By Christy Chamberlain — Part Nevada history, part U.S. history and entirely genuine, The Sword and the Shield: A Life of Duty and Honor is the memoir of Carson City resident and retired Douglas County sheriff’s deputy Jim Bagwell. He recounts his life and experiences growing up in the 1950s near Hawthorne, Nev., before enlisting in the Air Force, serving in Vietnam, and returning to Nevada, where he worked in law enforcement for 32 years.
Bagwell began his law enforcement career in Las Vegas with the Nevada Highway Patrol in 1971. He was elected sheriff of Humboldt County in 1983 and served through 1990, when he and his wife Lori relocated to Carson City. He worked in the patrol division for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office from 1992-2002.
The Sword and the Shield is a fascinating recollection of Bagwell’s experiences. Nevada history buffs will recognize many of the events, places and people in Bagwell’s stories. Law enforcement officers and military veterans will appreciate the fortitude and resilience needed to survive the dangerous and often lonely missions he accepted. All readers will laugh at some of the exploits and anecdotes he shares – such as moving the state line, meeting Elvis Presley, and witnessing a justice court session conducted in the service bay of a remote Nevada gas station.
Longtime Douglas County residents will remember some of the calls he describes from his point of view. They include dodging a medical helicopter as it crash-landed above Lake Tahoe, a shootout at a trailer park in Gardnerville, and dealing with tourists, bears and holiday chaos at Lake Tahoe.
The stories were compiled over the course of a year. Bagwell’s initial goal was to share them with his children, grandchildren and close friends. Many of them encouraged him to publish a book and share it publicly, because the stories cover a broad range of local and national history while remaining interesting and relatable to all who read them.
Realizing the opportunity to advocate for fellow veterans, Bagwell decided to publish the book as a special Honor Flight Edition. The Honor Flight Edition contains an extensive account of his experience visiting the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The trip was facilitated by Honor Flight Nevada, a non-profit organization that focuses on taking America’s military veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifices.
Net proceeds from the sales of Bagwell’s book will go to Honor Flight Nevada.
The book is scheduled for release on Veterans Day on amazon.com.
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