GRATIOT — When Don Redden would talk with friends, he never seemingly minded telling stories about his time working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He had gotten used to hearing from his listeners: “you should write a book.”
And that’s what he did. He wrote “Commitment to Courage: The Life and Extraordinary Career of a Veteran FBI Agent,” which is available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.
“I was thinking, ‘Who wants to read this silly stuff?’” Redden said.
His editors Steven and Leya Booth, with Genius Book Publishing, a company based out of Castaic, California, publish true crime novels. They assured him the book would glean an audience, especially with true-crime’s growing popularity.
When asked to sit at a booth at a CrimeCon, a conference held for true crime fans in New Orleans, the popularity of the topic was made clear. Redden was told about 1,500 people would show up. Instead, there were more than 4,500.
When reflecting on some of the most memorable times in his career, he’s surprised at how effortlessly he recalls the stories. His writing took off from there.
“I know exactly what happened,” Redden said. “And I know exactly what I did.”
Redden said the FBI was never something on his radar while growing up in Kentucky. He held a job he enjoyed with General Electric in Louisville, where he planned to retire. However, unable to stand waiting to be drafted for the Vietnam War, he went ahead and joined the Kentucky National Guard, where he was deployed in Vietnam in October 1968.
“When I returned home after a year, I was a changed person,” Redden said.
While attending church one day, he made friends with a new member, Tom Carpenter. Carpenter was an FBI agent and after talking to Redden about his time in Vietnam, encouraged him to apply.
“I just kept saying to myself, ‘I don’t believe this,’” Redden said. “I had never thought of that in my life.”
Redden applied to the FBI in May 1970, passed numerous tests and by October was in Quantico, Virginia, fully immersed in training. He noted this was slightly unusual, since it takes most people one to two years before they make it into the FBI.
Redden started his career in Dallas and since has worked in Amarillo, Texas, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Covington, Kentucky and Washington, D.C. Whereas he knew some of his colleagues dreaded being transferred, Redden said he never minded relocating.
“Every place I went, I was happy,” Redden said. “I would say, ‘Tell me where you want me to go and what you want me to do and I’ll do it.’ For my entire career, that’s what I did.”
Redden shares the stories in his book of working high profile cases. He helped rescue Charlie Shor, whose father David started Duro Bag Manufacturing in Covington, after he was kidnapped in 1982. Shor, who was 28 at the time, was able to get away with the help of Redden and the two are still friends.
Redden also helped investigate in the “Mainline Murders” where Susan Reinert, a teacher, was found murdered in the trunk of her car in 1979. Her children Michael, 10, and Karen, 11, were missing. He was never able to find the bodies of the children, which has always stuck with him.
The victims were what mattered to Redden, he said. He also spent a lot of time with and felt sympathetic toward victims’ families.
Redden decided to retire just shy of 25 years while working in Chicago and moved with his wife Connie to a farm outside of Gratiot in 1995, where they breed horses.
Redden often makes his way to Monroe where he attends fitness classes at the Green County Family YMCA and sometimes can be found hanging out at Perks Coffee Cafe.
Kari Leuzinger had known Redden for years from his visits to Perks, but she had no idea he used to work for the FBI until recently. When she found out about his book she didn’t hesitate to get a copy and said she read it in one sitting.
“In a small town, it’s not that often you get to talk to a retired FBI agent,” Leuzinger said. “It was so interesting to read about everything he did and everything he went through.”
He said writing a book wasn’t necessarily something he always wanted to do, but that he was happy with the finished product.
“That’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” Redden said.
