Living Waters by Ed Waldrop

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Living Waters is the story of AJ McClellan, born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. He was raised and nurtured along her creeks and waterways. Tragic events in AJ’s young life tested him deeply, but it was the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City that moved him to action. Determined to serve in his country’s defense, AJ joined the Army right out of high school, eventually doing two combat tours in Iraq. He would later leave the Army a broken man, emotionally and spiritually. He lived a vacant life in central Texas until an unexpected death in the family brought him home and began a redemptive journey for him of new life, new love, and new hope.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 9781641111171, ASIN B07GX1593B (Kindle)
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 302 

Duck Your Head and Keep On Going: A Marine Lieutenant's Passage Through Vietnam by John Booth

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

The author fought as a lieutenant in two wars in Vietnam. The first was a counterinsurgency against Viet Cong guerrillas that people today still do not understand. The second was a conventional war against the North Vietnamese Army. The book is both a personal memoir written over twenty years and a historical document backed up by extensive research of previously classified information. You will feel like you are living alongside the author as you and he together undergo the privations of war and the rigors of combat. You will learn the stories of his comrades as they lived and died and whose names appear on the Vietnam Wall today. Lieutenant Booth served as a forward observer with two rifle companies, a gunnery officer with an artillery battery, and a fire support coordinator with and infantry battalion where he lived a primitive existence. Ammunition, water and food were held-lifted in and dead and wounded were held-lifted out.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781732560901
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 211 

Hitler's Last Christmas: The Day the Entire Mighty Eighth Air Force Entered the Battle of the Bulge by Donald Kilburg Jr

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Hitler's Last Christmas is the documentary story of the largest aerial bombing mission in history. On Christmas Eve 1944 the 8th Air Force launched a maximum effort mission to eliminate tactical targets that were supporting Hitler's surprise Ardennes Offensive. 2046 heavy bombers and 853 fighters, every flyable aircraft available to the 8th Air Force in England were dispatched to accomplish the objectives of the 8th's Mission 760. This book details the events of the day from formation to return through the stories of the participants and the official records of the day.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-9772-0639-8
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 309 

They Called Him Doc: Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr by Linda Swink

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

A young widow sits at home considering all the “what ifs.” What if her husband hadn’t volunteered to go on that mission? He didn’t have to go. He was supposed to be on an airplane, flying to Hawaii for R&R to meet his wife and newborn baby. What if he had gotten into college before being drafted? He would have had a deferment. What if he had run off to Canada to avoid going to war? He’d be safe now. What if he hadn’t declared himself a conscientious objector? He wouldn’t have been assigned as a medic, running to the aid of his buddies, only to get killed. As a regular soldier he would have carried a gun instead of a medical bag. He would have been able to defend himself. He would be alive today. But “what ifs” never change anything and life goes on. They Called Him Doc is the story of a young man, not yet twenty-one, who gave his life for his fellow soldiers in Vietnam.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781093648188
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 203

Chains Of Nobility by Brad Graft

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Duyal, a teenage nomad living on the vast Russian steppe, is captured during a Mongol invasion and forced on a long, deadly journey into the war-torn Middle East. Purchased by a Kurdish prince in eastern Turkey, his destination is an Islamic citadel, filled with similarly enslaved strangers and one merciless instructor—a man determined to purge the weaklings from his ranks and forge the survivors into Mamluks, Islamic Knights unmatched in wielding sword, arrows, and lance from atop Arabian steeds. When Duyal becomes entangled in his instructor’s schemes and his mates witness another comrade’s unjust execution, the recruits can take it no longer. Their wrath is unleashed. Chains of Nobility is the first book in the Brotherhood of the Mamluks trilogy. Set during the 13th century, the book is an immersive dive into the world of military slavery—a Muslim institution largely unheard of in the West, whose ranks ousted the Crusaders and Mongols from the Levant, preserving Islam. Chains of Nobility was recently selected as a finalist for the 2019 Colby Award, which "recognizes a first work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of military history, intelligence operations, or international affairs."

ISBN/ASIN: 13:978-0999633854, 13: 978-0-9996338-2-3 , 10: 0-9996338-2-1
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 443 

Checkmate by Karna Small Bodman

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

The new, revised story of CHECKMATE is the first in The White House National Security Series, and features Lt. Col. Hunt Daniels, detailed from the Pentagon to the White House National Security Council, to work with Dr. Cameron Talbot who has invented a breakthrough technology against cruise missiles. She needs support from her skeptical defense company officers and funding from a reluctant Congress. With disaster brewing overseas, threats to New Delhi, the Taj Mahal, and to Cameron herself, she and Hunt find themselves enmeshed in terrorist plots and political wrangling at the highest levels.

ISBN/ASIN: (Trade Paper) ISBN: 978-1-62157-780-5; (Kindle): ASIN: B07D2HT1GH; (Audio CDs) ISBN: 978-1721358830
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 414

Surpassing the Crucible by R. W. Riley

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

The fight over the “One Army Concept” is at its peak. Some in the active Army believed the concept would never work. Weekend warriors couldn’t be reliable enough to be integrated into the Army’s demanding worldwide missions. In 1989 the National Guard’s 2nd Battalion 220th Infantry needs to perform well at the prestigious Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. The men and officers of the 2nd battalion were going to be tested by the Army’s best trained professional Opposing Force at the infantry’s ultimate proving ground. They must perform well. Everyone was watching. But this wasn’t your average National Guard unit. Their consistent superior performance during the last several years prompted the National Guard leadership to select them to represent the Guard on this national stage. There are countless distinct challenges for National Guard units that active duty units don’t face. This story describes how the battalion’s exceptional leadership is able to overcome these challenges to turn their unique situation into an advantage. Can the battalion prove to everyone that the “One Army Concept” works? If so, then what’s next?

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-5320-6089-2 (sc)
Book Format(s): Soft cover, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 400

Interview with a Terrorist by James Rosone and Miranda Watson

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Interview with a Terrorist is an interesting and provocative firsthand account of author James Rosone’s time in Iraq with the United States Army. In 2006, Rosone trained for human intelligence gathering and deployed to Camp Striker in Iraq. From the training on how to stay within the letter of the law to his homecoming trip, the book details the eighteen months that affected his life in ways that could not be imagined. Daily contact with some of the worst members of terrorist groups as well as living conditions the American military endured as a matter of course produced a determination to make a difference to our fighting forces, our country, and the world at large.

Most members of the American public know little of the day to day grind of our military men and women who interrogate terrorists for human intelligence. Instead we have all too often relied on the sensationalist media and Hollywood’s version of the truth. This book provides an unvarnished antidote through the eyes of someone who actually spent time doing the work.

Review by Betsy Beard (June 2019)

---

Author's Synopsis

 Have you ever wondered what really goes on in those poorly lit interrogation rooms overseas? Are you prepared to travel down a dark path into a world few know of…and even fewer have ever talked about? In 2006, when the Iraq war was all but lost, a new strategy was implemented—not only would America place combat troops in nearly every village and city across Iraq, the US would systematically hunt down every terrorist and insurgent group operating in the country. However, that strategy relied upon the success of a small interrogation unit within Task Force 134 to find, locate, and eliminate these threats to peace and stability within Iraq. Interview with a Terrorist follows James Rosone’s true life story as he joined the interrogation team to try and make a difference in the conflict in Iraq. Learn what it was like to interrogate Al Qaeda prisoners and how he met the challenge of obtaining intelligence without the use of torture. Experience what it’s like to sit across the table from some of the world’s most evil terrorists—men who just hours ago killed dozens of civilians or American soldiers. Experience the thrill of a capture mission that goes well and the sinking depression and anger of a mission that goes horribly wrong. If you like insights into hidden worlds, conspiracies unraveled, and raw portrayals of American soldiers’ experiences, you’ll love Rosone’s frank and uncensored autobiography. James Rosone has spent over 2,000 hours interrogating Al Qaeda terrorists, cracking their secrets to prevent attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces. He helped uncover terrorist cells operating in Europe, East Africa, and in the U.S. Homeland. All the while, he endured challenges few civilians could image. Would you be willing to make the same sacrifice for your country? Grab your copy and find out what goes on in one of the dirtiest jobs of any war.

ISBN/ASIN: B01MFHWCCL
Book Format(s): Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 224