.  Many know that I have a keen interest in the military and military history in particular. My ancestors served in both the Civil War (Gettysburg, Fredericksburg) and the American Revolution (Dorchester Heights, Lexington and Concord). Thomas Child in the Civil War and Jonas Child in the American Revolution respectively.

In addition I have written and directed several nationally telecast, award winning and Emmy® nominated films about various American wars. With this series I intend to expand on those films by tying that love of military history to edge of your seat political and military thrillers.

First and foremost I consider myself a patriotic American and this series which I am labeling a "Modern Patriot" series addresses how America exists today. In my lifetime I cannot recall another time so divisive. People on both sides are passionate about what they believe which is a very good thing. My caution is we need to look beyond that passion into agendas. Dig deep, do your own research and really determine why someone stands for what they say they stand for or if their true motives run counter to everything you believe. It is a noisy time to be alive that is for sure but what I believe will win the day and change the direction of the world is exactly what we see happening —giving power back to the people. A single person's vote has never been so powerful not just in America but around the world. Exercise that right and we can all change the world.

I am pleased to announce I am attached to write and direct the forthcoming feature film, George Washington and Me: Elijah's Long Journey Home, being commissioned by Virginia-based 1663 Media Arts, LLC

The story follows 10-year-old Elijah and his adventures as he follows his father, a farmer who joins the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment after the British invade their family farm. It is best described as "The Patriot meets Disney." The adventure begins when Elijah sneaks out of George Washington's encampment to find his father, a soldier who does not return from the Battle of Monmouth.

The project is in the fundraising stage now and I'd like to invite you to visit the crowd funding page and learn more about this wonderful historical film.

CHECK OUT THE FUNDING SITE.

John Koopman and Robert Child on set

I am excited to again be working with John Koopman who will be playing General Washington. John was our George Washington in, America's First D-Day, and has done extensive work with Mount Vernon in Virginia.

The film is being planned to shoot in Virginia at several historic locations outside Richmond and Williamsburg. I have begun the script which is being adapted from the book, George Washington's Army and Me: Elijah's Long Journey Home by Michael Dooling.


City Tavern Event in November 15, 2018

Chef Staib and 1663 Media Arts will host a "Meet the Filmmaker's" Evening at City Tavern in Philadelphia this November 15th from 6 - 9pm.

18th Century Period Clothing, Food and Drink will add ambiance to the evening along with the film's cast, crew and Historical Stories by Chef Staib and General George Washington himself! Limited opportunities are available to Sponsor of this Fine Event. Chef Staib has a role in the film as the Officer's Cook.
Staib said, "I am very excited to be a part of this amazing project! History is what I live for and when I heard about this film project, I was immediately inspired. The creative story, the incredible talent both behind and in front of the camera and history being brought to life; this film is sure to be spectacular!"

City Tavern, Philadelphia

Producer, Andrea M. Clarke shared, "Chef Staib and his keen enthusiasm and knowledge of all things 18th Century Food, Drink and more, is a natural addition to our 18th century period film. He sees our vision to bring this family-friendly adventure to the big screen with a goal to reignite the interest of people young and old to learn more about the real life characters surrounding our freedoms and the founding of the United States of America. Our film is steeped in family, home and freedom, and how through resilience and determination, the human spirit can and will prevail. And, it's a story the whole family will enjoy!"

For a limited time, the story that inspired the film can be downloaded through the film website. http://GWArmyAndMe.com
More links to explore.

http://CityTavern.com
http://ATasteOfHistory.org
http://MichaelDooling.com

My just produced audiobook, Ghost Carrier, went on sale today at Audible.com. It will appear on iTunes in the next few days. I hope you can check it out!

Link to Ghost Carrier on AUDIBLE.

The Story:

Frank Rusk hasn’t been sleeping well lately. He’s approaching his milestone 70th birthday. Each Night for the last two weeks indescribable scenes of horror have awakened him. He is on a ship in WWII, which is exploding. Men are burning alive all around him. He hears a man scream out, “a Japanese torpedo hit the bomb bay and that they are all going to die!” 

During these nightmarish visions Frank realizes he is not a spectator watching these events but a sailor living them. How can that be? How is it possible that everywhere he turns he sees buddies that he knows taking their last breaths. 

Frank fears that with his approaching 70th birthday these awful nightmares mean the onset of senility or Alzheimer’s or worse. At his birthday party his son jokingly brings out a cake with 70 candles. A near inferno but Frank is determined to blow all the candles out. Before he does, however, he makes a wish he has kept secret his entire life; an impossible never to be fulfilled wish that defies the laws of the Universe. His wish is to turn back time and grow up with his Dad in his life. His father died two months after Frank was born in 1943. Although Frank never met him he remains his hero. His Dad perished on the aircraft carrier USS Liscomb Bay that year in the most tragic sinking of a carrier in Pacific theater. Six hundred men drowned in less than 20 minutes when a Japanese torpedo hit the bomb bay.

Listen to an excerpt. Purchase on Audible.com or iTunes.

The men and women who serve our country today as in the past deserve our heartfelt thanks. They sacrifice so much especially within their own families to protect ours. I couldn't be more proud of the people who serve in our military. Through my films, I have had the distinct honor of meeting many veterans; especially WWII veterans. These human beings are a breed apart. They have an inner pride and a knowing that they quite literally saved the earth from global tyranny. Just like in the previous "Great War," WWI, they answered the call. There was a moving ceremony in France today at the Battle of Belleau Wood site on the 100th anniversary of the battle. Visit.

This reminded me of the WWI film I directed in Canada, Dominion Day. Dominion Day is Canada's independence day which falls on July 1st. The film I directed recounted the last 100 days of WWI where the Canadians spearheaded the allied victory. This led to the armistice on November 11, 1918. The victory came at great cost and the clip below is the opening part of the film. I decided that the best way to show the sacrifice was to show the men. France is dotted with WWI Commonwealth Grave Commission cemeteries which are immaculately cared for. They are located on land which slopes uphill because this is where the men fell. I encourage you to watch the clip below. It may be hard not to shed a tear.




Finally, a prayer excerpt on this day for the fallen from Rev. Dick Kozeika from Beliefnet.com

"God, lift the hearts of those for whom this holiday is not just diversion, but painful memory and continued deprivation. Bless those whose dear ones have died needlessly, wastefully [as it seems] in accident or misadventure. We remember with compassion those who have died serving their countries in the futility of combat. There is none of us but must come to bereavement and separation, when all the answers we are offered fail the question death asks of each of us. We believe that you will provide for us as others have been provided with the fulfillment of "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Read more Here 

Today my military/paranormal thriller, Ghost Carrier, went into audiobook production. Kirk O. Winkler who is a seasoned audiobook voice artist is doing the narration. Check out some of his titles HERE.

The Story:

Frank Rusk hasn’t been sleeping well lately. He’s approaching his milestone 70th birthday. Each Night for the last two weeks indescribable scenes of horror have awakened him. He is on a ship in WWII, which is exploding. Men are burning alive all around him. He hears a man scream out, “a Japanese torpedo hit the bomb bay and that they are all going to die!” 

During these nightmarish visions Frank realizes he is not a spectator watching these events but a sailor living them. How can that be? How is it possible that everywhere he turns he sees buddies that he knows taking their last breaths. 

Frank fears that with his approaching 70th birthday these awful nightmares mean the onset of senility or Alzheimer’s or worse. At his birthday party his son jokingly brings out a cake with 70 candles. A near inferno but Frank is determined to blow all the candles out. Before he does, however, he makes a wish he has kept secret his entire life; an impossible never to be fulfilled wish that defies the laws of the Universe. His wish is to turn back time and grow up with his Dad in his life. His father died two months after Frank was born in 1943. Although Frank never met him he remains his hero. His Dad perished on the aircraft carrier USS Liscomb Bay that year in the most tragic sinking of a carrier in Pacific theater. Six hundred men drowned in less than 20 minutes when a Japanese torpedo hit the bomb bay.

The audiobook will be available on itunes, Amazon, and Audible.com in early June.