John R. Schembra
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Welcome to my web page.

I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and retired from the Pleasant Hill Police Department as a Sergeant after 30 years of service.  I have been married for 33 years and have two grown children.  I earned a B.A. in Administration of Justice, and an M.A. in Public Administration (Management).
I spend my retirement time writing (one of my favorite pastimes, along with fishing) as well as teaching other police officers emergency vehicle operations/pursuit driving through the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department and Academy.  I also am a Driving Simulator Instructor, and  have been recognized  as a Subject Matter Expert in Emergency Vehicle Operations by the State of California.
I am fortunate to have had several trade articles published in law enforcement magazines such as
Law and Order, Police Officer's Quarterly, and The Back-up. I was honored to have a short story, "Sweet Sixteen", published in
True Blue: Police Stories by Those Who Have Lived Them
a collection of stories written by police officers.   Prior to joining the police force, I was a Military Policeman with the 557th MP Company, assigned to Long Binh Post, South Vietnam, where I had several "adventures" that provided  the basis for my first book
"M.P., A Novel of Vietnam"
Though it is based on some personal experiences, it is a work of fiction about a young man who finds himself caught up in the quagmire of the Vietnam War.  Click on the Writers Exchange link to read more.



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Available for purchase in electronic format and paperback at:
Writers Exchange
In paperback at
Amazon.com
To read an excerpt, click HERE then click on the book cover
If you would like a signed copy of M.P.,  please contact me via
e-mail
New Review from eBook Reviews Weekly
"Well worth reading... I highly recommend this action packed book."
Synopsis:
June, 1967   As Vince stepped off the plane at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, he was almost overwhelmed by the stench in the hot, humid, air.  he still had a hard time realizing he was in Vietnam, in the midst of a war.
Drafted into  the Army five months earlier, he ended up becoming a Military Policeman, assigned to the 557th MP Company at Long Binh Post just outside Bien Hoa City.
His year tour of duty  in Vietnam changes him from a somewhat naive young man to a battle hardened veteran.  Through unlucky chance, Vince becomes involved in the ferocious '68 Tet Offensive, barely surviving the night.  He sees and experiences things he could never have imagined before Vietnam.
This is Vince's story, of how he survived that year in Vietnam, how he coped with the hell he faced, of the friendships he formed, and of the sorrow of lives lost.

Read the review at the Military Writers Society Webpage
"A very readable book and great entertainment"
Look for my next novel, RETRIBUTION
Winner of the Military Writers Society of America 2007 Silver Medal for excellence in writing
NOW AVAILABLE
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Check out some of my favorite links:  Writers Exchange E-Publishing
There's a vigilante killer loose in San Francisco, and when the court system fails, he doles out his own brand of justice.
Electronically Published Internet Connection
Military Writers Society of America
Military Police of the Vietnam War
Police Writers Association