Hook Up: A Novel of Fort Bragg; by William Singley

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MWSA Review
Life as a paratrooper in the peacetime 1950s
Hilarious, irreverent, irrelevant, racist, profane, vulgar, tragic: all describe the lives of teenage paratroopers in William Singley's Hook Up, a novel about of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in the late 1950s. 

For those who served at Fort Bragg during that spit-polish era between wars, it is a nostalgic read as one remembers similar characters as those skillfully portrayed by the author. He was there, experiencing the agony of jump school and the thrill of leaping from a high-performance airplane, hoping that a canopy pops open to carry him safely to the ground. 

Most of the young men were draftees in those days, yet volunteered for the Army's elite only to count the days until their enlistment's end. There's Patterson, the kid from New Jersey who emerges as the lead character, struggling with maturity and proud to be a private first class. Margolin, the ROTC second lieutenant, is intimidated by everyone older and questions his sanity for joining the paratroopers, but somehow excels. Martin, the marionette first sergeant, treats his company as a private fiefdom. The cast goes on. Some you love, some you hate, some you admire, some you wonder how they ever got in the Army, much less the Airborne. 
The dark side of  Hook Up illustrates blatant racism in an Army barely ten years into desegregation, alcoholism, drugs, and disregard for individual responsibility.

Barracks humor that permeates the book may not be for everyone, especially uptight sergeants major who bristle when anyone tarnishes the image of their beloved 82nd or mothers horrified their precious son was exposed to such antics (but, God forbid, never participated). They too will chuckle when reminded of life back in the day of the OD uniform, spit-shined boots, and raucous bar hopping along Hay Street and Combat Alley in downtown Fayetteville... before the city cleaned up its image.

Singley describes his book as a historical novel. But for those who were there, the situations and attitudes happened. I recommend Hook Up. All the Way!
Reviewer: Joe Epley
 

Author's Synopsis
It was an Army between wars. Korea was a fresh memory for some soldiers and Vietnam was only an insignificant blip on the military radar. It was an Army in which reluctant draftees mixed with aimless volunteers looking for adventure and ways to test or confirm their manhood. In those days and in that Army, “hook-up” was a jump command for paratroopers rather than a romantic liaison.

Hook Up: A Novel of Fort Bragg takes us inside that Army and introduces fascinating characters who are struggling to become paratroopers and survive in a starch-stiff U.S. Army airborne regiment based at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Side-by-side in that demanding trek are officers like Lieutenant Sy Margolin, a potential nebbish who instead becomes a strong leader, and enlisted men like Privates Willie Patterson and Scott Breslin, who challenge authority every step of the way to winning their paratrooper wings.

In Hook Up we get a close-up, very personal, and fascinating look at an Army that no longer exists—an Army populated with soldiers who have either learned hard life lessons or are about to learn them in a crucible where failure can land you in the stockade or in the morgue. From the rigors of barracks life to the raucous off-post adventures to the thrilling jump sequences, Hook Up is a fast-paced, thrilling story of military excellence pursued and human innocence lost.

Harnessing the Sky: Frederick "Trap" Trapnell, the U.S. Navy's Aviation Pioneer, 1923-1952; by Frederick M. Trapnell Jr. and‎ Dana Tibbitts

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MWSA Review
In all the years I have been following aviation, only a few of the early pilots in my library were Navy. So I eagerly read  Harnessing the Sky about Frederick M. "Trap" Trapnell's incredible experiences in test flight in the 1930s and 1940s. Since the book was written by family members, I expected more sentimentality than most biographies. However, while the tone was warm and the book was definitely an easy read, it was well-researched and competently indexed. It covered not only the man but also his era and will make an excellent source for other historians.

Military uses for aircraft were identified during World War I, only a few years into the era of flight. Ensign Trap was assigned to the USS Marblehead when he saw the potential for airplanes to support the Navy's most basic missions. As a result, he volunteered for flight in 1924, just as airplanes were beginning to be viewed as weapons. Aircraft carriers came of age with the help of pilots like Trap who helped perfect air/sea strategies and techniques.

If you are interested in aviation at all, this biography is a must.
Review by Joyce K Faulkner

Author's Synopsis

Harnessing the Sky is one of the best untold stories in 100 years of naval aviation. This biography fills an important void in the history of flight test and explores the legacy of the man who has been called “the godfather of current naval aviation.”

Vice Admiral Frederick M. Trapnell’s calculated courage advanced the frontiers of Navy test flying more than any other aviator during one of the most perilous and thrilling periods of aviation history. “Trap” entered the Navy at a time when flight testing was still in its infancy- when test pilots were more likely to be stunt men than engineers; when airplanes served an ancillary and undeveloped role in the fleet; when the airplane had not yet come into its own as a weapon of war. His vision and leadership shaped the evolution of naval aviation through its formative years and beyond.

When the threat of war in 1940 raised an alarm over the Navy’s deficiency in aircraft—especially fighters—Trap was brought in as head of the Flight Test Section to evaluate and direct the development of all new Navy airplanes. Trap expedited the evolution of two superb fighters that came to dominate the air war against Japan – the Corsair and Hellcat—by dramatically shortening test and development cycles for new prototypes.

This remarkable feat was repeated after World War II when Trap returned as Commander of the Naval Air Test Center to lead the Navy through the challenges of transitioning to jets. Recognized for defining the operating requirements for carrier-based jet propelled aircraft, Trap personally conducted the preliminary tests of the Navy’s first generation jets.

Over the course of two decades (1930-1950), Trap tested virtually every naval aircraft prototype and became the first U.S. Navy pilot to fly a jet. He pioneered the philosophy and perfected many of the methods of the engineering test pilot, demanding aircraft that pushed the performance envelope up to the limits of safety in all flight regimes. He insisted on comprehensive testing of each airplane with all of its equipment in all missions, conditions and maneuvers it would face in wartime fleet operations.

These innovations advanced the tactical capability of naval air power that have kept it at the forefront of modern aviation and stand as an enduring legacy to the man who is regarded as the foremost test pilot in a century of naval aviation.

Never Fear: The Life & Times of Forest K. Ferguson Jr.; by Bob D'angelo

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MWSA Review
Author Bob D’Angelo delivers a well-researched and informative story about a remarkable athlete who stormed Omaha Beach and paid a heavy price over 70 years ago.  Thanks to NEVER FEAR   The Life and Times of Forest K. Ferguson, we learn of a giant among men, Forest Ferguson.  
The author gathers infinite details about this man and our greatest-generation culture.

Small town legend Forest Ferguson becomes a Florida All-American football player and later plays football for the Army against NFL teams,  as was the style in the early forties.  In these and other sports like track, boxing, and basketball, “Fergie” excelled.  Without the author’s exhaustive research, this wonderful American leader’s walk in life and those he knew may have been forgotten.

Leaders were destined to storm the German pill boxes on D-Day.  D’Angelo reveals how Lt. Ferguson earned the Distinguished Service Cross on that grim day, June 6, 1944.  Although neurological deficits from battle injury on D-Day limited Ferguson for life, he still served… and his brand of discipline can be appreciated by any reader.  Thanks to the author, we are given the opportunity. 
MWSA Reviewer: Hodge Wood
 

Author's Synopsis
The story of Forest K. Ferguson Jr. is one of athletic greatness at tiny Stuart High School in the late 1930s and at the University of Florida in the early 1940s. "Fergie" was a World War Ii hero who won the Distinguished Service Cross on D-Day, and paid dearly for his bravery as his promising athletic career -- and life -- would be cut short by his sacrifices. Longtime Florida sports journalist Bob D'Angelo digs into the past and presents a fresh look at a man whose skills and courage were evident on the playing field -- and on the field of battle.

Fiddler's Green; by Jack C. Stoddard

MWSA Review
Jack Stoddard introduces the reader to a special final resting place known as Fiddler’s Green.  About halfway along the road to Hell, there lies a side road cut-off open only to members of the U.S. Army’s cavalry corps. It leads to a lovely encampment where these soldiers, both those who died in a battle somewhere, and those who have died after living for many years with the memories of their wars, can spend eternity with their comrades. Around their nightly campfires and in their six-man tents, the ghost-soldiers come to terms with the horrors of war and with the manner of their own deaths.

The story of how Sergeant Frank Saracino met his death in Vietnam in 1969 plays out against two backdrops. We meet the sergeant himself in his camp at Fiddler’s Green, where he can compare his experiences with those of men who fought in every conflict from the Civil War to Desert Storm. We also meet his family, a sister and a father struggling to understand why he died, and two of the surviving men from his unit who hold the answers to the family’s questions.

As in the case of a theater production that asks the playgoer to suspend his disbelief, so in this book the reader must accept the initial premise of the existence of a special kind of heaven reserved for cavalry soldiers, and their horses, too. If that idea offends, this may not be the book for you. The story itself, however, will ring true to every soldier who has survived the horrors of battle, and it will move those who have lost a loved one in warfare.
MWSA Reviewer: Carolyn Schriber
 

Author's Synopsis
Most soldiers like Jon learned to keep his mouth shut and silently toast his fallen comrades once a year at the dinner table, or maybe even manage to slip away and journey to the nearest local veteran's cemetery on Memorial Day to see all of those tiny American flags lined up dress right dress, waving row upon row across the grassy manicured fields. Jon didn't listen to the speeches being made, but rather just looked glassy eyed across the green covered memorial park as his mind searched for the faces that he had long ago forgotten... Yes there is a special look in a soldier's eye that tells another soldier that he has been there and has been baptized by fire. We call it seeing the tiger. Jon has seen the tiger, and as Jon's hair turns gray, and his body wrinkles from age, his dear friend Frank who lives at Fiddler's Green will always remain that twenty-two year old kid wearing his black beret and flashing that big smile.

A Dusty Boot Soldier Remembers by Larry A Redmond

MWSA Review

A primer in leadership, duty, and determination

When I began to read A Dusty Boot Soldier Remembers, I quickly felt Colonel Larry Redmond was sitting beside me, relating in a verbal folksy manner the many stories of his amazing career as a Special Forces qualified Airborne Ranger infantry officer who never strayed far from a paratrooper's billet. These were not cold words on a page, but a warm, factual portrayal of a quarter of a century of challenging experiences.

Redmond’s memories provide an insider's view of Army history from 1962, when he got his gold bar as a second lieutenant, through his retirement as a colonel and senior planner for Central Command in 1986.  In addition to two tours as a company commander with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam where he received the Purple Heart and Silver Star, he commanded a battalion in the 82nd Airborne and served as United Nations observer on the Golan Heights following the 1973 Israeli-Arab war. He also spent several years as a Green Beret in Panama.  One of his more interesting assignments was testing the fledgling Detachment Delta to ensure its readiness to become operational as the Army's elite counter-terrorism force.

He explains how all of the assignments brought new understanding to the author's evolution as an extraordinary officer. Scattered throughout the narrative are "Redmond's Rules," some witty lessons learned that any soldier can benefit by following. These range from "Things get worse under pressure. Stay cool." to "Think it through, don't do dumb things." Sage advice from a man who took meaning from all life's experiences and excelled in his chosen profession.

He led by example, put his troops first, and credits his success to the friendship and advice from his sergeants as well as senior officers. He spoke the truth, even when it was counter to the thinking of higher brass. While some saw him destined for a general's star, he shunned the Pentagon and other assignments usually required to reach a flag rank. He preferred to stay on jump status with his beloved Airborne.  

A Dusty Boot Soldier Remembers is an easy read, not cluttered with a plethora of acronyms that plague many military histories and biographies. For the military reader, Redmond's memoir is a must for your library. The casual reader will also find it enjoyable, entertaining, and informative.

I give this book a lusty "Airborne All the Way, Sir!"

Reviewer: Joe Epley
 

Author: Larry A. Redmond
ISBN-10: 1555717780
ISBN-13: 978-1555717780

KINYAMASWA: An Epic Poem by Andreas Morgner

MWSA Review

Kinyamaswa, by Andreas Morgner, is truly “an epic poem.”  The author dragged painful memories from people who survived the genocide in Rwanda that bled the life from a nation in 1994.  He uses masterful images that compel the reader to live the experience with them. His research had to be written with tears as he made notes of the stories he heard.  Every word, every line, every image Morgner shares has meaning, undeniable meaning, that compels the reader to experience their pain. It is a book intended for adults.  Youthful readers would confuse reality with science fiction, for truth is surely more impactful than fiction in this case.  Morgner paints a picture that imprints on a reader’s mind, with images that cause frequent gasps for air.  We don’t want to believe mankind can be this cruel or sink to the levels that genocide excavates. 

Many years ago I listened to a masterful telling of Beowulf in the Celtic dialect.  The fires of hell were in the words of that storyteller and I feel them still.  I experienced war first hand, but not the kind of thing described in Kinyamaswa, which means “merciless.” The book is written for history lovers, people who enjoy free style poetry, and others who simply want to step into a seriously talented storyteller’s world. 

I found myself saddened that the story is applicable to current events. When I began the journey through Morgner’s “cantos” I did not expect it to leave the impression it did. I applaud his work and respect his incredible command of our language.  

I wholeheartedly recommend Kinyamaswa: An Epic Poem. 

Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins
Author: Andreas Morgner
ISBN-10: 1627200746
ISBN-13: 978-1627200745

The Cards in the Deck by Robert Stanek

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MWSA Review

The blaring alarm awoke Scott Evers in his bunk on the Sea Shepherd, a 201 foot ship with a crew of 45 operated by an organization similar to Greenpeace. Its mission was to disrupt illegal Tuna fishing in the Mediterranean Sea.

On his way to the topside Evers, whose job is security, discovered Libyans had sunk a sister ship, the Bardot III. When he reached the top deck he saw the ship was circling one of five Tunisian fishing boats and their crews were hurling links of chain at the Sea Shepherd, whose crew was responding with fire hoses and stink bombs, a repeat of previous battles. Then things went south.

David Gilbert, a NASA senior data mining and analysis specialists at a super secret National Cybersecurity Initiative Data Center (DC), Camp Williams, Utah was a troubled man. Gilbert was early because he wanted to review the latest D-Wave test results from the latest generation of supercomputers employing quantum computing. Gilbert’ supercomputer was one of three with super-cooled niobium chips. After studying the results he realized something was amiss in the Med. Now Gilbert had two things to worry about: What was not being reported in the Med, and his long time concern about supercomputers exceeding human intelligence and enslaving the human race. 

The “director” enters the story and Scott Evers and his gal pal Edie have rollicking, fantastical adventures as they chase the bad guys across the Mediterranean to Malta with the help of the CIA, NSA, SEALs and the Sixth Fleet. 

Reviewer: Lee Boyland

ISBN-10: B00TBFNFFC
ISBN-13: 978-1511983631

Reflections of Life by Dustin Bogue

MWSA Review

Post 911 warriors—like their parents and grandparents before them—must approach faith, culture, loyalty, and service through eyes seared by war. Jon Nelson’s slim volume of poetry, Reflections of Life,  is broken into seemingly diverse sections: American Pride, Love of a Lifetime, Human Nature, A Darker Side, and God’s Beauty.  However, the order of these topics is as meaningful as the poetry contained within them. Nelson’s poetic style is simple but his thoughts are intellectual and brave. 

In the first section, most of the poems are “in your face” patriotism, the thoughts of a man who has chosen to spend his youthful years in a war zone. Painful transitions from innocence to protector are explored in “As You Get Ready.” Then poems like “Lay My Guns Down” and “Freedom isn’t Free” probe the realities of life in a war zone. By the time I got to “Heart of a Soldier,” I appreciated the layers of meaning in “On my back, I carry this unbearable load, As I walk along this seemingly endless road.”

The second section, Love of a Lifetime, seems all the more joyous for the months and years spent in a desert waiting for something ugly to happen. Lovers often say things like “Your love is what keeps me going” and “Your inspiration always surrounds me” and “You are my rock.” However, coming on the heels of poems like “A Soldier’s Night Before Christmas,” they take on deeper, darker meanings.

In the next two sections, Human Nature and A Darker Side, the poet moves on to deeper reflections. “Leave Your Mark,” sounded so much like my father, a World War II veteran who often pondered the same issues. When Nelson talked about the need to prove yourself “if someone makes you feel worthless,” I swallowed back sad memories of the years my dad was lost inside his own head. And “Insanity” was all too familiar for a child of war.

The final section focuses on spirituality. These poems made me smile. They aren’t truly about religion but more about a reboot, a deliberate way to perceive life. “Forces Stand Against Me” once more reminded me of the challenges veterans face. While they were away, the world changed. While they were away, they changed. This thoughtful little book explores the challenges a combat vet faces trying to find home again.

MWSA Reviewer: Joyce Faulkner

ISBN: 978-1625103321  
ASIN: 1625103328

Meant To Be by Jessica James

MWSA Review

When a chance meeting on a quiet beach turns into a fun day of laughter and a déjà vu feeling of companionship, Lauren Cantrell and Michael "Rad" Radcliff find it hard to say good-bye.  They soon find their paths unexpectedly cross in the most undesired way, in a place where courage and hope are all they have left to give.  In this world of danger where lives are at stake, they'll do anything to keep each other safe... if it's not too late. 

In her romance novel, Meant to Be, Jessica James introduces us to two strangers who make us want to believe in soul mates or, at least, love at first sight.  The author builds on layers of romance, secrets, heartache, and sacrifice to reveal a tapestry of emotion deeply set inside the bravest of Americans; the soldier.  Ms. James' characters are real, multi-faceted and engaging; the reader soon becomes entangled in the dichotomy of the horrors of war juxtapose with love-fueled and patriotic bravery with these new-found friends. 

Meant to Be takes us on a tumultuous journey of love, heartache, healing, and hope.  I found myself on the edge of my seat, feeling the pain and sorrow, clinging to the idea love beats all odds for the sake of her characters.  I look forward to reading Jessica James' other romance novels.

Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart (Oct 2015)

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Author's Summary

It started as a chance encounter on the beach, and ended 24 hours later when they parted to go their separate ways. 
Or so they thought.

Actually it was just the beginning.  When LAUREN CANTRELL said goodbye to the guy she had just met on the beach, she had no way of knowing their paths would ever cross again. But fate had another unexpected meeting in store for them—this time in a place where danger was part of the culture and the stakes were life and death. 

THE LAST PERSON in the world Rad expected to see at a special ops briefing in Afghanistan is the girl he met at the beach two weeks ago—the one he can’t stop thinking about. 

From the sundrenched beaches of Ocean City, Md., to the snowcapped mountains of Afghanistan, this thrilling tale of espionage and intrigue takes readers on a spellbinding journey into the secret lives of our nation’s quiet heroes—and answers the question: 
What do you do when the person you most want to protect is the one risking everything to make sure you survive? 

MEANT TO BE recounts the dedication of our military, the honor and sacrifice of our soldiers, and a relationship that is tested and sustained by the powerful forces of love, courage and resolve. 

Dagger Four Is OK; by Bill Norris

Review

At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.

Reviewed by: Donald J. Farinacci (Nov 2015)

Author's Summary

At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.

Hello, Wigwam by L John Lawrence

MWSA Review

Private Costas first gets a desk job for no apparent reason in Vietnam. Everything and anything runs out of control from there. Costas finds himself strangely ordered to join in covert field operations with real warriors, under the control of an unseen "Wigwam" command. The young soldier feels the gamut of emotions from fear to bravery in the terrifying fog of war. Triumph and disaster are never fully reported in this classic "SNAFU" as he chooses to lead the fight. In the aftermath, Costas sorts through what can't be stated - and the young man's life goes on totally changed forever.

Reviewed by:Hodge Wood (2015)

Author's Summary

Creating a most unlikely hero, the army assigned Albert Costas, the youngest and lowest-ranking soldier in the Vietnam War, to run errands and do other menial tasks for the headquarters staff in Saigon. The transition to the real world, coming of age - difficult for any young man - becomes for Albert the unreal world of Army life in a combat zone. He sees the parade of bizarre and irrational behavior of men under stress and struggles to maintain his own grasp on reality. Unknown decision-makers hiding behind the code name Wigwam, add to the confusion, where all is upside down, inside out, and backwards. Sacrifice and achievement become twisted with tragic results.

The Stonegate Sword by Harry James Fox

A wonderfully told story of character, faith, and military action set in the future…which seems like the past!

Review

Harry James Fox scores with a unique story that blends the past with an apocalyptic future to produce an adventure of character, faith, and military action.

The “old way” (our time as we know it) ended, and what now exists is a world of swords and shields, reminiscent of Medieval times.  The Black Prophet is the ultimate evil, and the lands he controls know oppression, heavy taxation, and ruthless enforcement by the Raiders.  The lands outside his reach have an easier life, but the Prophet is always trying to expand his territory.

The beginning of the story details how the lives of two dissimilar characters (Donald and Phillip) are damaged irreversibly by the Prophet.  As the book follows these two lives, they eventually come together when both are fighting on the outnumbered side of good.  Only solid military prowess and planning, coupled with technologies from the old way which are not fully understood, can hope to defeat the Prophet’s armies.

Book is well written, and the author shows his command of the English language well.  It also has an obvious Christian influence, in a way that is refreshing but not heavy-handed.  It is obvious the author researched heavily into cavalry warfare from Medieval times, and the book “feels” very real.  It is not a short read, but is worth the effort and sets up well for a sequel.

Author: Harry James Fox
ISBN: 978-1-63315-322-5
MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister

One Stick and a Waco; by J. M. Taylor

MWSA Review

J. M. Taylor scores again with his second in the “Stick” series, featuring everyday heroes from the famous 101st Airborne “Screamin’ Eagles.”

2nd Lietenant Alex Pfister barely survived D-Day, and is now on loan to the OSS.  Preparing for Operation MARKET GARDEN, he’s dropped behind enemy lines, and begins an odyssey that involves a beautiful American nurse POW, a downed Tuskegee airman, several paratroopers from different elements of the 101st, and a german shepherd named Max.  Will Pfister lead this ragtag bunch back to enemy lines, or will the Nazis find them and finish Pfister for good?

This book is well-written, with fast moving action and likable, realistic characters.  It’s realistic without being too graphic, and the reader feels drawn in to the action.  Taylor also works some humor into the story to keep more human.  This book definitely made me want to read the first in the series, and I look forward to the sequel.  Highly recommended.

MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister  

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A well-written, fast moving story of brave Screamin’ Eagles behind German lines during Operation Market Garden!

ISBN: 978-1-879043-25-1  

I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them

Review

Three soldiers brought together by the war in Afghanistan, and after one fateful event none can erase from memory, Wintric, Dax, and Torres struggle to return to normalcy in the country for which they fought.

In his novel, I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them, Jesse Goolsby depicts the lives of three men fighting personal demons after their return from war.  Goolsby pens flawed, loathsome, and lovable characters who burrow their essence into the reader's mind, and become more real than neighbors.  His story spans decades, weaving through time and place, and comes out on the other end as a satisfying read; one which haunts far after the last page is turned.  Even now, I find myself wondering about the characters, wishing for their peace, and missing them.

I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them is a heart-wrenching narrative of revenge, redemption, and release.  The tale is all too real and relatable by generations of soldiers who've returned from the battlefield, and their families who witness the battles still raging within. I enjoyed this book, title and all.  I found it to be one of the best of its kind.  I look forward to reading Jesse Goolsby's next book.

Author: Jesse Goolsby
ISBN: 978-0-544-38098-1
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Cover Design: Brian Moore
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart; 29 November 2015

Mataluna: 151 Afghan Pashto Proverbs

MWSA Review

Mataluna-- 151 Afghan Pashto Proverbs, by Captain Edward Zellem, is a wonderful compilation of Afghan Pashto proverbs common to another element of Afghani culture.  

Zellem takes an entertaining and enlightening approach to sharing ancient cultural wisdom from a country often veiled from our view.  Zellem, as an interpreter and educator while serving in the United States Navy, was privy to an aspect of Afghanistan's history that most combatants never discover.  As a man skilled in the languages and historical nuances of a country where our nation was at war, chose to share proverbs that define it but also parallel our own.  It is an interesting and different journey into a battlefield for anyone interested in history.  I recommend his book and thank Captain Zellem for his continued and successful work.

Reviewed by Mike Mullins (2015)

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Author's Summary

By popular demand from around the world, the much-anticipated new book of Afghanistan's top Pashto Proverbs has just been published. Collected and written by Edward Zellem, the award-winning author of Zarbul Masalha: 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs and Afghan Proverbs Illustrated. Illustrated by Afghan high school students in Kabul, Afghanistan. Edited by Hares Ahmadzai.

Mataluna ('Proverbs' in Pashto) is the first and only book of its kind. It is a unique multicultural and multilingual collaboration between an American naval officer, an Afghan high school, and native Pashto speakers from all over the world. 

Mataluna features 151 commonly used Pashto Proverbs and 50 original illustrations by Afghan high school students. The book is bilingual in English and Pashto, and includes Pashto script, English translations, and transliterations for easy pronunciation.

Honor Thy Brothers: The Fight Against Communism; by Suzanne Simon Dietz

MWSA Review

Suzanne Simon Dietz has written a compelling book about veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. She covers a spectrum of experiences by including people from all of the services and a variety of military skill sets. She does not embellish their stories. 

The words are the words of veterans, the views are those of veterans, the conclusions are those of veterans. Dietz is a historian, a writer dedicated to sharing personal history and thus preserving it. anyone who enjoys military history from the personal viewpoint of those who fight our wars will appreciate her work. The research she has performed provides many avenues for further reading for anyone who includes this book in their library. I recommend Honor Thy Brothers for both reasons. It is worthy of being on a military history lover's bookshelf.

Reviewed by Mike Mullins (2015)

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Author's Summary

"Honor Thy Brothers" preserves the stories of sacrifice from some of those who served from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam in the backdrop of the strengthening Soviet Communist government, which challenged America for world leadership for half a century.

Sheppard of the Argonne: Alternative History Naval Battles of WWII

MWSA Review

“Sheppard of the Argonne” is a fast read, and once the action starts, it becomes a book that keeps your attention through to its dramatic conclusion. 

Although not fully physically or emotionally recovered from painful leg injuries sustained in combat near Pearl Harbor, Captain Sheppard McCloud was honored to receive command on one of the Navy’s most modern battle cruisers in 1942. Plagued with self-doubt and guilt following the loss of many of his men and the extensive damage to his previous ship, he struggles to put his mission and instincts first.

On Sheppard’s first cruise as skipper of the Argonne, he is part of America’s first naval task force ordered to take the war to the German fleet in the eastern Atlantic.

In this well written historical novel by an author who is a retired Navy captain, the reader sees the action unfolding not only from Sheppard’s perspective but also from the viewpoint of commanders in other vessels and aircraft. The battle scenes are vivid, the descriptions authentic, horrific, and detailed without being overburden with jargon and minutia 

“Sheppard of the Argonne” is a story of a complex battle involving carriers, cruisers, submarines and aircraft. Although skillfully presented from the perspectives of American, German and British characters, it is primarily Sheppard’s story as he works to keep his ship afloat and fighting in a battle that teeters on the edge of disaster. 

There are no stereotypes portrayed here, rather men pushed to their limits in courage, decision-making, and training. I find the book a compelling read and as useful in providing sound leadership advice as it is entertaining.  “Sheppard of he Argonne” is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Epley(2015)

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Author's Summary

Captain Sheppard McCloud, a hero of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor and “savior” of the west coast from air attack, must hide his post-traumatic stress from senior officers and subordinates alike in an age that considered its symptoms cowardice. Though still suffering from both his physical and psychological wounds, the Navy brass has decided they need their best Captain back in command of the latest capital ship—the battle cruiser Argonne. With less than a day until they leave on a mission that could decide the fate of the allied cause, Sheppard must rally his officers and men, gain their confidence, and build them into a team. Leadership challenges abound, as the task force that includes the Argonne crosses the Atlantic they confront submarines, aircraft, and finally enemy surface ships, in exciting battles vividly described, culminating in that rarest of actual battles—a gun duel between capital ships. The novel has been carefully researched to accurately reflect the customs, traditions, and equipment the United States Navy used to win a two ocean war. Much of the hardware from the novel can be seen on board the battleship memorials to the greatest generation. Notes G. William Weatherly is a pen name for a retired U.S. Navy Captain with 30 years of service and command of three ships. His last assignment was as a professor of operations and chairman of the Joint Military Operations Department at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Her Own Vietnam by Lynn Kanter

MWSA Review

Lynn Kanter has hit a home run in Her Own Vietnam.  This is more than just a story about a woman suffering from PTSD, or a story about a nurse's experiences in the Vietnam war.  Her Own Vietnam is a thought provoking journey into the realities of war and its impact on individuals and society. 

Don't let me scare you into thinking this is some philisophical treatise that you have to fight your way through, this book is an easy, interesting read.  It is also a book that will leave you thinking about a significant, but often overlooked part of any war - the life and death in an evacuation hospital where the troops are brought directly from the battlefield. 

At first, I thought the book's focus was fairly specific, but as I read on I realized there was more than one story being told here.  The book is well written.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good literary fiction.

Reviewed by Bob Doerr (2015)

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Author's Summary

For decades, Della Brown has tried to forget her service as a U.S. Army nurse in Vietnam. But in the middle of the safe, sane life she’s built for herself, Della is ambushed by history. She receives a letter from a fellow combat nurse, a woman who was once her closest friend, and all the memories come flooding back.

As the U.S. prepares to plunge into war in Iraq, Della struggles to make peace with her memories of Vietnam. She must also confront the fissures in her family life; the mystery of her father’s disappearance, the things mothers and daughters cannot—maybe should not—know about one another, and the lifelong repercussions of a single mistake.

An unflinching depiction of war and its personal costs, Her Own Vietnam is also a portrait of a woman in midlife — a mother, a nurse, and long ago a soldier.

Publisher: Shade Mountain Press (2014)
Binding: Paperback, 214 pages

Young Soldiers Amazing Warriors: Inside One of the Most Highly Decorated Battalions of Vietnam by Robert H Sholly

Review

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2015)

I was honored to have actually held this book in my hands and to have been able to read about such heroic young men in battles long forgotten by the world at large. "Young Soldiers - Amazing Warriors" by Col. Robert Sholly is a book that future generations will read and wonder if these men really ever existed. Thank God for such men who sacrificed so much of their own lives and youth for a cause bigger than themselves. Actually, they were truly there for each other as brothers in battle. The author, I think, under tells the story without embellishments that most of us old veterans seem to add to our old glory stories about the war. You get the feeling that he is just telling you of how it was. But what a history to share, and what stories of such young warriors.

There are not many books about the Vietnam War that surprise me or generate the emotional connections that this book brought to me. I have read over 200 books related to the Vietnam War and most of those were memoirs or history books. This is by far one of the best of the group. One gets the feeling that it is the heroic history of the 4th Infantry Division itself that enriches the reading experience - after all, these young men needed nothing more than a narration of what happened. However, I was impressed with the author's ability not to get in the way of the stories themselves. He tells it in a style and manner that honors it.

I am a Vietnam Veteran and an author as well, so for me to impressed with another book on the Vietnam War means it had to be special and above the rest. This was! This is a FIVE STAR BOOK on any rating chart! I fully endorse it and recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading history, or reading about heroes!

Author's Summary

Book covers the first year of combat for the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division (1966-67). The narrative follows the author's daily journals and is augmented by descriptions of events by his men from their differing perspectives. It describes the harsh environmental conditions in which infantrymen had to live even before they confronted their first enemy. The combat scenes are tragic and brutal. Time and again, men knowingly sacrificed their lives to save their friends. The combat tempo was such that in a 60-day period there were four Medals of Honor and five Distinguished Service Crosses awarded to men of the battalion for their bravery and valor. The book was written to help educate the American public what their soldiers experience when the country sends them to war, no matter where or when they fight.

Corrales Writing Group 2013 Anthology

MWSA Review

How does one rate and talk about a book that has six individually talented authors with diverse interests and focus? I dove into the book by not beginning at the front of the book - but by randomly jumping into the middle where I found author Jim Tritten's chapter called "Night Flight to Norway". This kind of got my attention and so that was where I began the process of discovering digesting the whole book. I found it was like reading six very short books but that did not bother me, nor do I think it would anyone else. Each story captivates and entertains in a different fashion. No two authors had the same energy, or point of view. The only thing that ties them all together is the like ability of the authors. The book is certainly a journey which is easy to walk. The stories are just long enough for those times when you want to read something while you are not engaged doing anything or waiting.

I personally explored it by skipping over stories that I would later come back to and explore. The key is to enjoy your own time with this book. In the end, I devoured it in all it’s entirely. Yes, some of the stories stood out for me more so then others - like the first one I read by Tritten but there were none that were bad, or that I did not enjoy or find some valve in. Nice book to have laying around the house for light reading, or for when you are at an airport or on vacation.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2015)

Author's Summary

Jim Tritten (Navy vet and MWSA member) wrote: Night Flight to Norway (memoir about a military flight during which he almost died), Two Old Soldiers (memoir about his veteran grandfather), & So Why Did they Invent Pink Duct Tape? (humorous essay). The latter two have won awards elsewhere.

Tom Neiman (Army vet) wrote: The Leather Truths (memoir about teenage life in New Jersey), & A Heart's Journey (memoir about his wife).

Leon Wiskup (Army vet) wrote two short stories - The Newcomer & Funniest Damn Thing (a military story); as well as two poems - On Being 88 & Dawn Encounter.

Don Reightley (Navy vet) wrote five serious essays: On Becoming Sixty, Meditations on Life, Making the Best of It, Dragon's Lair, Is Anybody Home?, & Corporate Oligarchy.

Sandi Hoover wrote: An Amazon Night (memoir fantasy while hospitalized), What Love Is (memoir about her husband), My Father had a Sweet Tooth (memoir about her father), and Saving Mother Earth (essay).

Patricia Walkow wrote two memoirs from her teenage years in New York - Revelation & The Aristocrat. She also contributed an excerpt (the first two chapters) from her forthcoming fictionalized biography of her father-in-law's life in Germany during WWII as a slave laborer - The War Within - Jozef's Story

The entries in the group's first anthology will make the reader laugh, wonder, cry, smile and reminisce.