Paradise Commander

In 1977, the British were in final stages, shutting down the last Caribbean island colonies of their 350 year empire. That year I took command of Antigua Air Station. We flew right into a never-to-be-repeated time of conversion for West Indies cultures. We were there in the last days, participating first hand in the public life of a proto-nation as Antiguans struggled with the meaning of liberation and consequent responsibility; struggled to find their Spirit of Unity. I had no way of knowing that I, too, was in my last days before liberation. I, too, would discover the meaning of true liberation and consequent responsibility; yes, and joy and awe and wonder, too. I, too, would find The Spirit of Unity. It was there that God’s plan overtook me. Paradise Commander sets the stage and reveals, chapter by chapter, the steady unfolding of radical change; political and cultural conversion for the island peoples and religious conversion for me. In the Associated State of Antigua and Barbuda, the meek were about to inherit the earth.

Lt Colonel Hughes, (USAF retired) holds an M.S. (with distinction) in Systems Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology, an M.M. in Pastoral Ministry from Seattle University (Jesuit) and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction. He taught adults for 25 years as a Catholic catechist and retreat master.