The Life and Times of Mage Maddox

Knowledge can be gained by discovery or education. Newton discovered gravity by watching an apple fall from a tree, or so it is said. Scientists discover things through experimentation or study of related subjects. Students gain knowledge by consuming information delivered through various media, often assisted by teachers, mentors, etc. Whether the knowledge is new or simply passed on, it forms the basis on which its recipient builds skills useful in further endeavors. Knowledge is valuable. Beyond the basics needed for humans to interface with their world, such as the use of eating utensils or tieing one’s shoes, the acquisition of mental skills is a life-long process engaged to a greater or lesser degree by all of us. Those who aggressively pursue this task usually benefit from the extra level of wisdom they collect. Those who excel at gaining knowledge tend to become successful in whatever career or avocation they chose. This is a story of one man's search for knowledge and how ...

The Manhattan Project Little Boy Ordnance maven John Moses Maddox was, at the time, a Master Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy. Prior to his involvement with America’s nuclear weapons development, Maddox had already distinguished himself as an explosive and ballistics expert while on loan from President Roosevelt to the British Admiralty in 1941 by spearheading the effort to Sink the Bismark. Rather than rest on the laurels of such a huge victory for Democracy, Maddox shucked his temporary limey uniform and daily grog allowance for his more beloved bell-bottoms and CPO stripes. Instead of returning him to duty in the fire control cabin of a tin can, however, Admiral Bull Halsey reassigned Maddox to serve on Dr. Robert Oppenheimer’s team of atomic psychiatrists. Because of his lack of Ph.D. credentials and his strongly-held heterosexual tendencies, Maddox was ostracised by many of the nuclear “in crowd” of the day but they recognized his superior intellect and his innate ab...

 Maddox Builds A Dragon In 1964 the United States Air Force was a relatively young organization. Much of its mission was held over from its previous incarnation - The Army Air Corps. One of its primary jobs was to assist ground forces with close air support but existing aircraft lacked sufficient firepower in many situations faced by the infantry in Vietnam. While on shore leave at a port near Saigon, Master Chief Petty Officer John Moses Maddox overheard two Army Captains complaining of guerilla tactics used by the enemy which were difficult to overcome. Remembering a situation from his youth, in which a large hoard of zombie squirrels attacked and overcame a small group of hunters, John Moses began to percolate an idea to help the Army grunts. Maddox was able to draw on his experience working with the British Navy's carrier-based aircraft in the project which resulted in the sinking of the Kriegsmarine Battleship Bismark. Maddox reasoned that a slow-flying aircraft capable of car...

  John Moses Maddox as he appears in his current incarnation "Do or do not. There is no try." This is the story of John Moses Maddox - a legend in his own time. There is no beginning to this story nor do I anticipate an end, for the essence of this character has been incarnated amongst humans in one form or another throughout recorded history. It is up to us, as intelligent beings, to recognize the presence of this guiding force and to accept the lessons it offers. We fail to heed its lessons and advice at our own peril, which has been the case many times along our path through the garden of life. How many times have we humans hitched our wagon to the forces of Evil? We've willingly followed charismatic demons down the path to pain and suffering. We've rejected our humanity through allegiance to wolves in sheep's clothing. Instead of listening to Hitler, Germans should have heeded these words instead: “ Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate y...

John Moses Maddox - Undercover Maven Kriegsmarine Battleship Bismark - 1941 During the winter of 1940 American had not yet entered World War II.  Britain was under siege and Germany posed an existential threat to the Island Nation. Despite increasing pressure from its European friends, America refused to embroil itself directly in the conflict but provided significant indirect support. Without this support, Britain was doomed to fall under the Nazi umbrella. One of the most important pieces of American aid provided to the Brits came in the form of the world-renowned ordnance expertise of John Moses Maddox. In response to repeated clandestine requests of Winston Churchill to President Roosevelt, Maddox was covertly put on loan to the British Admiralty to design long-range naval firepower. Having studied under J M Browning at the turn of the century, Maddox had come into his own as the premier intellect on the subject of explosive shells fired from naval batteries. One of his shells ...