True Story - bad plot!

On how I grappled for a gun - but could never use it in a book ... Let me tell you a story, and before we get started, let’s break all the rules and list the main characters. The first is a retired American naval officer called Tom. He is based in Madrid, and is an official military historian, in pursuit of which he visits every American military base in Western Europe (this was before the Berlin Wall came down) and collects reports from the sergeants collating the information. He is also – and