Have you ever gazed into your aquarium and wondered what’s on the menu for your vibrant molly fish? Whether you’re a seasoned fish keeper or new to the hobby‚ understanding what to feed mollies doesn’t have to be complicated. Mollies are omnivorous creatures eagerly grazing on both plant matter and small critters in their environment....

Somehow Palpatine returned‚ only in this scenario the role of “Palpatine returned” will be played by “it’s 2024.” I’m as surprised as you are; I still have to remind myself to write “2023” on my checks‚ which suggests that I’m likely to fall two years off on at least one piece of correspondence. I wish I could say that this was some sort of uncanny slippage through time‚ like in a Steve Erickson novel; it’s not. On the plus side‚ at least the first two months of 2024 have some promising-looking books due out from indie presses. Here’s a look at a number of them‚ from satirical science fiction to tales of mythological creatures working 9-to-5 jobs. (I should probably also mention here that I have a speculative-adjacent short novel of my own due out in February.) Here’s a look at what the new year has in store.   File Under: Haunted Landscapes Critically acclaimed author Alexis Wright has won multiple awards for her fiction and nonfiction alike; writing in these pages in 2016‚ Alex Brown called Wright’s The Swan Book “at once uniquely Indigenous and Australian‚ a masterpiece of Australian apocalyptic fiction and a bone-jarring stroke of Aboriginal narrative.” Her new novel Praiseworthy will be released in the U.S. in January‚ and it follows the arrival of a bizarre cloud on a small community in northern Australia. And if this review is any indication‚ it appears to be about…everything. (New Directions; Feb. 6‚ 2024) When a girl goes missing from an Oklahoma town‚ strange happenings become more and more widespread. That’s the concept at the heart of Chase Dearinger’s debut novel This New Dark‚ about a disparate cast of characters dealing with a disruption to their community and the potential arrival of a supernatural evil on the scene. (Belle Point Press; Feb. 20‚ 2024)   File Under: Earthbound Futures In a 2021 interview‚ Mauro Javier Cárdenas shared some details about his third novel American Abductions—including the presence of a robotic nurse within the text. In this novel‚ Cárdenas chronicles the struggles of immigrants in a near-future U.S.—one where authoritarian abuses of power and unchecked surveillance make everyday experiences that much more challenging. (Dalkey Archive Press; Feb. 13‚ 2024) What would it be like to live in a future in which rain was an exclusive commodity? That’s among the details of the setting of Claire Rudy Foster’s novel The Rain Artist‚ which is billed as the first book in the Clepsydra Series. (Possibly relevant here: “clepsydra” is a synonym for “water clock.”) It’s also an expansion of Foster’s acclaimed short story. (Moonstruck Books; Feb. 24‚. 2024) Vladimir Sorokin’s fiction has given readers everything from bizarre cults to one of the weirdest zombie narratives you’re likely to read. 2024 sees the release of his 1999 novel Blue Lard in an English translation‚ courtesy of Max Lawton. This one has parallel timelines‚ cloned Russian writers‚ and weird energy sources; it’s a novel that helped establish Sorokin as a vital and transgressive author. (NYRB Classics; Feb. 27‚ 2024)   File Under: Spacefaring Futures What happens when ancient writings are reimagined for the distant future? In a 2017 interview‚ Subodhana Wijeyeratne discussed his then-upcoming novel Triangulum‚ saying “I’ve always wanted to combine the cryptic metaphysics of texts like the Rig Veda with a sort of dark sci-fi aesthetic.” With this tale of empires spanning the cosmos and gods going to war‚ he’s created a singular vision of the future. (Rosarium; Jan. 16‚ 2024) Longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize‚ Martin MacInnes’s expansive novel In Ascension will be available to readers in the United States in February. The novel follows a scientist recruited for a mission deep into the solar system to explore the origins of life on Earth. Reviewing it for The Scotsman‚ Stuart Kelly referenced the Fermi Paradox and Out Of The Silent Planet‚ adding‚ ”The novel’s intellectual daring is formidable.” (Black Cat Press; Feb. 27‚ 2024) There’s a long tradition of science fiction that offers its characters difficult moral choices in the face of overwhelming odds. C.E. Taylor’s novel Angolin—which looks to be the first book in a trilogy—does precisely that‚ giving its protagonist an invasion and a potential coup to reckon with in a distant‚ technologically advanced future. (CamCat Books; Feb. 13‚ 2024)   File Under: The Mythological This winter sees the latest installment of Olga Wojtas’s chronicle of a librarian whose work takes her across time and space‚ often in inexplicable ways. That this new volume is titled Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Weird Sisters should offer a sense of what else might be on the menu this time around: think the Scottish play‚ and all the witchcraft that that implies. (Felony &; Mayhem; January 2024) If you’ve read enough stories involving the fae‚ you’re probably aware of the hazards of striking bargains with the eldritch beings in question. The actual inhabitants of those stories don’t have the same warnings‚ alas—and as the protagonist of Su Bristow’s novel The Fair Folk learns‚ the consequences of a deal struck in childhood can echo throughout one’s life. (Europa Editions; January 2024) Terese Svoboda described her novel Roxy and Coco as being “about two harpies-turned-social-workers who now and then off abusive parents” in a recent interview. Svoboda’s writing has often left realism behind and ventured into the fantastical; among others‚ 2010’s Pirate Talk or Mermalade featured a mermaid among the cast of characters. This new novel looks to be an irreverent‚ unpredictable jaunt into both the mythical and quotidian. (West Virginia University Press; February 2024)   File Under: Break Down the (Genre) Walls One advance review of C.D. Rose’s collection Walter Benjamin Stares at the Sea made comparisons between its stories and the work of Jorge Luis Borges and Aimee Bender. That’s promising company to be in—and the dreamlike and sometimes metafictional work on display here makes for a welcome addition to the world of shortform surrealism. (Melville House; Jan. 23‚ 2024) In 2021‚ Alex Pheby wrote of Isabel Waidner in these very pages‚ “Their work is a dizzying mix of genre-defying word play‚ queer/trans experience‚ literary experiment and – often overlooked – fun.” Waidner’s new book Corey Fah Does Social Mobility features time loops‚ wormholes‚ and a literary trophy that behaves like a UFO—all things that pique my interest dramatically. (Graywolf Press; Feb. 6‚ 2024) Translator Brian Robert Moore has described Michele Mari’s Verdigris as being among Mari’s “most personal and horror-inflected novels.” It’s a coming-of-age novel in which monsters both human and uncanny make appearances‚ where one character can hear the dead‚ and where the solutions to certain mysteries may reveal even greater terrors lurking beneath. (And Other Stories; Jan. 2‚ 2024)   File Under: Uncanny Abilities Some familial legacies involve possessions‚ feuds‚ or debts. In Patrick Langley’s novel The Variations‚ the debt passed down across generations involves being able to hear voices from the past. The Guardian’s review noted that this novel “takes place in a world that looks very much like our own but feels alien and strange‚ as if brushed by the supernatural.” It also features a location by the name of Agnes’s Hospice for Acoustically Gifted Children‚ which sounds especially intriguing. (New York Review Books; Feb. 20‚ 2024) An artist begins a dangerous journey through parallel worlds after supernatural beings kidnap his grandson. That’s the concept at the center of RW Goldsmith’s novel The Serpents of Eden‚ which brings together an unexpected combination of elements with a propulsive narrative. Also‚ the author’s bio alludes to time spent in a “California wild-west re-enactment troupe.” As literary origin stories go‚ that one’s hard to beat. (Running Wild Press; Jan. 8‚ 2024)   File Under: Short Fiction‚ Collected Maybe you enjoyed Djuna’s novel Counterweight when it was released in an English translation in the summer of 2023. Maybe you’re just looking to read a compelling selection of short fiction. Either way‚ Everything Good Dies Here‚ translated by Adrian Thieret‚ offers readers a fine overview of Djuna’s work. Also‚ this line from a Clarkesworld interview is especially tantalizing: “Joanna Russ‚ R. A. Lafferty‚ and James Tiptree Jr. are the writers I looked up to most when I really started writing short stories in full swing.” (Kaya; February 2024) In 2021‚ Bradley Sides described his first collection as “a book of magical realism and weird fiction stories that looks and lives in spaces we all know but can probably not always describe.” In February he’ll return with a second collection‚ Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood‚ that takes things even further in an uncanny and fantastical direction. These stories are populated by vampires‚ dragons‚ and apocalyptic moods; it’s a memorable statement of Sides’s own fictional concerns. (Montag Press; Feb. 24‚ 2024) Full disclosure: I’ve been reading Jonathan Lethem consistently for longer than almost any other author‚ beginning with his stories that saw publication in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. Needless to say‚ I’m thrilled to see him contributing to PM Press’s Outspoken Authors series; The Collapsing Frontier brings together several short stories of his along with an interview‚ and should be a welcome addition to an already-impressive bibliography. (PM Press; Feb. 27‚ 2024) Turns out Blue Lard isn’t the only book of Vladimir Sorokin’s seeing release in an English translation this winter. His Red Pyramid and Other Stories offers a selection of his short stories‚ which encompass modes of horror‚ speculative fiction‚ and satire—and sometimes all of the above at once. (NYRB Classics; Feb. 27‚ 2024) Publisher Split Lip Press describes Jillian Danback-McGhan’s collection Midwatch as blending “military literature and feminist horror.” That’s not a combination you hear every day‚ and it’s definitely caught my eye. The author’s own background as a Navy veteran suggests a detailed knowledge of these settings and spaces‚ and the description of what’s inside sounds both emotionally harrowing and more than a little uncanny. (Split Lip Press; Feb. 6‚ 2024) The debut collection from writer and comedian Josie Long‚ Because I Don’t Know What You Mean and What You Don’t‚ balances an array of styles and moods—including invocations of witchcraft and a foray into the apocalyptic. Long described the stories by saying‚ “Some are about how rigged the country is‚ some are about romance‚ some are about climate change.” In the same interview‚ she also stated her admiration for the stories of Kelly Link and Leonora Carrington‚ which is encouraging as well. (Canongate; Feb. 13‚ 2024)   Tobias Carroll is the managing editor of Vol.1 Brooklyn. He is the author of the short story collection Transitory (Civil Coping Mechanisms) and the novel Reel (Rare Bird Books).

Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course It’s not every day that construction workers are required to sign NDAs. Of course‚ it’s also not every day they work on $270 million doomsday bunker for none other than Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg‚ either.  But every worker on the project on the remote Hawaiian island has been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and swear secrecy. As reported by Wired:   “That price for a private residence is unparalleled in the local construction industry—as is the level of secrecy and security. ‘The only other time you see that is when you’re doing secure military installations‚’ says one local construction industry official affiliated with the site. ‘For a private project to have an NDA attached to it is very rare.’”   The massive underground bunker might as well be a military installation. The plans call for food production‚ water storage‚ blast doors‚ advanced security systems‚ and an infirmary to sustain 30 people.    Zuck isn’t alone  Zuckerberg‚ who made his Big Tech billions by collecting data on the interactions of almost every human on planet Earth‚ is not the only billionaire to be building an apocalypse shelter.   Peter Thiel has been attempting to build a bunker in New Zealand since 2022‚ as well as rumors swirling that an upward of 15 other Big Tech billionaires have been building advanced survival compounds across the globe with completion dates of winter 2024.  We should all worry when Joe Biden gets involved.  Sleepy Joe has submitted multiple plans to New Castle County‚ Delaware officials for “top secret” projects on his property – never a good sign when a sitting President starts doomsday prepping.  When billionaires prep for the end of the world all at once‚ we should pay attention.  No matter what’s coming in 2024‚ the most important thing you can do is to be prepared before it happens with food‚ water‚ survival preps‚ gold‚ and medication. We may not be able to build billionaire bunkers but we can create plans within our budgets and cover the same basics. Food If you need more information about prepping your food supply‚ we have loads of options. If you want a physical copy of the content‚ you can grab this book‚ which contains every self-reliant food-related article published on The Organic Prepper website in ten years. I also have a book about building pantries‚ and if you learn better by listening‚ I recorded this course. It has actionable lessons and breaks things down in a way that’s doable on any budget. Water With regard to water‚ you need to store some‚ be prepared to acquire more‚ and learn how to purify it once you have it. To get all that information in one place‚ check out my book‚ The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide. In the course I recommended above‚ I added a water preparedness webinar as a bonus.) Survival Preps You’ll need to prepare for long-term power outages‚ multiple emergencies‚ and home and personal protection too. These things can be done‚ even if you’re on a tight budget. (This book is loaded with tight-budget tips for preppers.) Gold I’ve written a lot about gold and precious metals on this website. It’s important to note that this is not something you’ll be trading during the SHTF era. It’s a way to keep your hands on the money you’ve built up over the course of your life – your savings.  Everyone’s precious metals plan is different. You may want just a little or you may want to invest heavily due to a larger savings. Regardless of how much you’re interested in‚ my friends at ITM Trading can hook you up with a consultant during a free‚ no-obligation phone call to explore your options and create a wealth preservation strategy for you. Go here to book your call. Medication Not only do you need a kit with supplies for traumatic injuries and over-the-counter medications‚ you also need a plan to deal with serious illnesses.  The Survival Medicine Handbook is essential to have on hand‚ as is a good herbal like Prepper’s Natural Medicine. We also have a great course‚ The Herbal Skills Intensive‚ by the same author. But I don’t think you can consider yourself medically prepared without a few pharmaceutical medications. That’s where The Wellness Company’s Medical Emergency Kits come in. The Wellness Company and its great doctors – like Dr. Peter McCullough‚ Dr. Drew‚ Dr. Harvey Risch‚ and Dr. Jim Thorp – are regularly in the media‚ warning Americans to take charge of their own health and wellness.  Dr. Thorp‚ one of the nation’s leading critics of the US’ public health policies‚ believes that now – more than ever – people should be prepared for the next crisis:  We can’t rely on our crumbling healthcare system to have our backs in an emergency. I’ve strongly recommended “stock piling” critical medications for years – like the meds found in our Medical Emergency Kits. Early intervention is KEY at the first sign of symptoms. Taking an active approach by being prepared for the next illness has helped my family tremendously.  The Wellness Company and their doctors are medical professionals that you can trust‚ and their Medical Emergency Kits are the gold standard when it comes to keeping you safe and healthy. I have one for each member of my household‚ to keep things like Ivermectin‚ Amoxicillin‚ and Z-pak on-hand. The medical emergency kit contains an assortment of life-saving medications – including antibiotics‚ antivirals‚ and antiparasitics. The Medical Emergency Kit includes a guidebook to aid in the safe use of these life-saving medications. I reviewed my kit here. This kit is prescription-only – you can’t find it in any store or pharmacy. Order your kit at The Wellness Company and simply fill out a short questionnaire after purchase‚ and a Wellness Company doctor will confirm your suitability and issue your prescription Medical Emergency Kit. Use code ORGANICPREPPER for 10% off!  Here’s what you’ll get:   Amoxicillin-Clavulanate (generic Augmentin) 875/125 mg – 28 tablets  Azithromycin (generic Z-Pak) 250 mg – 12 tablets  Doxycycline Hyclate 100 mg – 60 capsules  Metronidazole (generic Flagyl) 500 mg – 30 tablets  Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (generic Bactrim) 800/160 mg – 28 tablets       Ivermectin 18mg – 7 compounded capsules  Fluconazole (generic Diflucan) 150 mg – 2 tablets   Ondansetron (generic Zofran) 4mg – 6 tablets  1 Emergency Medication Guidebook written by the Chief Medical Board for safe use.  Don’t forget: Use the code ORGANICPREPPER for 10% off! You don’t have to be a billionaire to see the signs. It’s pretty clear that rich folks in the know see something bad on the horizon. We may not have their inside information‚ but we can watch them and get a general idea of the way the wind is blowing. You don’t have to be a billionaire to get prepared‚ either. You can spend 2024 worrying about the future and wringing your hands. Or you can spend 2024 preparing for it. You have the power‚ and the information is readily available. Which way will you spend the time we have left before a big disaster strikes? What do you think the billionaires are preparing for? What kind of insider information do you think they have? What is the “Big One” on the horizon for us? War? A major natural event? A manmade event made to look natural? A cyber attack or EMP? Let’s talk about it in the comments section. I want to know what YOU think they’re all getting ready for. About Daisy Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging‚ adventure-seeking‚ globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper‚ which is about current events‚ preparedness‚ self-reliance‚ and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite‚ a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com‚ an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews. Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books‚ 12 self-published books‚ and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides‚ printables‚ and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook‚ Pinterest‚ Gab‚ MeWe‚ Parler‚ Instagram‚ and Twitter. The post What Do All the Billionaires Know That Has Them Prepping for Doomsday? appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Mickey Marcus. Mickey Marcus was a larger-than-life personality in both the U.S. Army during World War II and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War‚ memorialized by Israel as its War of Independence. He was one of a handful of U.S. Military Academy graduates killed while fighting under a foreign flag and the only such graduate buried in the post cemetery at West Point. That alone makes him unique in history. But Marcus is also duly recognized as a key player in the birth of the IDF—its organization‚ structure and fighting doctrine. Indeed‚ he was directly responsible for the IDF’s key strategic victory on the Jerusalem front in 1948.   Some of his story is familiar to the public‚ thanks to the 1966 war film Cast a Giant Shadow‚ in which actor Kirk Douglas portrayed Marcus. But the truth of the American officer’s remarkable role in the early military history of Israel was known to very few.   Born in Brooklyn‚ N.Y.‚ on Feb. 22‚ 1901‚ David Daniel Marcus (aka “Mick” or “Mickey”) was a first-generation American‚ his parents having emigrated from Romania. As if being poor and Jewish in inner city New York weren’t challenge enough‚ his early life was further complicated in 1910 when his father died. By then‚ however‚ 9-year-old Mickey was a self-described “tough street kid” who learned to box to defend himself against local bullies. His pugilistic prowess in turn helped him win an appointment to West Point and‚ as a cadet‚ made him a standout intercollegiate welterweight.   Manifest in this photo of Haganah fighters guarding a Jewish settlement is their unpreparedness in virtually all military aspects‚ from clothing to arms to regimen. On graduation in 1924 2nd Lt. Marcus reported for duty at Fort Jay on Governor’s Island‚ N.Y. Before long he decided he’d rather be a lawyer and resigned his Regular Army commission. Working by day and taking classes at Brooklyn Law School at night‚ he earned his law degree in 1928. Marcus then launched his law career in Manhattan. Ten years later‚ with the September 1939 outbreak of war in Europe‚ Marcus resolved to resurrect his military career. He’d remained in the Army Reserve after leaving active duty‚ which enabled him to apply for a transfer to the New York National Guard. He was a lieutenant colonel and the top military advocate in the National Guard’s 27th Infantry Division when that unit was activated for federal service on Oct. 15‚ 1940.   Marcus proved such a talented staff officer that after the 27th deployed to Hawaii in April 1942‚ he was put in charge of the division’s Ranger Combat Training School. Few units had a formal program for Ranger-type training that early in the war‚ but Mickey soon demonstrated its merits and his worth. A year later‚ when he left Hawaii for an assignment in Washington‚ D.C.‚ his division commander‚ Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith‚ lauded his achievements in a prescient letter. “You have shown‚” Smith wrote‚ “that you know the business of soldiering and tactical leading of troops.”   this article first appeared in Military History magazine See more stories Subscribe now!   Five years later‚ when Marcus was putting together a training regimen for the newly established IDF‚ his Ranger combat training experience paid dividends. Marcus also gained valuable operational and strategic experience in his next stint as a planner in the War Department’s Civil Affairs Division in 1943. He was on the ground in France during the early days of the June 1944 invasion‚ thereby acquiring firsthand experience with both small-unit tactics and large-scale military operations. All of his wartime experiences proved critical to his success on the battlefield in 1948.   In the postwar period Colonel Marcus established the Army’s War Crimes Branch and recruited hundreds of judges‚ prosecutors and lawyers for the trials conducted in Nuremberg‚ Germany‚ between 1946 and ’49. His future in the Army could not have been brighter‚ but Marcus missed New York. Leaving active duty‚ he returned to private law practice in Manhattan. But not for long.   In November 1947 the United Nations adopted the plan that would divide British-controlled Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The idea was that when the British Mandate for Palestine formally ended the following year‚ a nation-state—Israel—would be established as a homeland for the Jewish people.   At midnight on May 14‚ 1948‚ David Ben-Gurion‚ the future founding prime minister‚ formally proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel. Within hours the military forces of Egypt‚ Transjordan‚ Syria and Iraq invaded what was then the territory of British Palestine. Shlomo Shamir. The Arabs in Palestine and surrounding countries not only rejected this proposal‚ but also made it clear they would use armed force to destroy any such Jewish state. Amid those discussions‚ David Ben-Gurion‚ the key leader in the Jewish community in Palestine‚ sent trusted colleague Shlomo Shamir to the United States. Shamir’s mission was to find an American general officer willing to come to Palestine and organize the existing Jewish irregular militias into a professional army able to defend the new Jewish state of Israel. Shamir was a member of Haganah (Hebrew for “The Defense”)‚ the main paramilitary group tasked with defending Jewish settlements in Palestine against Arab attack. Shamir had served as a major in Britain’s Royal Air Force during the war‚ thus he had the background to find an American with the required military skills.   On arriving in Manhattan‚ Shamir sought out Marcus‚ but only because he thought the noted Jewish-American veteran might know a qualified candidate. Ultimately‚ however‚ Shamir realized Mickey himself was the man for the job. Marcus agreed. Federal authorities signed off on his involvement‚ provided Marcus kept secret his military record and identity. Consequently‚ Marcus arrived in Tel Aviv in January 1948 under the pseudonym Michael Stone. During his first trip to Palestine Marcus visited many Haganah units and other paramilitary forces. He spent a great deal of time with the 260 cadets in the Haganah platoon commanders’ course. Focusing on tactics‚ the course was run by Haim Laskov‚ who had joined Haganah as a teen and gained invaluable combat experience as a British army officer on the Italian front.   The chief goal of Laskov’s course was to train each cadet to command an infantry platoon‚ both independently and as part of a company. While Marcus was impressed with Laskov’s regimen‚ he realized the need for a similar course for higher-level commanders. Tactics were important‚ but the new Israeli military could not win on the battlefield unless it had officers conversant with the operational level of war. Consequently‚ when Marcus submitted his official report to Ben-Gurion on March 2‚ 1948‚ his chief recommendation was the immediate creation of a four-week course for battalion-level commanders. Since no such course had ever existed in the Haganah or other Jewish paramilitary groups‚ Ben-Gurion placed Marcus in command of the new school and tasked him with developing a lesson plan.   Arab fighters lay in wait for Israeli convoys passing below on the road to Jerusalem. When the Arab Legion blockaded the road from Tel Aviv at Latrun (see map opposite)‚ Marcus was tasked with relieving Jerusalem. Relying mostly on memory from his experiences in the 27th Division in Hawaii and as a War Department planner in the Pentagon‚ Marcus wrote two books—one covering battalion staff work‚ the other a tactical field manual. The theme in both books was that a blend of doctrine and improvisation (a trait prized by those serving in Jewish paramilitary units) was the key to combat success at the tactical and operational levels of war.   Marcus also drafted a memorandum for Ben-Gurion recommending the creation of a defense ministry and a robust command structure for the new Jewish defense force. Tactics and operations were important‚ but only as part of an overall military strategy—and success at the strategic level of war could only be achieved with a general staff and higher command structure. Having served as a staff officer at the division‚ corps and higher levels of the U.S. Army‚ Marcus was the only person among the Jewish planning staff with experience at all three levels of war—tactical‚ operational and strategic.   Haim Laskov. After laying the foundation for what would become the IDF‚ Marcus returned Stateside in April 1948. In the weeks that followed‚ he kept in contact with Jewish leaders in Palestine and the Haganah. Consequently‚ Marcus knew that the minute the British Mandate for Palestine formally expired at midnight on May 14‚ 1948‚ Ben-Gurion would proclaim the birth of Israel.   Anticipating he would be needed sooner rather than later‚ Marcus returned to Palestine on May 2. He was on the ground that May 15 when‚ in direct response to Ben-Gurion’s declaration of independence‚ the armies of Egypt‚ Transjordan‚ Syria and Iraq invaded Israel. Initially totaling some 36‚000 troops‚ the invaders took control of Arab areas in Palestine and then began attacking Jewish settlements with the goal of eliminating the new Israeli state. They also attacked units in the IDF‚ the new name bestowed on Jewish military units by Ben-Gurion on May 26.   Within a matter of days Jewish military forces were in dire straits on the southern front in the Negev. After Marcus arrived and put together a defense‚ however‚ the IDF managed to sever the supply lines of the invading Egyptians and stabilize the front.   Meanwhile‚ operations on the Jerusalem front had taken a downturn. After a few days of heavy fighting‚ just when it seemed Jewish forces were gaining the upper hand‚ King Abdullah of Jordan ordered the Arab Legion‚ Transjordan’s armed force‚ to enter Jerusalem on May 17. The officers of the Arab Legion were mostly British‚ and the overall commander was John Bagot Glubb‚ a British lieutenant general. Seizing the Jewish Quarter of the Old City (present-day East Jerusalem)‚ Jordanian forces expelled some 1‚500 Jewish civilians and imprisoned the rest.   At the time greater Jerusalem was home to some 100‚000 Jewish residents. As the city was at the heart of territory under Arab control‚ that was a real concern‚ even more so after Arab forces blocked access to the city by seizing the fortified Latrun police station‚ which straddled the major highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Jewish leaders in Jerusalem bombarded Ben-Gurion with telegrams‚ warning they were desperate for food and water and could not hold out for more than a few weeks.   After military efforts to break open the bottleneck at Latrun failed‚ Marcus spearheaded the creation of a bypass dubbed the “Burma Road” (a reference to the vital World War II supply route into Japanese-occupied China). Facing an ever-present threat from snipers‚ its road crews used heavy bulldozers and armored transport trucks to get the job done. מלחמת העצמאות. בצילום‚ בולדוזרים ונגמ”ש של צה”ל נוסעים בדרך “בורמה” לכיוון ירושלים. Resolving to break the impasse‚ Ben-Gurion ordered IDF units to capture Latrun and open the road to Jerusalem. However‚ Operation Bin Nun Alef‚ launched after midnight on May 25‚ fell apart in the wake of a determined Jordanian defense. Faced with an increasingly dire situation in Jerusalem‚ Ben-Gurion appointed Marcus commander of the Jerusalem front‚ tasked with opening a supply route to Jerusalem’s Jewish inhabitants and then possibly capturing the Old City itself.   In recognition of Marcus’ role in the IDF‚ Ben-Gurion announced the American’s promotion to the rank of aluf. A Biblical Hebrew term meaning “head of tribe‚” it is equivalent to the rank of “general” in other militaries‚ subordinate only to the IDF chief of staff. It was an especially high honor‚ considering Marcus was the first modern-day officer granted the rank.   On May 28 Aluf Marcus took overall command of four brigades on the Jerusalem front—the 6th Etzioni‚ the 7th Armored‚ the 10th Palmach Harel and the 11th Yiftach. Two days later he launched Operation Bin Nun Bet. The goal was to capture the police station and monastery at Latrun‚ both of which were in Jordanian hands and overlooked the road to Jerusalem.   By June 19 the bypass to Jerusalem was open to Israeli convoys. By the outbreak of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War manufacturers in Tel Aviv and outlying Jewish settlements were making bootleg copies of the Sten‚ a British submachine gun that saw widespread use in Jewish paramilitaries. Modern-day Israel is a global arms exporter‚ recording $12.5 billion in exports in 2022 alone. The IDF’s 73rd Mechanized Battalion‚ comprising light infantry on half-tracks and locally made armored vehicles‚ attacked the Jordanians but retreated in the face of heavy losses‚ including the death of a company commander. By day’s end on May 31 it was clear Bin Nun Bet had failed‚ the 73rd alone suffering 50 percent casualties. But while the Israelis had suffered a tactical defeat‚ they had managed to pin the Jordanians in place and put them on the defensive. Thus while the road to Jerusalem remained blocked‚ the Jordanians were unable to conduct any offensive operations.   Cast a Giant Shadow In 1966 United Artists released the biopic Cast a Giant Shadow‚ starring Kirk Douglas as Mickey Marcus and co-starring John Wayne‚ Yul Brenner‚ Frank Sinatra‚ Senta Berger and Angie Dickinson. Directed by Melville Shavelson‚ the film focuses on Marcus’ experiences as an officer in the U.S. Army during World War II and in the IDF during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It casts the aluf as a “man of action‚” with marketing centered on the motto “Everywhere he lived and fought—he cast a giant shadow.” While not always historically accurate‚ the film captures the Zeitgeist of the era and is faithful in its presentation of Marcus’ unique talents. That said‚ the atmosphere at IDF headquarters was gloomy at best‚ Ben-Gurion conceding as likely the Arab Legion would not only capture all of Jerusalem but also exploit the momentum from its success at Latrun to capture more land or advance farther west toward the coast. On Marcus’ recommendation‚ IDF military operations shifted to twin efforts to lift the siege of Jerusalem—the Burma Road and Operation Yoram.   Recognizing that as long as the Jordanians held Latrun‚ it was impossible to use the existing highway to Jerusalem‚ the IDF decided to construct an entirely new road. A patrol had previously discovered a footpath in the hills south of the main road‚ one linking several villages. Were it sufficiently enlarged and improved‚ it might provide a new route to Jerusalem‚ altogether bypassing the Arab Legion forces holding Latrun.   On the night of May 29–30 IDF vehicles sent into the hills confirmed the bypass road could support motor vehicles‚ and IDF engineers fired up bulldozers to forge what was christened the “Burma Road‚” after the famous supply road built to link Burma and China during World War II. Late to realize the IDF was building a bypass‚ the Jordanians attempted to prevent its completion‚ but to no avail. On June 19 a convoy of 140 trucks carrying food‚ sugar and other supplies‚ as well as weapons and ammunition‚ successfully drove the length of the Burma Road into Jerusalem.   On June 8‚ as the Burma Road was under construction‚ the IDF launched Operation Yoram‚ again seeking to capture Latrun and end the Jordanian blockade of the main road to Jerusalem. On Marcus’ recommendation‚ Ben-Gurion withdrew the 11th Yiftach from Galilee to launch this third attack on Latrun. The primary target was Hill 346‚ high ground between the two Arab Legion battalions. The well-conceived plan reflected Marcus’ battlefield experience. Unfortunately for the planners‚ however‚ IDF units tasked with the mission took a wrong turn and mistakenly attacked Hill 315.   After the failure of Yoram‚ units on the Jerusalem front no longer had the wherewithal to mount a successful attack on Latrun. As it turned out‚ they wouldn’t need to‚ for the pinned-down Arab Legion lost the initiative‚ while construction of the Burma Road ultimately broke the siege of Jerusalem. Much of the credit belongs to Marcus.   On June 9 Marcus and his aide-de-camp drove up the Burma Road to Jerusalem to assess the situation there. As an Arab Legion counterattack was expected at any time‚ he instructed the guards at camp to be on full alert. Returning the next night‚ Marcus promptly went to sleep. In the predawn darkness of June 10‚ around 3:30 a.m.‚ Marcus rose to the call of nature and emerged from his tent. As it was cold‚ he wrapped a white wool blanket around his shoulders and walked to a nearby grove of trees.   Prime Minister Ben-Gurion pins badges on graduates of a 1952 IDF officer training course. Though Marcus didn’t live to see either Israel’s birth or the fruition of his own efforts to modernize its military‚ his legacy lives on in the present-day Israel Defense Forces. As Marcus returned to his tent‚ camp sentry Eliezer Linsky heard a noise and looked up to see a white-robed figure approaching through the gloom. Linsky called out in Hebrew‚ ordering the figure to stop. Marcus‚ who didn’t speak Hebrew‚ kept walking. Linsky then fired a warning shot‚ which Marcus answered with some choice mumblings in English. Thinking the unidentified man might be an English-speaking officer of the Arab Legion or perhaps a disguised Arab seeking to infiltrate the camp‚ Linsky fired three rounds at Marcus. One struck him in the chest‚ killing him instantly. Marcus was only 47 years old.   In coming days an honor guard escorted his body to Jerusalem’s Bezalel National Museum‚ where it was draped in an Israeli flag‚ pending transport. An investigation found Linsky had acted in accordance with his orders as a sentry and was not to blame for the tragic death of Aluf Marcus.   Flown back to the United States‚ Marcus was interred with military honors in the post cemetery at West Point. His marker memorializes him as A Soldier for All Humanity.   Marcus lay in state in Jerusalem before being flown home for burial with military honors in the post cemetery at West Point. It’s no exaggeration to state that no single officer did more for the IDF during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War than Marcus. While many resident Jews in Palestine knew how to fight and were proficient at small-unit tactics‚ only Marcus had the skills to organize and train an army for success at the operational and strategic levels of war. His time as a staff officer at the 27th Infantry Division in Hawaii (1942–43)‚ his work as a planning officer in the Pentagon’s Civil Affairs Division (1943–44) and his postwar efforts to establish the U.S. Army’s War Crimes Branch all translated into staff and organizational skills critical to the embryonic IDF. While Marcus’ combat actions in the Negev and on the Jerusalem front were important‚ his lasting legacy was his unique role in the development of the IDF’s organization‚ structure and fighting doctrine. Were it not for his efforts‚ modern-day Israel might not exist.   Benny Michelsohn is a colonel in the IDF Reserve. He served as an armor officer‚ saw combat in the Yom Kippur War and was the IDF’s chief military historian. Fred Borch is a retired U.S. Army colonel. He served on active duty as a lawyer for 25 years and is the professor of legal history and leadership at U.S. Army’s Legal Center and School. For further reading the authors recommend 1948: A History of the First-Arab Israeli War‚ by Benny Morris‚ and An Army Like No Other: How the Israel Defense Forces Made a Nation‚ by Haim Bresheeth-Zabner. This story appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Military History magazine. historynet magazines Our 9 best-selling history titles feature in-depth storytelling and iconic imagery to engage and inform on the people‚ the wars‚ and the events that shaped America and the world. subscribe today

The historical record contains a wealth of primary sources from the early days of Deadwood‚ Dakota Territory. Images and paperwork of all stripes are extant both online and in physical archives. Lacking have been fuller profiles of the town’s various and sundry characters‚ divorced from the legends that many worked to craft for themselves. One such character of note is Ellis Albert “Al” Swearingen‚ who is most closely associated with Deadwood but met his demise in Denver on Nov. 15‚ 1904.    Al and twin brother Lemuel Swearingen were born in Oskaloosa‚ Iowa‚ on July 8‚ 1845. Their parents‚ Daniel and Keziah Swearingen‚ were farmers who would eventually establish a prosperous walnut grove near Yankton‚ S.D. By the spring of 1876 Al had moved to the gold boomtown of Deadwood‚ where he soon started the Gem saloon. Completed the following year‚ the Gem served as a bar‚ variety theater‚ brothel and the headquarters of Swearingen’s own corrupt fiefdom that for several years ruled over many aspects of underlife in the burgeoning community. In 1887 Nebraska’s Omaha Daily Bee reported that Swearingen had forcibly detained without pay at the Gem two married stage performers from Omaha‚ prompting their husbands to petition Deadwood Mayor Sol Star for their release. According to one of Al’s contemporaries‚ chronicler John S. McClintock‚ the profits the Gem brought effectively blinded Deadwood’s most prominent citizens to Swearingen’s boundless corruption. Death eventually tracked him down in Denver. Newspaper accounts suggest he fell off a streetcar or train while trundling about the Colorado capital‚ though the weight of evidence points to a darker demise.   Certainly‚ Swearingen was reviled by many who would have wanted him dead‚ not least the women who found themselves in his orbit. Driven by a lust for power and wealth‚ he had no compassion‚ even when it came to romantic partners. In 1889‚ for example‚ a Deadwood judge issued a warrant for Swearingen’s arrest after he’d brutally beaten his second wife and threatened to cut her throat with a straight razor. He avoided justice that time by skipping town for Omaha. It wasn’t an unprecedented assault. In 1879 Swearingen had been arrested‚ fined $50 and put under a $500 bond after having badly beaten first wife Nettie‚ the Black Hills Weekly Pioneer reporting that her face had been “pounded almost to a jelly.” The Oct. 25‚ 1884‚ edition of the Carbonate Chronicle‚ in Leadville‚ Colo.‚ recounted Nellie’s life of abuse at her by then ex-husband’s hands. “He was jealous of the girl’s pretty face‚” the paper alleged‚ “accused her of infidelity when there was no proof of it and beat her without cause.”   While most women of the period had few options beyond motherhood and prostitution‚ Nettie had found success in the early 1870s as a member of a troupe of variety players. Unfortunately‚ in 1875 a gunman named Edward Frodsham shot Nettie’s husband‚ Charles Peasley‚ to death in front of her at a Wyoming Territory bar. Within months she met and married Swearingen‚ then working as a bartender at a joint in Laramie. After a stint operating a dance hall in Custer City‚ Dakota Territory‚ he and Nettie ended up in the frontier morass known as Deadwood. Meanwhile‚ the beatings continued.   In 1880 she escaped‚ far worse for the wear‚ and landed in Leadville‚ another boomtown with a deficit of humanity. An article in the Carbonate Chronicle stated she became a “ward” of one Albert Marshman‚ though what that relationship entailed it didn’t specify. Another article in the same edition reported Nettie was afflicted by dropsy‚ a buildup of fluid in the body since associated with ailments such as liver disease. By October 1884 Swearingen’s 30-year-old abused ex was dead by way of whiskey and morphine.   English actor Ian McShane won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for his devilish portrayal of Swearingen in the critically acclaimed 2004–06 HBO series Deadwood. McShane was not far off the mark in his portrayal of Swearingen‚ who was known to have abused his wives and the women who worked in his brothel. Swearingen appears to have left Deadwood soon after the Gem burned down in 1899. According to the Denver Post‚ he spent several years prospecting around Leadville and taking odd agricultural jobs in the potato fields before pushing on to Denver. Mortuary owner William P. Horan was the latter city’s official coroner from 1900 to ’18 and would have been on hand that fateful day in mid-November 1904 when Swearingen’s body was brought in. Turn-of-the-century coroner’s reports are awash in drug overdoses‚ liver disease‚ violence and suicide‚ and the last record of Swearingen was no less dark.   Acquaintances in Denver had known him as “Albert Ellis‚” an alias he likely adopted as cover from past associates looking to do him harm. The month before Al’s death twin brother Lemuel‚ a successful butcher and former councilman back in hometown Oskaloosa‚ Iowa‚ was shot five times‚ it was thought in a case of mistaken identity. Lemuel survived‚ but Al ran out of luck.   According to the coroner’s inquest‚ the body was found at the Denver &; Rio Grande railroad crossing on Alameda Boulevard. His crushed legs‚ broken ribs and fractured skull were consistent with a fall from a train‚ though the injuries also seem consistent with having been beaten to death. At the time no one directly suggested foul play‚ but a Rocky Mountain News article from October 17‚ a month before Swearingen’s death‚ reported he was to testify against former friend John Allison for having stolen $45 from Al after the pair worked the potato fields together in Eden‚ Colo.   The circumstances of Swearingen’s death may never come to light. What is certain‚ however‚ is that he did not die abed in Deadwood as the HBO series of that name portrayed. The day after his death the Denver Post had the last word in an article headlined Old Prospector Is Killed by a Train. It painted a rather pathetic picture. Swearingen had recently been released from county jail for vagrancy. His meager belongings amounted to a cheap watch and‚ bizarrely‚ some dynamite and blasting caps. Also found on his body was an unsent letter addressed to an R.T. Wilson‚ asking to be brought tobacco in jail. Authorities turned over his loose items to Wilson‚ while his remains eventually found their way home to his family in Oskaloosa for burial.   It’s hard to convey how close to the bone life was for Westerners who found themselves on the wrong end of the booms and busts. Equally difficult is separating legend from reality with regard to the characters who made the West wild. Characters like Swearingen and the women who fell under his sway are a good reminder that much of the savagery on the frontier was omitted from the first drafts of history.  this article first appeared in wild west magazine See more stories SubscriBE NOW!  

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