D. J. Cotten shares some behind-the-scene facts about his book “The Life And Times Of Sgt. Joseph Thomas “Tom” Biway, USMC” with Kate Delaney
America Tonight’s Kate Delaney just interviewed D. J. Cotten, author of The Life And Times Of Sgt. Joseph Thomas “Tom” Biway, USMC, a fascinating real story about a court-martial and murder, respectively, of two men who are US Marines during and after the Korean War.
The book tells readers about the events in the life of a sociopath. From his early teens, Joseph Thomas Biway’s life is a kaleidoscope of troubles and criminal activities. The reader develops some sympathy for him later after he returns home, faces the death of two of his children, and, subsequently, the dissolution of his marriage and other relationships.
His baser actions remain a part of his nature, however. Alcohol abuse exacerbates or possibly anesthetizes him to his cruelty. He is a rapist, a torturer, and a murderer. People are his playthings in ways that are difficult to read due to the sadism that motivates them, but they demonstrate the mindset of a person without a social conscience.
Odell Williams—a former police officer turned Marine, who has joined the Corps after leaving a police department out of frustration with its structure—is a person of conscience. Therefore, he becomes Biway’s nemesis. The hatred of the two for each other fuels additional tragedy.
You can listen to the lively conversation between Delaney and Cotten below:
