William McMichael

I retired from the daily news biz in 2015 and have spent the ensuing years working on a historical narrative about the (then-)famous Hesse family jewels that were stolen in Germany after World War II by three U.S. Army officers - and largely dispersed by U.S. mobsters. It's a great tale with still-elusive loose ends. The rough draft is nearly complete; hoping to see it published in 2026.

My first book, "The Mother of All Hooks," was published in 1997.

I joined the reporting fraternity 40 years ago when I was "hey-you'd" into writing stories about my Army unit for our base newspaper. That was my springboard, nine years later, to daily journalism. I worked as a reporter, photographer, team editor and mentor; my work included spot reporting, enterprise work, news features and investigative projects from locations near and far.

Much of my reporting was focused on military affairs and published for the most part by three news organizations: Tribune Publishing's Daily Press, the Military Times newspapers and Gannett's News Journal of Wilmington, Del. The Times work included more than three years of reporting on military ops, policy and spending at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. My reporting was cited in numerous studies by the Congressional Research Service, Congressional Budget Office, RAND, Center for Aerospace Doctrine Research, Foreign Policy and others.

Over the years, I've also covered cops and federal/district courts; science and environmental issues; joblessness, drug abuse and other social issues; municipal matters, including land use and development; and veterans' health care and active/Guard activity in Delaware.

Examples of some of my best work are saved in my Portfolio.

On Twitter/X: @billmcmichael
Blog: Need to develop!