Alamogordo graduate pens book 'I SHOT JFK'
ALAMOGORDO — A medical student, deceived with soul-crushing lies, commits the crime of the century – with Alamogordo, Dallas, Vietnam and Guam in the background – in the newly released novel “I SHOT JFK.”
“I SHOT JFK” is the latest book written by one of Alamogordo’s own, Roger Purcell. Purcell, who writes under the pseudonym Jake Aaron, was born in Roswell in 1945. Purcell grew up in Alamogordo and graduated from Alamogordo High School as the valedictorian for the Class of 1963.
Upon graduation, Purcell had the choice of three military schools – U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy or U.S. Military Academy, better known as West Point. Purcell ultimately chose West Point because he said at that time, it was more well-established that the Air Force Academy. After graduating from West Point, Purcell went into the Air Force.
“First I went to Vietnam and flew transports there,” Purcell said. “We’d haul personnel, ammunition and cargo around, that for a year. Then I went to Charleston Air Force Base and I flew C-141s, jet transports, out of there. During that period, on two occasions I got to fly completely around the world. We would do it in five and a half days.”
After that, Purcell said he thought he would become an airline pilot but the airlines didn’t do much hiring. He was in the reserves for a little while and came back to New Mexico and sold real estate. When the real estate industry took a turn, Purcell pursued earning an MBA from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Science in Engineering from Arizona State University. Following that, Purcell worked as a business analyst for Exxon for two years.
“I missed flying so much and I when I found out the Air Force was short on pilots, I went back in to fly and I completed a career,” Purcell said.
Purcell spent 28 years in the Air Force as a C-17 Program Manager for Air Mobility Command, pilot flight examiner and a squadron commander. For his time in Vietnam, Purcell was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in Vietnam, where he flew over 1000 sorties, and landed the first C-141B aircraft on Antarctica.
After an illustrious military career, Purcell and his wife moved to be closer to their son who is a pilot in the U.S. Marines.
“I decided it was time to do something else and I’ve always wanted to write,” Purcell said. “I gave it a try with “Custos: Enemies Domestic,” where I thought I would try to teach some historical lessons. I’m afraid the book is a little too didactic for people and not as much fun. So I decided my next book, which is “I SHOT JFK,” would be more fun. I think it is, people tell me it’s much more entertaining.”
As a plebe at West Point, Purcell marched in the funeral procession for President John F. Kennedy.
“I was listening to late night talk radio and it just struck me, those words (I shot JFK) are so inflammatory, so ear-catching,” Purcell explained. “I shot JFK, those words make me pause. In fact halfway through with the book I was talking to a friend in the supermarket about "I SHOT JFK" and I had people 50 feet around me look up like, “You did?”
Purcell said the book grew from its title. He said he, like so many others, had always been interested in the conspiracy theories surrounding the JFK assassination.
“Given all the facts of what really happened, if we could ever get that, no one would believe them because there have been so many theories,” he said. “So I figured anything I came up with would be totally acceptable as long as it fit the timeline and I think it did.”
Purcell’s synopsis of “I SHOT JFK” is that the protagonist is faced with a huge life tragedy, then another tragedy, then disillusionment, lies, falls into committing the crime of the century, goes into hiding and blends in and then has to fight back after being pursued and that leads to redemption.
While the characters are bigger than life, Purcell said they are also compelling and believable. The setting of “I SHOT JFK” spans from Dallas’s Dealey Plaza to Alamogordo to exotic Vietnam, Guam, and Vanuatu. While Ruidoso and Cloudcroft make appearances in the book, Purcell said Alamogordo and Guam are highlighted more because he’s spent more time in those areas. Purcell also pays homage to his alma mater West Point in the novel.
“In the book people are going to find more than just historical fiction, they’re going to find action, humor and a love story,” Purcell said. “I think readers should tune in for a real shocker.”
“I SHOT JFK” is only available in Kindle format on Amazon.com by visiting www.amazon.com/I-SHOT-JFK-Jake-Aaron-ebook/dp/B01N55A8E7. Purcell’s other books on Kindle include, “Custos: Enemies Domestic,” “Custos: Stalker" and “Custos: The Fin."