The reluctant lieutenant will make you laugh with his self-deprecating, sometimes cynical humor and frankness. He was one of thousands of academically talented young graduate students yanked out of their happy, idealistic existence to replenish our relentless war in Vietnam. He became the lucky lieutenant when he drew orders instead for a three-year assignment to support the Cold War in Germany. This collection of short stories will lead you through those years with wit and irony as he chronicles the remarkable events he experienced, the fascinating people he encountered, and the invaluable perspective he gained on leadership. Examples abound of sterling leaders and pathetic shirkers among both officers and enlisted men, of clarity and consternation, of boredom and panic, and of luck both good and bad. Through it all is romance and the adventure of living in Europe. Ridder is a born storyteller. His insights into the people and systems that comprise the military will strike home with anyone who has served. Those who have not will experience a unique and authentic view of air force life from the inside.

These short stories about life in the Cold War air force in Germany can be read independently. However, there is continuity in the events and in the development of recurring characters.  

The first story, “Cindy,” is about how quickly and drastically induction into the military turned the reluctant lieutenant’s world upside down in a way that was both the worst and best experience of his lifetime.      

In “Henry’s List” the rookie lieutenant receives his baptism of fire shortly after arriving in Germany. He is placed in sole command of an operation that is so potentially disastrous it could knock Vietnam off the “Nightly News” in the US if it were to go really bad.

“Capt. Mac” is about a truly fascinating senior captain who shipped in shortly before the reluctant lieutenant, replacing a captain who rotated back to the US. Shortly thereafter the other captains rotate out and are replaced by two more new lieutenants. Under Mac’s supervision and tutelage, the new team manage to improve the squadron’s performance to a point where they are able to pass the next inspection by headquarters. Capt. Mac’s methods are both unconventional and savvy, creating an interesting look into the workings of a large munitions complex within a large combat wing. Much of the humor derives from the fact that the aging lieutenant colonel who commands the squadron literally does not know a missile from a rocket.   

“A Missile Mishap” is about a dangerous, costly screw-up, the ensuing investigation, and the guy who took the fall for it.  

“The Thunderbirds at Bitburg” is a picture display from the great show they put on at Bitburg flying the legendary F-4’s.

“The Strange Case of the Missing WSSM” is an odd and incisive tale of an extremely valuable piece of equipment whose disappearance is conveniently swept under the rug. It illustrates the extent to which a person in the middle of a newsworthy event in the military can become so absorbed in the daily routine that they completely lose sight of the big picture.   

“A Tale of Two Commanders” chronicles the tenure of the most pathetically incompetent leader imaginable and his replacement by a squadron commander who is the most admirable leader anyone could hope for. The contrast between the best and the worst in the military is striking because the stakes can be so high. And expensive, dangerous operations are often carried out by people far down the chain of command. Consequently, those at the top can be both completely uninformed and totally insulated from any accountability.   

“The McGuire Feeling” deals with the issue of separation not only from the military but from bonds with friends. People come of age quickly in the military, and they often share that journey with others they might never have engaged with in civilian life. The system is fundamentally different from civilian society. While the reluctant lieutenant, now a captain, had begun counting days shortly after being sworn-in, his exit is not so painless as he’d once anticipated.  

Ted Ridder grew up in Quincy, IL a few miles upriver from Hannibal, MO. He loved both the river and Mark Twain's stories about it. After working his way through Quincy College and graduating with honors in 1966, he enrolled in a clinical psychology program at Western Mich. Univ. His graduate study was interrupted by military service in 1968. Ted completed Officer Training School and was commissioned a lieutenant. in the US Air Force. Following advanced training in munitions maintenance, he had the good fortune to draw orders for a three-year assignment to Bitburg Air Base in Germany rather than a tour in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged as a captain in May 1972. By then he was married and returned with his wife Cindy to Kalamazoo, MI, to finish his graduate work. After attaining certification as a school psychologist, he accepted a position in Ionia County, MI, that continued for 30 years. During his tenure, he was elected president and chief negotiator for the local teachers' union and later president of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists. He authored a chapter in a desk reference guide published by the National Association of School Psychologists under the title Children's Needs: Psychological Perspectives. Ted and his wife Cindy, a science teacher, both retired in 2002 and still live in Ionia, MI. Ted's been a serious tennis player for 40 years but decided that the robust nature of the Covid virus might make 2020 a good year to pause that activity. With time on his hands, he wrote the first story in this book and found people enjoyed it. So, he wrote a few more. Cindy critiques and edits everything he writes and drew the cartoon on the front cover of the book. They both enjoy photography, bird-watching, mysteries, music, cats, and Rick Steves' European travel videos which bring back memories of their life in Europe.