Welcome to my first posting on the recently created website DennisPregent.com.

I thought it was important for readers to understand why I do what I do. In childhood, I spent most of my time outdoors, being active. In the Marines, after joining up at 17, the focus on perfection and survival, not introspection. I could deploy across the Pacific, man the guns on a helicopter, evacuate wounded Marines from a hot zone, but I didn’t want to think about it. After military service, starting college at twenty-four, I took great effort to avoid composition classes unless necessary.

Today I don’t try to avoid writing, although at times I find it a taxing effort to find precisely the right words to accurately describe a situation, person, or event. My writing is not instinctive even after months of research, interviewing dozens of subjects, and crafting thousands of words. I still pause at word choices and grammatical conundrums, but in the end the desire to preserve a story carries the day.

Some years into my retirement, my wife suggested I write down memories for our children so they would understand my early life. It began with short stories from my seven years of military service. With positive responses from our kids, I kept going. Coincidentally, it was time for my high-school reunion. I contacted classmates who also served in the military, mostly in combat, and started recording their military stories alongside my own, which led to my first book, The Boys of St. Joe’s ’65 in the Vietnam War.

I have now written four non-fiction books that feature a mosaic of memories from former classmates and distinguished citizens from the western Berkshires.

I enjoy history, love the Berkshires where I was born, and especially revel in capturing stories about its people. To be fair, I know ego is involved: I enjoy hearing compliments about my works, or being thought of as clever, dedicated to my craft. Legacy is part of it, hoping to be remembered in the Berkshires long after my death. Also, I have a strong desire to feel relevant and able to accomplish things even in old age.

Questions I return to: Can I effectively communicate what people have told me and interest others with my brand of storytelling? Can I paint a picture with my word arrangement, one that will engage people? Will my prose be lauded by readers?

Unknowingly, I developed my style of writing through many years of working in high-level Human Resources: Daily crafting hundreds of emails/letters to people across the company, ranging from CEOs to manufacturing associates, preparing newspaper advertisements, summarizing interviews and rewording union contracts. Always writing succinctly with little flourish, concentrating on brevity and accuracy — this was how to get things done. And so much was on the line: jobs, promotions, livelihoods.

Am I an “accidental” writer? Initially, I never realized how much I enjoyed talking with people and capturing their memories. Eventually, it became clear that what I was doing was identical to my decades in HR, interviewing candidates and summarizing their skills for committees. I love preserving unknown or seldom heard stories, tales that would never have been repeated if not for my efforts, tributes to men and women, many gone before us. Often, I reside in a warm, nostalgic bubble, reliving periods of history in which men and women were selfless and acted heroically for the good of all. It brings to me a sense of unity, comfort and the strong realization the WORDS MATTER.