He has maintained a close connection with the heritage and historical perspectives of his former regiment, serving from 2002 to 2015 as a senior trustee of what is today The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum at Salisbury.
During his service, he spent a total of 14 years in Germany and, as his publisher notes, 'Many of these assignments afford[ed] him a unique opportunity to research and write on the German experience of war.
'[2] Frequently serving alongside or with German troops in NATO appointments, he was awarded the Bundeswehr Abzeichen für Leistungen im Truppendienst in Gold in 1987.
These talks have reflected the subject matter of his books, as well as aspects of his time as a former soldier and his post-2002 experiences as an historian and writer, including the practicalities of producing a work for publication.
A review by 'CH' in Soldier magazine in 1999 included the comment that 'while [Cold War Warriors is] an admirably comprehensive diary and record of "human endeavor", [it] should be seen as far more – as a reflection of the times, setting the experiences of a relatively short lifespan [of the regiment] against a significant yet transient part of our history' and '[Stone's] views [are] worthy of respect, coming from one who has commanded a fine county regiment and then recorded its life and times against the background of a fast-changing Army and society.
He also suggests that the NATO-Warsaw Pact confrontation in Central Europe was itself a form of warfare, and that the true nature and extent of this particular aspect of the Cold War has frequently been understated or deliberately downplayed both during and since the conflict; together with some of the less desirable impacts and new threats that have emerged in its wake.
'[8] Also published in 2004 was Battles in Focus: Dien Bien Phu 1954, in which Stone focuses upon a specific Cold War conflict and examines in detail the final stages of the ill-fated French campaign in Indochina; specifically the pivotal and ultimately disastrous defensive battle fought by the French airborne (paratroop), Foreign Legion, colonial, regional and other army units against the People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Minh forces close to the border with Laos in 1954.
'[16] The Nottingham Evening Post, reviewer 'WO' observed that Fighting for the Fatherland was 'Well written' and that 'it is refreshing to find a book that deals equitably with the German Army.
In 2012, his initial research into this World War II film and the activities it portrayed was acknowledged in a comprehensive historical analysis and full account[20] of the subject by Professor G.H.
'[22] LTC Robert A. Lynn, reviewing the book in 2009, described Hitler's Army 1939–1945 as 'the essential reference for anyone seeking a definitive explanation and analysis of one of the world's most formidable fighting forces.
'[23] David Stone's ninth book was Twilight of the Gods: The Decline and Fall of the German General Staff in World War II, published in 2011.
'[25] In a comprehensive review of the book for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Journal[26] in August 2012, Mungo Melvin,[27] concluded that 'Twilight of the Gods represents an important contribution to the study of the Second World War.
It draws you in by providing a lucid and thought-provoking account of the army's development in the march to war, and imparts some powerful lessons in human ingenuity and political misjudgement.