Five wives (at least), up to 13 military conflicts, eight children (at the very least). Lover, Soldier, Reprobate About the exciting and troublesome life and family of Paul Bonaventura Charles Alexander Weiss DeVolpi: shanghaied when he immigrated from Italy in 1890 to the United States; enlisted three times in the U.S. Army, initially serving in Oklahoma Indian Territory around 1893; fought as a mercenary in many nations; and left a handful of wives around the world. His wartime enlistments included the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and the Canadian Army during World War I. Other combat engagements: the Boxer Rebellion, Mexican Revolution, and repatriation of Tripoli and the Dodecanese Islands. (However, his participation with the Italian Army in Abyssinia and the Cossacks in Russia are difficult to verify.) That's the Soldier part. As for Lover, there are four well-documented marriages in the United States, Canada, and Italy; also at least one or two more not confirmed. As for Reprobate, that's what a now-deceased half-brother from Canada called him - with good reason. No divorces. Plenty of children. Also involved in some fraud, personal and an historic art scam. This is an historically factual and authentic trip starting in the late 1800s, written as a dialog between his surviving son (me, Alexander DeVolpi) with curious parties and interested listeners. Particularly fascinating is Bonaventura's role in the Boxer Rebellion and his documented heroism during the Philippine Insurrection, all of which represent a forgotten but curious period in American history. Timeless photos, documents, and newspaper clippings are included so as to depict the individuals, their clothing, whereabouts, surroundings, medical profiles, correspondence, diaries, heraldry, medals, uniforms, and weapons. This is a true story - mostly about marriage, valor, and deceit. If you join me on this trip, it'll transport back to the 1900s, and to many places around the world. Be that as it may, it's part biography, part history, mostly about my wayward father, a career soldier of fortune.
About the Author: As author of "Lover, Soldier, Reprobate," I (Dr. Alexander DeVolpi) am the sole surviving son of Bonaventura Paul Weiss DeVolpi, the biographical subject of this book. I was born 1931 in New York City. My undergraduate degree was in journalism, received with a BA (1953) from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. My two technical degrees are from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg: MS, Nuclear Engineering Physics (1957) and PhD Physics (1967). Whereas my father's military career was varied and war-ridden, mine was comparatively passive, having served during the latter part of the Korean War on a U.S. Navy LST amphibious ship out of Little Creek, Virginia, with various duties as Supply, Gunnery, and Deck Officer. Discharged from active duty after 31/2 years, I remained in the Navy Reserve, retiring after about 16 years as a Lieutenant Commander, USNR. My professional career was centered at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, retiring in 1999 after 40 years of research. I became manager of two projects (hodoscope diagnostics and arms-control/nonproliferation), and I am patent holder for inventions related to the hodoscope. Argonne was operated by the University of Chicago with funding mostly from the DOE and DOD. I have numerous professional publications in nuclear fission, nuclear safety, nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. These are supplemented by several technical-review papers and chapters in professional-review publications, mostly on topics dealing with nuclear-fission parameters and nuclear proliferation. Prior books include "Proliferation, Plutonium and Policy: Institutional and Technological Impediments to Nuclear Weapons Propagation," Pergamon, 1978; "Born Secret: The H-Bomb, the Progressive Case and National Security" (With G.E. Marsh, T.A. Postol, and G.S. Stanford) Pergamon, 1981; "Nuclear Shadowboxing: Contemporary Threats from Cold War Weaponry." Volume 1: Cold War Redux (2005); Volume 2: Legacies and Challenges (2006) (With V.E. Minkov, V.A. Simonenko, and G.S. Stanford) Fidlar Doubleday, 2004 and 2005. My most recent preceding books comprise a trilogy published in 2009: Nuclear Insights: The Cold War Legacy. Volume 1 has the title Nuclear Weaponry (And Insider History); Volume 2: Nuclear Threats and Prospects (A Knowledgeable Assessment); Volume 3: Nuclear Reductions (A Technically Informed Perspective), all available on www.Amazon.Com.