Shrapnel Wounds; by Tom Crowley

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MWSA Review
Shrapnel Wounds, An Infantry Lieutenant’s Vietnam War Memoir is a well-crafted raw look at the combat experience of one soldier, which also represents the experiences of countless others. Tom Crowley’s unabashed account of his time in the military and the lifelong impact it had on him is a must read for anyone who seeks to understand the reality of combat. 

Crowley skillfully captures the struggles, heroism, fear, and loss experienced by combat soldiers of all eras. From mundane days, to tragic, senseless deaths, to equally tragic but extraordinarily heroic sacrifices, Crowley takes the reader with him. He brings the reader to boot camp and to the jungles, in a manner that is felt as opposed to just read. He shines a spotlight on the lethal consequences of arbitrary decisions and backwards bureaucracy while demonstrating the courage of the unsung heroes of war. 

This book will resonate with combat veterans, provide insight to their families, and educate the ignorant on the true cost of freedom.

Welcome Home.

MWSA Reviewer: Barbara Allen

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Author's Synopsis

Shrapnel Wounds is the combat memoir of Lieutenant Tom Crowley, an enthusiastic and highly trained U.S. Army enlistee and Officer Candidate School grad who enters combat in Vietnam in mid-1966. Highly regarded by his infantry platoon and strongly encouraged by his superiors to become a professional soldier, Crowley almost inadvertently examines the system by which career officers are shepherded through to higher and higher rank—and increasingly rejects that system over the course of his one-year combat tour.

Before the Belle; Cassius Mullen

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MWSA Review
A great read and a long-overdue recognition of a record-breaking B-24 crew during World War II.

Have you heard of the Memphis Belle? Have you seen the movie—or the 1944 documentary—of the same name? How about 12 O'Clock High? When we think of World War II bombers, why is it that the B-17 seems to be the first airplane to come to mind? You might find an answer in an article written for the January 2016 edition of the Aviation History magazine, which quotes a B-24 engineer-gunner: "The B-24 was the bomber that was mostly ignored when the history books were written." Thanks to authors Cassius Mullen and Betty Byron, and their thoroughly enjoyable book, Before the Belle, you'll have a much better appreciation for the Liberator's capabilities and its role during the war.

As a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, I was familiar with the story of the Memphis Belle. I also thought that I had a pretty good handle on daylight precision bombing—carried out primarily by the U.S. Army Air Corps—during the Second World War. Although I was familiar with the B-24 Liberator, this book made it clear that there was a great deal I didn't know about its capabilities and contributions to the war effort.

In addition to being a great read, Before the Belle also makes an important contribution by correcting the historical record—which gave the crew of the Memphis Belle credit for being the first to accomplish twenty-five combat missions in the European theater of operations. The authors correctly point out that rather than the Memphis Belle, it was the crew of a B-24 Liberator nicknamed Hot Stuff, who were the first to reach that important milestone.

After a short introduction, we follow the Hot Stuff's crew as they complete their initial training in the airplane, get their first taste of combat during anti-submarine patrols off the coast of Florida, deploy to Europe, and fly and fight their way through each of their thirty-one combat missions from October 1942 through March 1943. The descriptions of aerial combat occur in short, but action-packed, chapters covering each mission.

The authors personalize the history by creating conversations between the various crew members and other military personnel and civilians they meet. The dialog is found throughout the book and allows readers to feel like they're flying along with the crew in their B-24… or exploring London and Cairo with the Hot Stuff crewmembers during a 24-hour pass.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this unsung hero of an airplane and the brave crewmembers who flew it.
MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart

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Author's Synopsis

On May 3, 1943, a lone American B-24 on a secret mission from Bovington airdrome in England neared the Icelandic coast bound for the United States. Captain Robert “Shine” Shannon was at the controls. He and his nine man crew of Hot Stuff had been honored two weeks earlier as being the first heavy bomber in the Eighth Air Force to complete 25 combat missions. That number was a benchmark established by the Army Air Force for bomber crews to be rotated back to the United States where the plane and its crew would tour the country to promote the war effort.

By the time Hot Stuff and its crew received word they were to rotate back to the States, they had endured not just 25 but 31 combat missions. A combat mission was defined as anytime an American aircraft came under hostile fire over enemy territory.
Hot Stuff was honored to be chosen by Lt. General Frank Andrews, commander of all American Forces in the European Theater of Operations, to fly him and his staff to Washington, D.C. After arriving in Washington he was to receive his fourth star and assume command of all Allied Forces in the European Theater of Operations. However, the accomplishments of Hot Stuff and its crew along with those of Andrews went unheralded in the annals of World War II.

Death Ship; by Joseph Badal

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MWSA Review
Joseph Badal knows how to spin a good yarn. Death Ship is the 5th book in the Danforth Saga. When Bob Danforth retires, he takes his wife, daughter-in-law and grandson on a supposedly leisurely cruise in the Ionian Sea. The cruise turns out to be anything but relaxing.

At the same time, terrorists plot a major attack to garner worldwide attention. Well-planned and seemingly foolproof, the incident will have far reaching consequences, not to mention that the men behind the attack will achieve great monetary benefits.

Although Danforth is retired, he becomes involved, as the CIA and U.S. military try to anticipate the terror threat. His son Michael is a one-star general attached to Delta Force. His grandson, Robbie, is an intelligent, tech-savvy teenager. Together with the trained specialty  operatives, they seek to track down the terrorists before it is too late. While their path is often foiled by political forces, they use all the connections and resources at hand to save the lives of hundreds of thousands innocent victims.

Badal gives readers a complicated plot filled with characters that run the gamut from good to viciously evil. His writing style and use of dialogue make the story easy to follow as it twists and turns to its final conclusion. And his well-developed characters stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
MWSA Reviewer: Pat Avery

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Author's Synopsis
"Death Ship” is another suspense-filled thriller in the 45-year-long journey of the Danforth family. This fifth book in the Danforth Saga, which includes “Evil Deeds,” “Terror Cell,” “The Nostradamus Secret,” and “The Lone Wolf Agenda,” introduces Robbie Danforth, the 15-year-old son of Michael and Miriana Danforth, and the grandson of Bob and Liz Danforth.

A leisurely cruise in the Ionian Sea turns into a nightmare event when terrorists hijack a yacht with Bob, Liz, Miriana, and Robbie aboard. Although the boat’s crew, with Bob and Robbie’s help, eliminate the hijackers, there is evidence that something more significant may be in the works. 

The CIA and the U.S. military must identify what that might be and who is behind the threat, and must operate within a politically-corrupt environment in Washington, D.C. At the same time, they must disrupt the terrorist’s financing mechanism, which involves trading in securities that are highly sensitive to terrorist events.

Michael Danforth and a team of DELTA operatives are deployed from Afghanistan to Greece to assist in identifying and thwarting the threat.

“Death Ship” is another roller coaster ride of action and suspense, where good and evil battle for supremacy and everyday heroes combat evil antagonists.

The Funny Thing About War; by Al Campo

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MWSA Review
From boredom to shore leave to gun runs, this Vietnam era novel gives a day to day look at a critical period in a young seaman’s life.

In The Funny Thing About War, Al Campo describes the life of a seaman on a destroyer during the Vietnam conflict through fiction by combining his own experiences and other eye witness accounts and a bit of creativity.  Young men had to adapt not only to  the Navy’s restrictions but also cramped space, regular duty plus additional service when the ship was being refueled or receiving supplies, ship mates from various areas of the country with different cultures, and likeable comrades who sometimes shirked the harder work.  During gun runs, sleep was a rare commodity yet lives depended on attention to assigned responsibilities.  Shore leaves included a travelogue of Hong Kong.

This period of young adulthood changes people; thus the title of the novel.   
MWSA Reviewer: Nancy Kauffman

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Author's Synopsis

Meet Chris Columbo. Twenty-two years old, intelligent, well spoken—once a promising U.S. naval officer candidate. But at college, his plans and dreams are shattered by the woman he deeply loves. Disillusioned about life in general, he falls into an abyss of self-pity, resigns his ROTC scholarship, abandons his studies, drops out and embarks on a downward spiral, eventually hitting rock bottom.

But all is not lost as he receives orders to report for active duty with the U.S. Navy, an organization to which he is contractually bound. In spite of his recent opposition to the war, desperation forces him to honor the terms of his contract and he soon finds himself aboard the the USS Lawrence, a guided missile destroyer, deployed as an active participant in the Lam Son and Linebacker operations off the coasts of South and North Vietnam. 

THE FUNNY THING ABOUT WAR, an historical fiction, provides a sailor’s perspective of the Vietnam War through the exploits of Chris and his shipmates. Sometimes challenging, often humorous, Chris’s experiences will change him forever, leading him to embrace his life and future. Now, if he can just survive his final mission.

The Liberators; by Jerri Gibson McCloud

MWSA Review
Tender moments followed by horrific combat

Jerri Gibson McCloud neatly packages a love story, a family drama, and a hard-hitting shoot 'em up war action into a book that entertains and informs. At various moments, The Liberators makes one misty-eyed, sympathetic, euphoric, and cringing in horror at the vivid up-close experiences of aerial combat during World War II.

The author's knack for grouping words in a dramatic, descriptive fashion makes the reader feel he is in an airplane being shot to pieces by German fighters. While reading, one feels he is inside the airmen's minds as they fight to control fears so the mission can be completed. Your adrenaline pumps with a gunner's desperation of destroying an enemy plane before it destroys your plane. You feel the terror of watching your buddies go down in flames.
The Liberators follows Andrew Walters from telling his family he has dropped out of college to join the Army Air Force and train as a B-17 bomber pilot, to combat in Europe where he meets a hometown girlfriend serving as a Red Cross Nurse, to being shot down over Germany, and to surviving the deprivation of being a prisoner of war. Walters struggles to overcome his own insecurities as he holds his crew together, completing one harrowing mission after another until their luck runs out. Captured after being shot down, Walters faces different leadership challenges against adversaries in a POW camp.

Although the bulk of The Liberators follows the adventures of Captain Walters, his war experiences are skillfully interwoven with the different issues faced by his family back home in North Carolina and their emotions after receiving the dreaded telegram: Your son is missing in action.

I recommend The Liberators.
Review by Joe Epley, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis
Winter 1943. WWII is full blown. USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress pilot, Capt. Andrew Walters who has an unstoppable drive and undeterred command of leadership, flies his crew through horrific missions over Germany and Austria to slow the surge of the Luftwaffe and liberate people from the devastation of Hitler’s Third Reich. 

In this fast-paced debut novel, German Luftwaffe burst through clouds at 12 o’clock with blinding sun preceding them, unleashing their weapons on an out gunned—out maneuvered—overloaded B-17 on one of three treacherous missions to destroy ball bearing plants over Germany. Capt. Walters leads his crew through torturous flak, 8mm guns peppering the Flying Fortress, and 20mm cannons barreling through the plane while holding a steady course toward their initial point to release bombs on German targets. A web of bloody human debris splayed across the B-17’s windshield—an eyeball stars back at them. 

During his thirty-month journey, Capt. Walters is determined to become the man his perfectionist father can be proud of—a man alone in his secret plight, his leadership would turn frightened, petrified, ashen boys into men. 

Along the way, the Captain falls in love with a spirited Red Cross nurse from his hometown. She rescues an orphaned toddler and becomes extremely attached creating multiple problems as a result. The pilot’s family in Fayetteville, North Carolina, suffers tremendously when their son becomes Missing in Action.

Rarely does a WWII novel deal with the fears of its airmen or take you back home where the families cope by serving their country in other ways while their men fight for freedom for all. The Liberators covers it all.

The Quest of the Sultana; by J. L. Rothdiener

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MWSA Review
In The Quest of the Sultana, author J. L. Rothdiener succeeds at combining history and fiction. This Christian historical novel begins with a Northern concert pianist and a Southern belle meeting in 1859, when emotions were already running at a high pitch and war seemed a distinct possibility.
Barrett von Weber and Brooke Fortner meet at Harpers Ferry, when he rescues her from possible harm at the hands of John Brown and his sons. As they fall in love during the next year, her youngest brother displays his hatred for any Northerner and his obsession with war. 

Although Barrett appears to be simply a Christian musician, he is also an expert marksman who practices Kung Fu, an heir to a major German winery and a well-educated, multicultural student of history. He and Brooke marry in June of 1860, and are traveling in Europe when the Civil War breaks out.

Barrett feels the need to return to America where his talents are needed to train Union soldiers in the use of new weapons. Throughout the war, this fictional character crosses paths with famous historical figures, new technologies and real economic occurrences of the time.
Rothdiener stays true to history while weaving a story of two people and the people they love. The plot revolves around the New Havens Arms Company (the maker of the Henry repeating rifle), Andersonville Prison and the Sultana. His extensive research is evident in both plot and character development.

The Quest of the Sultana leaves the reader pondering the futility of war and the moral quandaries that arise as well as the atrocities and the heartaches suffered by both sides.
At Harper’s Ferry, Barrett remarks to General Robert E. Lee, “It is hard to bring the future to men who are stuck in the past.” I am still contemplating that statement.

MWSA Reviewer: 

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Author's Synopsis
HE WAS A MAN OF CHIVALRY, JUSTICE, AND LOVE...
Brooke is the daughter of a wealthy Southern landowner. Barrett is a hymnist and a renowned concert musician from the North. They’re from different worlds, but somehow fate has conspired to bring them together.

When the tensions between North and South reach the breaking point, the entire nation is swept into the struggle that will one day be known as the Civil War. Brother pitted against brother. Father against son. Families torn apart, and futures shattered beyond any hope of repair.

Now, separated by distance, and blood, and pain, Barrett and Brooke must find out if their love is stronger than war.

Mark's Special Mission at Arlington National Cemetery; by Gregory Keeney

Author's Synopsis
Strength of a Nation, Honor to Our Fallen, and Healing Through Relationships. Mark’s Special Mission in Arlington National Cemetery epitomizes the character and compassion of the United States in its commitment to honor the Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen who have given the final full measure in service to our nation.

Oink! Only in Korea!: Based on true events that happened in and around the Demilitarized Zone, Republic of Korea circa 1980; by David Osterhout

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MWSA Review
Page turner!  Incredible 1980 Korean DMZ tour of duty

Author Osterhout creates fast pace and intense action, even when freezing on guard duty in the middle of the night on a bridge.  A terrific presentation of the dangerous, sleepless Armed Forces lifestyle at what might be considered by many to be a peaceful assignment.  

The Korean DMZ is a powder keg, with frequent shootings, infiltration attempts, and American patrol minefield death and dismemberment – to name a few.  Intelligence Officer Lt. Osterhout places the reader there in 1980, in a tense page-turner of inspiring, informative grief and humor!  Excellent Army dialogue, lighter moments, and strange encounters expose the cultural tilts of life.  

This book is tightly packaged and full of incredible content with a catchy beginning and ending.  It is well written and creative, with no holes.  Author nails the military experience from this distant, isolated remote assignment that many in the service typically endure somewhere but are never appreciated for surviving… and the author barely did on this one!
I truly enjoyed this book and suggest everyone read it to get a front line view of the sacrifices of non-wartime service that normally go unrecognized. 
MWSA Reviewer: Hodge Wood

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Author's Synopsis
OinK! Only in Korea! 

In 1980, years after Vietnam and even more years before Desert Storm, America was experiencing a seventeen-year period of peace. One of the few places a young army officer could find adventure was on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Korea, Freedom's Frontier. The second day in-country, the lieutenant was no longer a Korean cherry boy. Hours later he found himself inside the DMZ. By the end of the week, he was wounded.

As the intelligence officer for the battalion, he knew the area around the DMZ was a dangerous place. The minefields took many casualties, small arms fire got others, and artillery short rounds claimed even more, leading up to the bizarre episode of a missing severed hand and the search for the diamond ring that was no longer on it. Even something as simple as crossing the Imjin River after the monsoons turned deadly. And then there was the most feared affliction of all, catching river blindness. It's not a disease – it's going down to the river and getting your eyes shot out.

The lieutenant's daily routine was anything but routine. The averages told the story: a shooting incident every ten days with thirty-three combat related deaths during the year. The patrols were long and cold, the guard posts were desolate, and Freedom Bridge operations droned on until enemy frogmen shattered the monotony. Peace, in that part of the world, had a unique definition. As they say, the DMZ isn't hell but you can see it from there.

Those who worked hard also played hard. The parties were so wild that they fell into the category of “that which didn't kill you made you stronger”. The eleven and a half months in Korea provided more experiences than ever expected, especially the ending, when the lieutenant's twelve-month tour was cut short in a most unusual way by a booby trap.
This 'slice of life' novel is obviously military genre and is definitely memoir-ish. The story is steeped in facts because the author is the lieutenant intelligence officer who journeyed to the Korean DMZ – and paid the price with a severe and lasting physical wound and a psychological scar that, to this day, haunts him from time to time.

This is not going to be the next great American novel and it won't win any awards. However, it is an interesting story, like the ones told around the kitchen table or over drinks. When told, people become quiet, and listen. The reader will be completely entertained and amazed at what happened to one man in the Land of the Not Quite Right.

Go to any bookstore and you will see racks of books about Vietnam, World War II and Iraq/Afghanistan. Noticeably missing are books about Korea. This is an exceptional military tale not only because it takes place in Korea, but it is also about a peacetime military and the sacrifices soldiers make even when they are not at war. OinK! Only in Korea! is a must read for a veteran and there are millions of them who have served in Korea during the time of the truce.
This book brings to people a story that should be told and will allow “the lieutenant” to finally lay his peacetime “war” to rest. 

Where Youth and Laughter Go: With "The Cutting Edge" in Afghanistan; by Seth W.B. Folsom

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MWSA Review
The IED war in Afghanistan
Lt Col Seth Folsom received a call in his small cubicle in the bowels of the Pentagon, informing him he had been selected to command the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, The Cutting Edge. Seven months later he assumed command of the battalion,  and Where Youth and Laughter Go is his memory the 3/7’s preparation and seven-month deployment to the Sangin District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. 

This was The Cutting Edge’s second deployment to Sangin, but most of the officers and NCOs were new and much had changed since their last deployment. Their mission, like that of their predecessor the 1/5, which they relieved in place, was not only to engage Taliban fighters attempting to regain control and impose their version of Shariah law, but also to stabilize the district by training local law agencies by introducing the people to democracy prior to 2012 elections. Folsom soon learned that , shuras/meetings, with Afghan government and military agencies, ANA, ANCOP, ANSF, and the AUP, not only took up his time, but were often futile – No plan survives first contact with the enemy or the ANSF. [A glossary is included to familiarize the reader with terms used by the author]

More than a memoir, Colonel Folsom’s account of the 3/7’s  mission is the heart-wrenching story of The Cutting Edge’s valiant struggle to follow our government’s strategy to introduce democracy to a people who have no concept of it and no real desire to make the changes necessary to implement it. In recalling his thoughts about Iraq, Colonel Folsom wrote, “They have to want this more than we do if this is ever going to work.” He realized this is also true of Afghanistan.

While Folsom’s recollections of Sangin are not intended to be a critique of the U.S.’s Afghanistan counterinsurgency strategy, as the story unfolds, reasons for the strategy’s failure become apparent. Afghanistan is a country of tribes with an ideology and values incompatible with Western concepts, a country where corruption is endemic and democracy is a foreign concept that is incompatible with Islamic ideology. The author comments more than once that Afghans have long memories for the past, but can only see two weeks into the future.

A book about courage, determination and dedication, Where Youth and Laughter Go is the story of young American men and a few women who followed orders and gave their all while attempting to save a people that could not understand our concept of democracy, and the responsibilities demanded by it. 
MWSA Reviewer: Lee Boyland

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Author's Synopsis

Where Youth and Laughter Go: With “The Cutting Edge” in Afghanistan completes LtCol Seth Folsom’s recounting of his personal experiences in command over a decade of war. It is the culminating chapter of a trilogy that began with The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq in 2006 and continued with In the Gray Area: A Marine Advisor Team at War in 2010.

The chronicle of Folsom’s command of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, “The Cutting Edge,” and his harrowing deployment to Afghanistan’s volatile Sangin District presents a deeper look into the complexities and perils of modern counterinsurgency operations in America’s longest war. Charged with the daunting task of pacifying a region with a long history of violence and instability, Folsom and his Marines struggled daily to wage a dynamic campaign against the shadowy enemy force that held Sangin’s population firmly in its grip. With peace and stability always teetering on the brink of collapse, the Marines of “The Cutting Edge” confronted their own mortality as they conducted endless patrols through Sangin’s minefields while fighting to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan villagers.

No other books have been published from the perspective of a Marine infantry battalion commander in Afghanistan. It was Folsom’s job, as the unit commander, to lead his Marines under impossible circumstances. LtCol Folsom made the unusual decision to patrol with his rifle squads every day through Sangin, where his Marines dodged improvised explosive devices and sniper fire from an invisible enemy. As his tour progressed and casualties mounted, he found his objectivity evaporating and the love for his men growing. Where Youth and Laughter Go is more than a blood-and-guts war story, it is a jarring, “boots on the ground”–level examination of the myriad challenges and personal dilemmas that today’s young service members face as the United States approaches its final endgame in Afghanistan.

Dustoff 7-3: Saving Lives Under Fire in Afghanistan; by Erik Sabiston

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MWSA Review

A quick and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Dustoff 7-3 by Erik Sabiston will not sit unread on your bedside table for long. Instead, you'll find yourself tearing through the pages. The book focuses on a short but intense tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2010. Sabiston is pilot in command—or as he puts it, "locked in the cockpit of a big, vibrating sauna"—of a Medevac (or "Dustoff") UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. 

The book's first five words are written in all caps and set the stage for what is to follow:  I AM NOT A HERO. Although the author is documenting his own hair-raising experiences flying Medevac missions in combat, he does not dwell on his own thoughts and actions. Instead, Sabiston goes out of his way to acknowledge others, his fellow crew members and those in the line combat organizations he serves, especially the ones having "the worst day of their lives" and needing his unique set of skills. 

This book is quite realistic. So much so that the reader will be immersed in the action and introduced to all the acronyms and lingo used by Army medical evacuation units: PC, TOC, Wobbly One, Meat Servo, to mention just a few. Keeping track of it all can be a bit daunting, but worth the effort, especially when combined with the author's unique sense of humor. For example, I've read many similes for what it's like to hover a helicopter; but none quite like the author's. He likens hovering to "riding a unicycle on top of a bowling ball while juggling three rabid raccoons and reciting the alphabet backwards while you're half-drunk."

The author's sense of humor and matter-of-fact writing style combine to make his highly-skilled and dangerous job seem almost routine. He fairly easily inserts the reader into near-unbelievable situations. Despite his self-depreciating humor and understated style of writing, the author's (and the others with whom he serves) bravery and professionalism come through loud and clear in Dustoff 7-3. 

I recommend this book for readers who want to learn about today's U.S. Army Medevac mission, and especially their role in the battles taking place in Afghanistan.
MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart

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Author's Synopsis

This book is for heroes.

Dustoff 7-3 tells the true story of four unlikely heroes in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, where medics are forced to descend on wires to reach the wounded and helicopter pilots must fight wind, weather, and enemy fire to pluck casualties from some of the world’s most difficult combat arenas. Complete opposites thrown together, cut off, and outnumbered, Chief Warrant Officer Erik Sabiston and his flight crew answered the call in a race against time, not to take lives—but to save them.

The concept of evacuating wounded soldiers by helicopter developed in the Korean War and became a staple during the war in Vietnam where heroic, unarmed chopper crews flew vital missions known to the grateful grunts on the ground as Dustoffs.

The crew of Dustoff 7-3 carried on that heroic tradition, flying over a region that had seen scores of American casualties, known among veterans as the Valley of Death. At the end of Operation Hammer Down, they had rescued 14 soldiers, made three critical supply runs, recovered two soldiers killed in action, and nearly died. It took all of three days.

Ralph The Tallest Elf; by Karl Boyd

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MWSA Review
Trouble at the North Pole

Ralph, the Tallest Elf by Karl Boyd is a whimsical Christmas tale with a serious side. Written as a poem, children of all ages will delight in the playful poetry and engaging illustrations. Along the way, they will learn some lessons in working cheerfully, respecting others, and interacting in a positive way.

It seems that Ralph, measuring at more than six feet, has taken to bullying the other elves, mocking them in song and pointing out their physical disadvantages. When Santa is away, Ralph lords it over the smaller elves, creating an atmosphere of tension and disrespect…until the Clauses discover what is going on and take measures to “even” things up.
Although written as a Christmas story, Ralph, the Tallest Elf makes for meaningful discussions year round. 
MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard

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Author's Synopsis
A Children's poem by Karl Boyd
Ralph, the Tallest Elf began in a very strange way. One Christmas season I purchased a t-shirt that said, "I have had it with elves up to here!" There was a line about the height of my belt. At the time, I thought it was funny, and the words to an old Christmas song kept playing in my mind, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas..." And so, much like Ralph in the poem, I changed a few words to those you will hear him sing. But then, it struck me - it wasn't funny to a short person, and how would I feel if it were me?

My mother loved to write poetry, and I guess some rubbed off, because over the next few days, I wrote "Ralph, the Tallest Elf" to redeem myself in my own eyes. To my surprise, with invaluable assistance from a good friend and editor, Joyce Gilmour, the poem took on a life of its own. I sent a copy as a Christmas gift to all those on my email list and received many replies stating how much they enjoyed the poem by sharing it with their children or grandchildren. With a little good luck, I was put in touch with Erica Missey in San Antonio, and she agreed to do the artwork you enclosed within these covers. Fantastic! With bullying being so prevalent in our schools today, I believe the message Ralph brings is told in two of my favorite lines: "You can be big, no matter your size." And "What really matter is Christmas in your heart." I hope your young ones will remember these words and the moral of "Ralph, the Tallest Elf" all through the year. Now open the cover and enjoy! - Karl Boyd

"Here Karl Boyd goes again, in his own sweet whimsical way to remind us of a lesson worth repeating. A beautiful story of how all people should be treated, with a carefully woven message that appeals to all ages. Thanks Karl for yet another treasure. - Mary Grammar, Redlands, CA

Karl Boyd is a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant. Much of Karl’s writing is taken from personal experiences while serving with the military in such locations as Bermuda, Iceland, Saudi Arabia and Hawaii, plus the Middle and Far East. Karl and his wife, Carol, now reside on the Gulf Coast of Texas where he enjoys fishing and writing.

A WWII Flight Surgeon's Story; by S. Carlisle May

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MWSA Review
A heartfelt account of a young doctor’s service during WWII

S. Carlisle May’s recounting of Dr. Lamb Myhr’s service is a warm and genuine story of one good-hearted man trying to do his best to ease suffering during a war.  It is filled with personal tales painted on the backdrop of the European air war which eventually ground the German offensive to a halt.

The author does a good job of balancing personal stories with important unit and historical events so that the reader can see the “big picture” while at the same time being able to focus on Dr. Myhr’s smaller piece of it.  These personal stories are supported with pictures and other evidence which lends credibility to the story.
Oftentimes, a biography is written about someone who has done something extraordinary. In this case, this story illustrated the wonderfully ordinary service of an ordinary man, called to nothing more than his job.  It sheds light on the medical picture across the European theater, what challenges the medical personnel faced, how they dealt with wounds, what made them laugh, what made them cry.  It is well done, personal, informative, and memorable.

Fans of military biography or medical biography will definitely take something from this worthwhile book.
MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister  
 

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Author's Synopsis
In the brutal and deadly conflict that swept the world in the 1940s, the newly formed United States Army Air Forces played a crucial role. The inherently dangerous missions relied on pilots in peak mental and physical condition. Dr. Lamb Myhr spent the Second World War as a flight surgeon working tirelessly to “keep them flying.” From Africa to Normandy and beyond, Myhr cared for injured and sick pilots, delivered civilian babies, and tended to the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps.

Written by Myhr’s great-niece and drawn from his personal letters and recollections, this portrait is a window into the lives of the everyday participants in World War II. His personal photos are included and feature the historic meeting between Gens. Mark Clark, George Patton, and Dwight D. Eisenhower before the invasion of Italy, as well as Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest after it was captured. Insightful detail about the many different injuries and diseases Myhr faced in his service provide a perspective on the diverse challenges brought by each stage of the conflict.

Hover: A Novel; by Anne A. Wilson

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MWSA Review
In the Navy's world of men, water levels the battlefield of love. 

In her romance, Hover: A Novel, Anne A. Wilson crafts a story of romance, guilt, forgiveness, and bravery in the wake of nightmares.

Lieutenant Sara Denning's goal as a Navy helicopter pilot is to remaining "a small dot,” get in and get it done without stirring the waters. Little does she know in her quest to do her best without creating waves, both happen naturally.

As a woman living in a predominantly man's world, Sara finds herself often floating her actions against the prejudices and biases of her peers and commanders. She recognizes that, although her reasons for attending the Naval Academy and becoming a pilot were in penance to drown her guilt, she actually enjoys her career. If only she can step aside and allow happiness to ebb in. 

When Lt. Denning meets an unassuming, strong, yet kind, colleague, the feminine qualities Sara tried so hard to submerse start rising to the surface.  Now, if only they can all manage to stay buoyant in the company of a traitor.

Anne A. Wilson casts a net over her reader and reels them aboard one word at a time, in Hover: A Novel.
MWSA Reviewer:  Sandra Miller Linhart
 

Author's Synopsis
Helicopter pilot Lt. Sara Denning joins a navy battle group with little fanfare—and that's just the way she likes it. After her brother Ian's tragic death, her career path seemed obvious: step into his shoes and enter the Naval Academy, despite her fear of water. Sara's philosophy is simple—blend in, be competent, and above all, never do anything to stand out as a woman in a man's world.

Somewhere along the way, Sara lost herself—her feminine, easygoing soul is now buried under so many defensive layers, she can't reach it anymore.

When she meets strong, self-assured Lt. Eric Marxen, her defenses start to falter. Eric coordinates flight operations for a Navy SEAL team that requests Sara as the exclusive pilot. This blatant show of favoritism causes conflict with the other pilots; Sara's sexist boss seems intent on making her life miserable, and her roommate and best friend, the only other woman on the ship, is avoiding her. It doesn't help that her interactions with Eric leave her reeling.

The endgame of the SEALs' mission is so secret, even Sara doesn't know the reason behind her mandated participation. Soon, though, the training missions become real, and Sara must overcome her fears before they plunge her into danger. When Sara's life is on the line, can she find her true self again and follow the orders of her heart before it is too late?
Anne A. Wilson's Hover is a thrilling, emotional women's journey written by a groundbreaking former navy pilot.

Consequence by Pat Avery

MWSA Review
A nagging desire for the underlying truth in her brother's death fuels the protagonist, Michaela (Mick) Riley, on a dangerous journey of discovery and ultimate personal growth, in Pat McGrath Avery's Consequence.  

Avery draws the reader in with the first passage, and doesn't relinquish the reins until well after the last page is turned.  The author builds on layers of interactions and near-misses, to reveal a web of deceit and mystery in Consequence.  Her characters are real and engaging, which adds integrity to the story as it unfolds and long-hidden secrets are revealed.  

Consequence is a tale of regret, forgiveness, and redemption, full of action and intrigue, which touches the reader through myriad emotions.  I found myself crying, shocked, laughing, and perched on the edge of my seat.  I couldn't wait to see what happened next.  Consequence is a worthy addition to Pat McGrath Avery's other written accomplishments.
Review by Sandra Miller Linhart, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis
Murder and greed always have consequences. Michaela stood by her brother as he was gunned down on a street corner. She flees to South Padre Island, Texas, knowing the killer is looking for her. In a failed robbery attempt, Betty's newly found half-brother kills her friend and coworker. She buries herself in depression and shame. Through Hap Lynch, a retired Kansas City cop, the two women become friends. Can friendship and good intentions overcome the consequences of violence and deception?

A thousand miles away, Jose plays his own game of deception, motivated by blackmail, fear and love for his family. Even if he saves his wife, Lourdes, will he be able to save their marriage or will the truth destroy them? 

Meanwhile, two ruthless businessmen, who have built a lucrative smuggling trade, care nothing for the consequences of their actions.

Chita Quest: One Man’s Search for His POW/MIA Father ; by Brinn Colenda

MWSA Review
Enthralling actions against surprising adversaries.

Chita Quest is an action-packed thriller that keeps one up all night, compelled to read the next page…and the next page…and the next page…

More than thirty years after his father went missing following the crash of his F4 Phantom fighter along the Laotian-Vietnamese border, U.S. Air Force Colonel Tom Callahan’s hopes soar when a journalist friend brings a photo of what looks like a 70-year-old Caucasian working a rice field in Vietnam.  Despite discouragement from the Pentagon and the murder of the photographer on the streets of Washington, Callahan takes leave from his White House job and recruits his estranged brother to go with him to Southeast Asian to find clues of MIAs who may still be alive.
Along the way, several attempts by unknown assailants are made on the lives of the Callahan brothers, and in Washington, on their wives and Tom’s young daughter. The mystery is why and what connection to the search for a missing warrior from a long ago war.

The quest leads the Callahans on a dangerous, surreptitious, and illegal trip through China and Mongolia to Chita, Siberia, where they meet new adversaries—agents of the Russian Security Services.  The China-Siberian trip is unauthorized by and unknown to U.S. government officials.

Author Brinn Colenda draws from his own experiences in the Air Force as he provides a detailed look at the military’s Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command operations in Washington, Hawaii, and in the Southeast Asia as Colonel Callahan seeks the agency’s help for his quest.  

For those who love fast paced action and dramatic surprises in a well written book, Chita Quest is most satisfying. 
Reviewed by Joe Epley, MWSA Reviewer

Author Synopsis:
Were American POWs left behind at the end of the Vietnam War—either by accident or design?
Colonel Tom Callahan is driven to find out—his own father is still listed as Missing In Action. What Callahan doesn’t understand is how politically explosive the issue is, domestically and internationally. As he begins his quest, friends and associates meet violent deaths. Aided by his Australian-born wife, Colleen, his journey takes him halfway across the world to Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and ultimately, Siberia. He is helped and hindered by unexpected friends and cunning, deadly enemies.

Bestselling Author, William B. Scott states:
“Chita is a unique, fast-paced thriller that weaves nasty Washington cover-ups with assassinations, international intrigue, and air combat”

Walter E. “Buck” Buchanan III, Lt Gen, USAF (ret) tells us:
“Brinn Colenda once again proves himself to be a master storyteller”

Veterans: Heroes in Our Neighborhood; by Valerie Pfundstein

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MWSA Review
Valerie Pfundstein's picture book, Veterans: Heroes in Our Neighborhood reminds us a hero isn't necessarily a stranger who lives far away.  Our neighbors, the grocer, the butcher, our coach - all could be a part of the growing and honorable group of heroes - Veterans, who don't wear badges or medals on their regular work clothes, and are not readily noticed to stand out in a crowd.

Each generation gives a portion of its numbers in service to our country. Pfunstein's book brings home awareness and appreciation of these unassuming heroes who work and walk among us daily. Through her book, she shares their sacrifices new generations of Americans who may one day join their ranks.

Veterans: Heroes in Our Neighborhood is a must for every school library in the United States.
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart

Author's Synopsis
Veterans: Heroes in Our Neighborhood is an engaging rhyming picture book for readers of all ages that fosters mindfulness of and appreciation for the brave service men and women who are also our family, friends, and neighbors.  These are the men and women who bravely served our great country and now humbly serve in our communities.

All Came Home: A World War II story told through the letters of Boat Group Commander, Joseph B. McDevitt; by Paul K. McDevitt

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MWSA Review
WWII Fast Attack Transports in the Pacific theater

I have read many novels and nonfiction books dealing with the Pacific war against Japan. They mostly dealt with combat ships, airplanes, and ground troops. But how did the troops and required supplies get to the island beaches? Where did the landing crafts come from? How were so many men and supplies delivered to the correct beach so quickly? Who moved the Army and Marines from island to island and then returned them to the U.S.? The answer is: Fast Attack Transports.

All Came Home is a story of life in America in the late 1930s and 1940s. A nation mired in the great depression where people struggled to survive — a land that young Americans in the 21st Century can hardly imagine. It is part of one page of the story of the Greatest Generation, the men and women, military and civilian, who through determination and sacrifice won World War II and turned America into a mighty nation, a superpower. 

One such young man was Joe McDevitt. While this is Joe’s story, compiled by his son through copies of personal letters, newspaper articles, and official documents, it is also his family’s story and the story of his ship, one of the ships that helped win the Pacific naval war, the USS Leon (APA 48), the “Lucky Leon” and her crew who all came back. 
I highly recommend this book and will retain my copy for my grandchildren when they are old enough to understand.
Reviewed by Lee Boyland
 

Author's Synopsis
"All Came Home" is a true story of junior reserve officer Joe McDevitt during WWII, as told through letters mailed home to his family. This is a quintessential American story about a youngster of German and Irish ancestry striving to achieve the American dream. Then comes WWII, and Joe postpones his driving personal ambition in order to enlist in the Navy. He joins the Pacific Amphibious Forces where men wage war on the open water in small boats. Could the Navy really make a warrior out of him… someone who thinks of nothing else but the sea and the war? A romance flourishes, and, like many of his peers, Joe must choose: marry now, and leave a young war bride behind, or wait to wed his true love when, and if, he returns? At war, he endures one bloody assault after another: ground-shaking bombardments, thundering artillery and mortar barrages, and the conviction that chance alone determines who lives and who dies. One way or another, all came home…

PAYBACK TIME!: America's Veterans Unite to Challenge VA for Overdue Benefits; by Earl "Dusty" Trimmer

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MWSA Review

Vietnam Vet Trimmer cluster bombs the VA

Author “Dusty” Trimmer delivers this credible PAYBACK TIME message across the VA’s minefield of issues that get stepped on by veterans deserving proper healthcare access and benefits.  Aging Trimmer still brings the fight!  Taking careful aim and switched to automatic fire, Dusty sprays and stitches the VA with valid complaints from every direction, with a major focus on the dying Vietnam-era veterans’ horrific dilemmas.  

Armed heavily with research, a useful index, and an extensive glossary, Trimmer shoots-scoots-communicates through multiple VA obstacles that returned warriors face.  He lays down suppression fire to cover current-era war fighters, provides insight into the political landscape that has/will create the VA obstacles, and triggers through multiple other VA fights, including insightful views on current VA Secretary Bob McDonald.  From a very personal perspective, Dusty Trimmer empties his heart out to help our veterans in a VA system that lacks much.  Way to take up the battle!

MWSA Reviewer: Hodge Wood
 

Author's Synopsis
Author Earl "Dusty" Trimmer was a Combat Infantryman in the Vietnam War. This Vietnam War Veteran's reason for writing his memoir is to bring awareness to Vietnam War veterans wounded in action (WIA), killed in action (KIA), missing in action (MIA), the plight of those veterans who are still living or those who have lost their battles to survive after coming home, and those war veterans struggling to live another day. Written from the heart and experiences of a combat infantry soldier in the Vietnam War, Condemned Property? takes a raw look at the Vietnam War and Vietnam War veterans. Author Dusty Trimmer believes the Vietnam War's biggest battle wasn't fought in Southeast Asia, but is currently being waged against the Department of Veterans Affairs in the United States. Author Dusty Trimmer's purpose of this book is to expose the system's mistreatment of Vietnam War Veterans. War is hell. Every war battle is bad for who is in it. The Vietnam War was a twilight zone.

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.