Fire Mission: The World of Nam-a Marine's Story; by Earl J. Gorman

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

While there are many book from Vietnam veterans about their time in ‘Nam on bookstore shelves today, there are too-few good ones. “Fire Mission” is one of the few good ones.

Author Earl Gorman was a Marine officer fighting in Vietnam in 1965-1966. An artilleryman, his was a slightly different view of the war; at times he was stationed out in the field with an infantry unit as a forward observer where he lived and worked with a ‘grunt’ unit, and then later was based back on the gun line responsible for a battery of 105mm howitzers.

Gorman is an excellent writer with a grasp of detail. “Fire Mission” (an artillery term) lets the reader begin to understand the mindset of a Marine officer trying to maintain his moral balance in the midst of a brutal war. He comments on his disgust in seeing VC bodies being displayed for American civilian and military visitors from Saigon, yet keeps his humanity as he meets and builds a relationship with a Vietnamese mother and daughter. Above all, he looks after his Marines.

Commenting on the politics, Rules of Engagement, his superiors, and his times in combat, former 1st Lt Gorman blends the sarcasm and accuracy of a young Marine with the poignant observations and recollections of an older citizen soldier; one who has done his duty to his country yet hopes that others may not have to follow in his footsteps. Well done, Sir!

MWSA Reviewer: Andrew Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis

Award Winning Memoir of a Marine's life-changing 2007 adventure back to Vietnam with a medical mission team that weaves in his 1965-66 combat experiences as an artillery officer,"who spent too much time with the grunts." Against all odds, the author searched for his two Vietnamese friends with whom he had emotionally connected during the war. The spirit of reconciliation within the humanitarian group along with the success of finding his friends provided the healing necessary to overcome the trama of his war time experiences. Closure for combat veterans is the powerful message conveyed by the story. A deadly Viet Cong Sapper team attack on his artillery battery as well as episodes from Operation Hastings, the first large scale battle along the DMZ, are featured combat stories. Tours of Hue, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the "Hanoi Hilton" prison round out the Annapolis graduate's memoir.

Through the Wheat; by Col. Joseph Alexander (USMC, ret) & BrigGen Edwin Howard Simmons

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Recipient of the 2008 MWSA Gold Medal for a book about the Marine Corps

More than just a recitation of history, "Through the Wheat" is a well-written and interesting book that describes how the Marine Corps burst onto the international scene at Belleau Wood and became known as one of the world's premier fighting forces.

Veteran authors (and veteran Marines ) Brig Gen Edwin Simmons and Col Joseph Alexander have combined forces to give us a history of the Marine Corps in World War 1. Prior to the war, the Marines were a tiny expeditionary unit that was used primarily to fight guerillas in Mindanao or Nicauragua; its most public large battle was as active participants in China's Boxer Rebellion of 1900. But as the United States's entry into WW1 transformed the American military into a cohesive instrument of national power, it also changed the Marine Corps from a seaborne expeditionary unit into a major fighting force that was capable of defeating the established army of a western country.

But unlike the Army, the Marine Corps values its small unit leaders, and in telling their stories, authors Simmons and Alexander excel.From young officers and future Marine commandants ) like 2ndLt Clifton Cates and 2nd Lt Lemuel Shephard, to the old breed like (2x Medal of Honor recipient) GySgt Dan Dailey and Col Albertus Catlin, Simmons and Alexander weave a story of how the Marine Corps passed its traditions and small unit expertise from one generation to the next. "Through the Wheat" also presents the stories of a few of those Marines killed while building these traditions; Yale grad and world mile record-holder Lt Johnny Overton never made it home, whilr LtCol Fritz Wise was never the same mentally after his battalion suffered such horrific casualties. Many old photos, all back & whites, serve to personalize the Marines encompassing this slice of history.

"Through the Wheat" chronicles the Marine fight in Belleau Wood against German poison gas and machine guns where on a single sunny June day, they suffered more dead than in thyeir previous 142 years of existence combined.  In both the days preceeding and following Belleau Wood, the Marines fought and won at Lucy-le-bocage, Soissons, Blanc Mont, St Miheil and the Meuse-Argonne.

"Come you sons-of-bitches; do you want to live forever?" bellowed GySgt Dailey when his men were hung up in the wheat at Belleau Wood. While many of them did not, their tradition and quiet heroism did, and "Through the Wheat" is their fine story.

MWSA Reviewer: Andy Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis

U.S. Marine participation in World War I is known as a defining moment in the Marine Corps' great history. It is a story of exceptional heroism and significant operational achievements, along with lessons learned the hard way. The Marines entered World War I as a small force of seagoing light infantry that had rarely faced a well-armed enemy. On a single June day, in their initial assault "through the wheat" on Belleau Wood against German machine-guns and poison gas shells, the Marines suffered more casualties than they had experienced in all their previous 142 years. Yet at Belleau Wood, Soissons, BlancMont, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne the Marines proved themselves to be hard-nosed diehards with an affinity for close combat. Nearly a century later Belleau Wood still resonates as a touchstone battle of the Corps. Two retired Marines, well known for their achievements both in uniform and with the pen, have recorded this rich history in a way that only insiders can. Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons and Col. Joseph H. Alexander recount events and colorful personalities in telling detail, capturing the spirit that earned the 4th Marine Brigade three awards of the French Croix de Guerre and launched the first pioneering detachments of "Flying Leathernecks." Here, hand-to-hand combat seen through the lenses of a gas mask is accompanied by thought-provoking assessments of the war's impact on the Marine Corps.

How Free People Move Mountains; by Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Recipient of the 2008 MWSA Silver Medal for Religious/Spiritual Books

These are ugly times in America. Wall Street is imploding, the Global War on Terror continues to be finessed by the Administration and ignored by the American public, the national debt is almost unserviceable - and the presidential campaign focuses instead on lipstick, moose-skinning, and American flag pins. The parents and families of Marines killed in Iraq and Afghanistan must again be shaking their heads in dismay.

"How Free People move Mountains,"  is an unusual book for these ugly times, and one well worth reading. Co-authors Kathy Roth-Douqet and Frank Schaeffer address the divide that has split the United States, threatens our being as a respected nation - and propose a solution that is elegant in its simplicity.

Frank Schaeffer and Kathy Roth-Douquet are unlikely co-authors, yet perhaps their differences are why their premise is ultimately successful. Schaeffer comes from a deeply evangelical Christian and unforgiving New England background while Roth-Douquet is liberal, Jewish, and a former Clinton aide, yet they succcessfully collaborated two years ago in "AWOL; The unexcused absence of the upper class from military service", which advanced the thesis that patrotism, national service, and duty to country was not just the province of lower-income Southerners and Midwesterners. It is interesting to note that Schaeffer's son enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in Afghanistan while Roth-Douqet is married to a career Marine officer, so both understand better than most the concept of serving a cause greater than oneself. It is these unique backgrounds that enable the authors to unite in their belief in the intrinsic goodness of the United States - and that this is a crucial time for America to regain it.

"How Free People Move Mountains" is written in an engaging style. Set up as a discussion between 'Liberal Kathy' and 'Conservative Frank', the two authors talk about how Americans today have substituted the pursuit of consumer goods and wealth for religious faith and the laws of God (Frank), or a belief in the natural goodness of man (Kathy). While it is up to the reader to decide which road is correct, Schaeffer and Roth-Douqet's debate finishes in the same place; that of ignoring the politicians and talking heads who push the conservative-liberal, red state-blue state divisions for their own selfish reasons and instead take a direct interest in the future of their country.

Their well-reasoned solution is quite simple, and reflects the thoughts of our Founding Fathers: live a moral life, respect others, and work for the common good. The ideals of "Honor - Courage - Commitment" resound throughout the book, and throughout their ideas for breaking through the morass of mindless consumerism that they see as sapping America's spiritual strength.As 'Liberal Kathy' and 'Conservative Frank' are able to engage in spirited yet, civil debate, "How Free People Move Mountains" shows us the way to re-engage Americans in the future of the country.

MWSA Reviewer: Andy Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis

"How Do We Ever Speak with One Voice Again in Our Divided and Angry Country?"

It is amazing how one America is isolated from the "other" America. The red/blue state divisions run so deep that it is possible to live without any interaction—ideological or otherwise—with those who hold different opinions than oneself. We are a people alienated, from ourselves and from our government.

The authors, an odd mix across the Blue/Red divide—one a founder of the modern evangelical movement, the other a liberal Jewish former Clinton aide—hold an extended conversation across many months, several states, and two countries—sometimes contentious, sometimes funny, exploring the idea of how unlikely pairings—and thus, the entire country—can come together. They argue that we're entering a new era in history, and now is the time to rise up to it; to make ourselves able to tackle the enormous problems in our laps; to, in effect, move mountains.

No Atheists in Foxholes; by Chaplain Patrick McLaughlin, Cdr, USN

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

This is a thoughtful book on a very private and personal subject.

First-time author Patrick McLaughlin is a Lutheran pastor who has served two tours in Iraq as an active-duty Navy Chaplain assigned to both surgical shock trauma and mortuary affairs units with the Marine Corps – and prior to that, he served as President and Mrs Bush’s chaplain at Camp David prior to – and during – the early stages of the war in Iraq.

As such Cmdr McLaughlin understands war, and its effect on the Marines who fight it. His book consists of fifty prayers he’d written in order to get him through some incredibly trying days – answering questions like “will I lose my foot”, will I be OK” and “will I wake up again” from these young Marines must either challenge or reinforce one’s faith in God, and this book opens a very private window into the war for the reader. One’s political stance on the war is easily cast away when we read of his experiences outside the operating room as he writes “at these moments, the very real presence of God is felt among us.”

But is there a prayer adequate when he gave blood to save a Marine, yet the surgery was unsuccessful ? Probably not, for as McLauglin writes “I stand quietly and watch as the priest prays over the body of this heroic Marine.” Yet McLaughlin had another year of duty in Iraq, and those too-regular tragedies need to be pushed to the back of his mind as he readied himself for the next day.

This will be a difficult book to read for anyone who has a son, spouse, or daughter serving overseas as it describes in detail more of the war than the media will ever understand or the Marines or soldiers will share with a non-combatant. But it is highly recommended because now we know that our family members are in the good hands of Chaps McLaughlin and his fellow combat chaplains. You’ve written an awesome book, Chaps, thank you and Semper Fi.

MWSA Reviewer: Andrew Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis

Experience gripping wartime stories and honest prayers by this Camp David chaplain now serving in Iraq.
When words mean less and less, but money talks more and more; when blasphemy is a best seller, and eternal war has replaced hopeful diplomacy; in times like these is prayer even possible? Patrick J. McLaughlin thinks so. McLaughlin is an active duty Navy Chaplain who has ministered to heads of state and to soldiers living and dying in the heat of Iraq.

No Atheists in Foxholes assembles Chaplain McLaughlin's experiences and prayers from e-mails, private notes, and personal conversations that take us real-time into realms of duty and spirit: from the quiet darkness of his infant son's New England bedroom on September 11, 2001, to the bomshelled medical tents and blistered Army Humvees of Anbar Province. Chaplain McLaughlin believes that prayer is not only possible, but critical. "We must all learn to pray for peace," he says, "and then become an answer to that prayer."

Across the Bridge; by jim greenwald

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Words That ‘Bridge’ The Heart, Mind, and Soul

Life and life’s emotional kaleidoscope are artfully ‘bridged’ by poet, Jim Greenwald.  To capture the essence of life in its infinite forms and successfully translate these emotions and experiences into words is evidence of the author’s grasp and his intimate understanding of life and love.

The experiences of the human body, heart, mind, and soul are the genesis for who we are but, often, we overlook the obvious aspects of life that dictate, electrify, create havoc, or stabilize our existence … those emotions that dictate how we act … those emotions that dictate who we are … those emotions that indelibly touch our heart and inner core … those emotions that transcend life itself.

Jim Greenwald’s personal experiences, outlooks, and thoughts are reflected throughout his poetic stories.  ‘Across The Bridge’ causes the reader to pause and reflect upon his or her own life’s emotions and experiences that might otherwise have remained in obscurity, misinterpreted, or misunderstood.

This book receives MWSA’s TOP RATING OF FIVE STARS and my personal endorsement and recommendation to other readers.

MWSA Reviewer: Lloyd A. King

---

Author's Synopsis

A journey of the heart, enter and share the feelings, desires and emotions we all experience in this, the cauldron of the adventure we call life. Blended into who and what we become, who we wish to become. This is emotional poetry, sharing life and the deep feelings of the heart and soul. Each poem tells a story that I hope tugs at your heart or the corners of your mouth, and brings a tear to your eye or a smile to your heart.

My Mommy Wears Combat Boots; by Sharon McBride

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Sharon McBride’s “My Mommy Wears Combat Boots” is not only an invaluable educational tool for parents who happen to be soldiers, but a delightful learning experience for their children as well.  With many thousands of female soldiers having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is certainly an appropriate time for the release of this book.  Due to the lack of similar books on this subject, I’m sure it will quickly become a welcome resource for parents and families of deploying mothers. 

“My Mommy Wears Combat Boots” is a delightful explanation of why Mommy has to sometimes go off to war, and the resulting emotional conflict it can create for her children, or in this case, a little girl bear cub.  It is written on an emotional level that children will readily understand, and runs the gamut of the typical feelings that a child would experience during separation.  Ms. McBride addresses the appropriate emotions, and although she reinforces that these feelings are normal, bad behavior in response to them, is not.

It is evident to the reader that Ms. McBride draws on personal experience with her own child as she breaks down each emotional difficulty individually, and then summarizes them at the end. 

The illustrations of the Momma bear and her cub are colorful and captivating.  The depictions follow the story perfectly allowing the child to follow along and watch the story unfold as they listen to it being be read. 

I highly recommend this charming and educational children’s book to anyone (whether it be the mother, father, or extended family member of a deploying soldier) faced with the difficult task of explaining to the little ones why mommy has to go to war.

MWSA Reviewer: Claudia Pemberton

---

Author's Synopsis

As we march on through another year of war, many service members have already completed more than one deployment. Astonishingly, a lot of these service members are mothers, and they are not only balancing their commitments to their families but to the nation as well.My Mommy Wears Combat Boots is based the personal experience of a soldier and a mother who was seeking a way to explain why she needed to leave her child again and go to war. Young children are very limited when it comes to communication skills, and often have a difficult time expressing guilt, frustration, anger, loneliness and sadness and often don't realize that it's normal to feel all of this and more as the result of their mom's deployment. Books about mommies going to war are few and far between, and My Mommy Wears Combat Boots is for mothers in uniform everywhere that are seeking a way to explain to their children the emotions associated with deployment and a way to positively channel those emotions when they are away.

What is a POW/MIA?; by John T. Dixon, Jr.

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

John T. Dixon, Jr. has written an exceptionally thought-provoking children’s book on an emotionally-charged and painfully real subject … POW’s and MIA’s.  “Mommy, What Is a POW/MIA?” will serve not only to educate while entertaining the inquisitive nature of a child’s mind, but will also serve as a sober reminder to the adult reader that there are still thousands of lost and missing American soldiers that never made it home from the war.     

“Mommy, What Is a POW/MIA?” is meticulous in its explanation and is very well written.  It tells the story of Savannah’s quest for answers concerning her Uncle Bobby.  Up to now, Savannah’s knowledge of her Uncle Bobby (her mother’s brother) has been gleaned from whispered and often tearful conversations between her parents.  Seeking definitive answers, Savannah asks her mother, “Mommy what is a POW/MIA?”  The mother’s response is sensitive and informative as she explains how as a young man, Uncle Bobby joined the Army and was sent to serve in Vietnam.  She explains how soldiers, including Uncle Bobby, are sometimes captured or die during combat, but are never found or returned home to their loved ones.

Not only does Savannah comprehend the concept of POW/MIAs, she resolves to grow up and join the military and JPAC Command to help bring Uncle Bobby home.

The illustrations are realistic renditions of military symbols, sites, and memorials, several of which are repeated at the back of the book to create a unique “coloring” addition to this special little book.

I definitely recommend this children’s book to all families, regardless of their military affiliation.  Its topic is relevant and vitally important to educating young American minds on the subject of democracy, and the ultimate price that some very heroic men and woman have paid for our freedom. 

MWSA Reviewer: 

---

Author's Synopsis

With Savannah's innocent questions, her Mom's reflections on her lost brother, Mommy, What Is a POW/MIA is a thought provoking journey that makes us ask how we can help bring our brave soldiers home!

Behold, an Ashen Horse (Clash-of-Civilizations Trilogy Book 2); by Vista Boyland,‎ Lee Boyland

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

An OUTSTANDING sequel to his first thriller!

Author Lee Boyland left his readers hanging at the end of THE RINGS OF ALLAH.  Five nuclear devices were placed in the United States, but would the US be able to react in time?

BEHOLD, AN ASHEN HORSE picks up the story right where RINGS left off.  The US, mired in liberal politics, bureaucracy, and political correctness, doesn't react, and the resulting "Day of Islam" costs the lives of millions of Americans.  The entire government is wiped out in the blink of an eye, except retired Air Force General George Alexander, who is serving as the Secretary of Homeland Security.  Alexander becomes President, establishes a government, and sets forth to find and punish those responsible.  The release of nuclear weapons is authorized, and President Alexander vows that this time there will be no "unfinished business."

This book has plenty of technological details, but the author does a great job of keeping things moving and not letting technology bog down the story; the descriptions are simple but accurate.  Boyland also does a great job of developing his characters, and you can't help but fall in love with President Alexander as he pulls out all the stops and runs roughshod over the liberal bureaucrats who try to stop him from saving the United States and taking vengeance on those who attacked her. 

If you ever felt that the US needs to step up and act like the superpower she is, THIS is the book for you!  Five stars!

MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister

---

Author's Synopsis

America suffers a devistating nuclear terrorist attack. There will be only a few hours warning before five cities are destroyed. America’s capital city and most of its senior government perishes in the explosion. Only George Alexander, the secretary of homeland security, survives and it is up to him to assume the presidency, form a government and save the nation. In 2008 we received several emails asking if Donald Trump was President Alexander, and our reply was, perhaps. If asked the same question today the answer would be yes. 

Behold, an Ashen Horse is the story of an American statesman's struggle to save the nation. He does what has to be doned to keep the economy functioning, suppress domestic jihads, form an interim government, protect the nation from attack by those who think America is on her knees, establish relations with other nations, defeat a millile attack, and deal with the new Caliphate. In his first address to the nation, Alexander said, “Once we have reorganized and bandaged our wounds, we will determine who was responsible for these attacks—then, and only then, will we seek retribution." President Alexander says what he means and delivers on his promises. An inspiring story of how Americans rally to overcome the effects of the attack and return to the Founding Farthers vision. 

Behold, an Ashen Horse is a frighteningly realistic story of events after a nuclear 9/11.

Two Brothers: One North, One South; by David H. Jones

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

An American family’s struggle woven onto the tapestry of one of the most bitter times in US history!

Many authors who attempt to write historical fiction have difficulty weaving their story onto the backdrop of the historical time-period they use as a setting.  Those authors could learn a lot from David H. Jones.  Taking only a few snippets of journals, memoirs, and obscure newspaper articles, Jones expertly tells the tale of a Maryland family driven apart by the Civil War.  The youngest brother takes up arms with the Confederacy, while an older brother becomes a Union officer.  Both serve with distinction, meeting on the field of battle at Petersburg. 

The main characters in the book are all historical figures, and the esteemed poet Walt Whitman is a key figure in the book, as he spends time with both brothers as they are recuperating from wounds.   The author does a masterful job of taking the historical characters and events and filling in the gaps in the historic timeline with completely believable events which only add to the rich tapestry of the story.  Civil war enthusiasts as well as those who enjoy good family drama stories will find this book hard to believe.  FIVE STARS.  

MWSA Reviewer: Ron Ballister

---

Author's Synopsis

Exceptionally researched and keenly accurate to actual events, this harrowing novel expands upon the story of poet Walt Whitman, whose documented compassion for the wounded and dying soldiers of the Civil War brings him to Armory Square Hospital in Washington, DC, at the bedside of Rebel soldier William Prentiss. Just after the fighting has ended, William’s brother Clifton, a Union officer, is admitted into another ward of the same hospital, and Whitman becomes the sole link between the two boys and their fractured family. Through their story, the narrative is swept from the hospital to Medfield Academy in Baltimore, where the Prentiss family makes its home, and onwards to the drawing rooms of high-society Richmond and the battlefields where North and South collide.

Killing Rommel; by by Steve Pressfield

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

In “Killing Rommel” veteran author Steven Pressfield has written yet another vivid and exciting novel detailing the matter-of-fact heroics and actions by the warriors who fight and too-often die.

Set in North Africa during the British fight against Gen Erwin Rommel in 1942, Pressfield takes the exploits of the British Army’s little-known Long Range Desert Group, and presents the reader with yet another well-researched and exciting story of men at war.

As is Pressfield’s style, he tells the story from the viewpoint of one of the participants. Lt. Lawrence Chapman is one of Pressfield’s proverbial citizen-soldiers, a young man thrust into a war for which his middle-class collegiate upbringing has not at all prepared him. While normally in Pressfield’s books it’s the enlisted men who are the narrators and telling the story from the boots-on-the-ground perspective, it’s a unique change in approach as Lt. Chapman brings an officer’s point of view to the fight.

The war in 1942 in North Africa was going badly for the Allies. Gen Rommel’s strategy and tactics overwhelmed Gen Montgomery’s British troops, and the initial American Army reinforcements were routed at the Kasserine Pass. If Rommel could successfully capture Cairo, then the Germans would control the middle-eastern oil fields, the Suez Canal, and quick access to India and the Pacific, all of which would have horrific repercussions on the Allied war effort.

In a desperate response, the British formed the Long Range Desert Group in an attempt to kill Rommel, and Pressfield uses Lt. Chapman to narrate the war in the desert.

Historically accurate, “Killing Rommel” describes a war that most in Americans might only know through the old television show “Rat Patrol.” Driving old Chevrolet trucks that they up-armor themselves, often short on petrol, rations, water, and ammunition, Lt Chapman depicts the fight in North Africa between the beleaguered Brits and Rommel’s Afrika Corps as he learns to command as he learns to fight.

Those who have fought, and especially those Marines  and Soldiers who have fought at An-Nasiriyah, Fallujah, Haditha, Anbar Province, and the Diyala River Valley, will understand the pictures Pressfield paints of the thirst, heat, sand, and boredom – interrupted by intense combat – in the desert. He draws the reader into the action with Chapman and his men as they drive –often by stars and dead reckoning – to their rendezvous points and missions.

As Pressfield’s books are so famously noted, the characters in “Killing Rommel” possess a quiet courage and grow into a maturity far beyond their years. Similar to Xeo in “Gates of Fire,” and Matthais in “The Afghan Campaign,” the deep story here is how Chapman and his fellow Tommies are thrown into some extraordinarily ugly situations, and then respond.  It’s the story of these citizen-soldiers and how they react to the carnage around them that makes “Killing Rommel” one of Pressfield’s best books.

MWSA Reviewer: Andrew Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis

A thrilling WWII tale based on the real-life exploits of the Long Range Desert Group, an elite British special forces unit that took on the German Afrika Korps and its legendary commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, "the Desert Fox." 

Autumn 1942. Hitler’s legions have swept across Europe; France has fallen; Churchill and the English are isolated on their island. In North Africa, Rommel and his Panzers have routed the British Eighth Army and stand poised to overrun Egypt, Suez, and the oilfields of the Middle East. With the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, the British hatch a desperate plan—send a small, highly mobile, and heavily armed force behind German lines to strike the blow that will stop the Afrika Korps in its tracks. 

Narrated from the point of view of a young lieutenant, Killing Rommel brings to life the flair, agility, and daring of this extraordinary secret unit, the Long Range Desert Group. Stealthy and lethal as the scorpion that serves as their insignia, they live by their motto: Non Vi Sed Arte—Not by Strength, by Guile as they gather intelligence, set up ambushes, and execute raids. Killing Rommel chronicles the tactics, weaponry, and specialized skills needed for combat, under extreme desert conditions. And it captures the camaraderie of this “band of brothers” as they perform the acts of courage and cunning crucial to the Allies’ victory in North Africa. 

Combining scrupulous historical detail and accuracy with remarkable narrative momentum, Pressfield powerfully renders the drama and intensity of warfare, the bonds of men in close combat, and the surprising human emotions and frailties that come into play on the battlefield to create a vivid and authoritative depiction of the desert war.

The Ghosts of Thua Thien, An American Soldier’s Memoir of Vietnam; John A. Nesser

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

I spent four years in Vietnam and hope I know more about the war, the troops, the Vietnamese, than the average person who was there for a one year tour of duty and just wanted out. I’ve read many books on the war and must truthfully say that I was not really looking forward to reviewing another “war book”. Too many of them, to me, have been repetitive, predictable, and full of clichés.

The cover of the book features a photo of a combat assault somewhere near the DMZ (demilitarized zone). I thought to myself, ‘here we go again’.

I was blown away by this book. Finally something noticeably different. John Nesser was no hero in his eyes, but did heroic things. He was absolutely able to capture the truth about this most understood of wars. John had reservations about the war, but conducted himself as a true patriot and soldier of the highest commendation; and he did so humbly, and with compassion. Too many books portray endless day-to-day combat, and that was just not what happened. The author skillfully details the boredom, the day-to-day drudgery, the missteps and the Peter Principle that, if we could reach a certain level of incompetence, Vietnam was no different.

The American soldier is portrayed as he was, the good, bad, and the ugly, but certainly soldiers who redeemed themselves when they needed to be counted on. Certainly far more commendable soldiers who were so much different than portrayed in today’s movies and stereotypes.

There are personal photos and a few maps, but the glory of this read is in the author’s wonderful writing. The highest award possible from the MWSA on this one. Certainly in contention for one of the books of the year

MWSA Review by Bill McDonald 

---

Author's Synopsis

Drafted in October 1968, John A. Nesser left behind his wife and young son to fight in the controversial Vietnam War. Like many in his generation, he was deeply at odds with himself over the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, instilled with a strong sense of duty to his country but uncertain about its mission and his role in it.
Nesser was deployed to the Ashau Valley, site of some of the war's heaviest fighting, and served eight months as an infantry rifleman before transferring to become a door gunner for a Chinook helicopter. In this stirring memoir, he recalls in detail the exhausting missions in the mountainous jungle, the terror of walking into an ambush, the dull-edged anxiety that filled quiet days, and the steady fear of being shot out of the sky. The accounts are richly illustrated with Nesser's own photographs of the military firebases and aircraft, the landscapes, and the people he encountered.

Leathernecks; by Merrill Bartlett & Jack Sweetman

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

If you google “Books – Marine Corps”, they provide “about 286,000 listings in 0.19 seconds.” So does the world need yet one more book describing the heroics of Marines since 1775? The answer is a resounding YES !! if the book is as good as this one.

When one walks around the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, D.C. he or she is treated to a history of the Marine Corps when reading the inscribed battles… the French & Indian Wars…the Boxer Rebellion…Belleau Wood…Guadalcanal…Chosin…Fallujah… Authors Merrill Bartlett and Jack Sweetman have collaborated to give us the same tour around the Memorial, but with all 233 years of Marine lore added.

“Leathernecks” is simply one of the finest illustrated histories of the Marine Corps published.

The difference between this book and the many others is both the depth of detail and its readability. Finding a balance between an academic book and an ooh-rah flag-waver, the authors present not only the Corps battle history, but the equally important story of the men who built it. Traditions are not created overnight, but are earned over generations; a fact of which the authors remind the reader with 280+ old photos, maps, and illustrations, many of which are published for the first time.

While the casual reader likely knows of the Marine Corps 10 November 1775 founding, it’s Bartlett and Sweetman’s “Leathernecks” that provides the background information that the 10 Nov. act of Congress chartering the Marines “…that two battalions of Marines be raised…” was in response to a petition by the residents of Passamaquoddy, Nova Scotia who wanted to join the newly independent United States – and these same Marines were to be used to capture the British Naval base at Halifax.

While Marine Corps lore in recent years has been built on such land-locked fights at Chosin, Khe Sanh, or An-Nasiriyah, prominent naval historian Jack Sweetman has teamed with Marine historian Skip Bartlett in a way that emphasizes the sea roots of America’s pre-eminent sea service. Describing the first landing (and victory) of the Continental Marines back in March 1776, when an eight ship convoy sailed to seize Nassau, The Bahamas. The Marines captured “fifty-eight cannon, fifteen mortars, more than sixteen thousand shot and shell…,” as well as establishing a tradition for those hard-chargers following: the Bahamas governor complained that the Marines “helped themselves to his liquor.”

Drawing on a collection of rare photographs and illustrations from the depths of Marine and private archives, authors Bartlett and Sweetman personalize the early days of the Marine Corps that makes one understand the institution today. In addition to describing the battle in Veracruz, Mexico after the Marine landing in April 1914, they have a picture of LtCol Wendell Neville, Col John Lejeune, Col Littleton Waller, Maj Smedley Butler, and Maj Randolph Berkley; all China, Philippine, and Cuba hands, sitting together on a Mexican veranda: Butler-two Medals of Honor, Lejeune and Neville –commandants, Waller –lost the commandant’s position 2x due to politics…what Marine alive today would not want to discuss counter-insurgency with these men? If it is the institutional ethos that drives the operational, it is fair to say that this was the generation – and these were the Marines – who were responsible for the birth of both.

The authors made a considerable effort to present the Marine faces behind the battles, many of which were fought in the halls Congress. Shortly after Gen. Alexander Vandergrift (aided by the familiar names of BrigGen Merritt Edson, LtCol Victor “Brute” Krulak, and Col Merrill Twining) beat back President Truman’s and the Army’s plan to reorganize the American military, Gen Vandergrift added the equally familiar LtGen Roy Geiger and future commandant Gen Lemuel Shepherd to analyze amphibious warfare in the atomic age. Their report initiated the movement of the Marine Corps into “Vertical Envelopment” – helicopter assaults – which was the beginning of a doctrine that the Corps saw as the key to its future. Battles are easy to analyze, it is the men who fight the battle that make or break the story – or the battle – and authors Bartlett and Sweetman present them superbly.

“Leathernecks” ends with a discussion of the war on terror, with emphasis on the current fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. The battles and counter-insurgency operations are discussed candidly and accurately, no small feat when so many of the participants are available for interview.

There is an old adage to the effect of the world being divided into two groups: those who are Marines and those who wish they were Marines – and after reading “Leathernecks”, both groups will understand why the adage is so true.

MWSA Reviewer: Andrew Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis
 

Wounded Warriors: Those for Whom the War Never Ends; by Mike Sager

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

MWSA”s Founder’s Award Winner for 2008! 

When I got my hands on a copy of author Mike Sager’s book “Wounded Warriors: Those for Whom the War Never Ends” I was not expecting powerful stories of such diversity. The treatment he gives the book and how he writes about such seemly different people somehow all perfectly fit into the author’s theme that “In one way or another, every one of us is a wounded warrior. All of us are engaged in wars, large and small, that may last forever.”

Being a Vietnam veteran and a recipient of a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat, I was somewhat skeptical and a little offended by Mike Sager’s comparisons between actual wounded soldiers and people like Kobe Bryant, Al Sharpton or Marlon Brando. So, I began reading his book looking to find fault with his metaphorical thread of comparisons. However, I found myself totally engrossed in how he tied it all together emotionally and even spiritually at some base invisible level.

Sager starts right off with huge emotional chapter dealing with wounded veterans from our present day wars in the Middle East. He compassionately, and without personal prejudices, manages to gently and psychologically dissect what he sees and senses. He brings his points of view into the story of these men without showing anything more then their own behaviors and words. The raw pains and the emotions are all there. It is a powerful tale of a group of marines baring their souls to the author on a military base in a special unit set aside for wounded warriors. For some people this chapter will open their eyes and their hearts to what these men are going through. If this chapter does not move you then nothing will.

I found my own personal interest peaking when Sager profiles a group of old Vietnam veterans living in Thailand. It seems that for these men the wars within have never really emotionally ended. They live out their lives as expatriates; away from home. Between the booze, the freewheeling sex, and macho encounters with fellow veterans and others, the author picks up on the loneliness and sadness that haunts these men still.  These men are in many ways damaged goods. Their souls are still in pain and at war.

I found the stories about Al Sharpton and other non-combatants to be a huge surprise. The author enables the reader to see through all the public hype about these men. He gives us portraits of real human beings with flesh and blood emotional issues; and yes, with their own inner wars!

This book may add some new insights to your thinking, but the bottom-line is that it is entertaining and fascinating. It draws the reader into these lives; at the end of the book, you will find yourself changed in some way. Call it empathy, or just a compassionate response to have seen and become aware of another man’s pain and suffering; but you will remember these men that you read about long after putting this book to rest.

I fully recommend this book. I give it the Military Writer’s Society of America’s highest book rating of FIVE STARS. I am also proud to honor it with this year’s MWSA’s Founder’s Award for 2008!

MWSA Reviewer: Bill McDonald – Founder and past President of the MWSA

---

Author's Synopsis

Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell prided himself on being a hard-core Marine—a patriotic Devil Dog on his third tour of Iraq. Then his brain was shredded with mortar shrapnel.
Today, Maxwell has a large angry scar on the left side of his head. He forgets words, his wife has to read to him, and he drags one foot when he walks. Yet he works twelve-hour days as commander of the Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. For these warriors, Iraq and Afghanistan will never quite be in the past. And the struggle never ends.

Other stories in Wounded Warriors depict life inside an L.A. crack gang, ex-pat Vietnam War veterans in Thailand, and five days in Las Vegas with basketball anti-hero Kobe Bryant—all of it captured stylishly by the writer who has been called “the beat poet of American journalism.”

Chum Water, by Hodge Wood

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review
2008 President's Award Winner

Hodge Wood’s “Sharks on Wounded Fish:  Chum Water” is an absolutely riveting read.  Although completely non-fiction, it captures and holds the readers interest as surely as if it were an engrossing novel of mystery and intrigue.

Wood grabs the reader from the very first pages with his unique voice and flair for humor, and masterfully maintains that flow throughout.  His plotting and writing skills makes reading his work a pleasure.  

I knew from reading the back cover and the introductory pages that the book was about an incredibly debilitating accident that left Hodge paralyzed, so I expected a heart-wrenching account of the fateful day that ended life as he knew it forever.  I wasn’t disappointed, but I was surprised.   The picture-painting detail and sometimes humorous way that Wood tackled a very dire and sober subject was completely unexpected, and totally appreciated.  The open and honest way that he relays the experience of his ordeal allows the reader to become a part of (and actually feel) everything that he felt and endured.  I found myself terrified during his description of the accident that broke his neck, and  completely outraged by the inept and cruel way that he was treated by some of the health care professionals that were sworn to provide quality patient care and compassion. 

Throughout his ordeal, Hodge lost everything but his faith … his faith in God and in himself.  His story is an incredible tale of strength and perseverance.  His passion for life drove him not only to push his battered body beyond its physical limits, but to thrive in his quest for a career, and a fulfilling personal life.

Wood is a master storyteller and I look very forward to reading his works to follow.  I will enthusiastically recommend “Chum Water” to my family and friends. 

MWSA Reviewer: Claudia Pemberton

---

Author's Synopsis

Hodge shares the extraordinary details of his four year recovery from critical injury and total paralysis in Chum Water, the first book in the Sharks on Wounded Fish series. Initially hospitalized six months with air medevac out of state, a genuine fish out-of-water still hopes to swim again. In this behind-the-scenes chronicle, a private journey from survival to success climaxes as Hodge returns to new work as a therapist assisting others with spinal cord injury. Life forever changes but dreams come true when Hodge water skis once more - with residual paralysis. Flash back to the seventies in Chum Water and be inspired when worst turns best as a street survivor becomes a career occupational therapist. Using surrealistic adventures and self-deprecating humor, Hodge provides the reader with breathtaking insights into the healthcare system - from the unique perspective of a patient and a healthcare provider.

Honor Due; By D.H. Brown

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Few Americans know about the American forces fighting with the Montagnards in the central highlands of Vietnam. A battlefield for some 30 years,“the ‘Yards” were one of the country’s 54 major ethnic groups. Allied with the Americans, the Montagnards were horribly persecuted by the victorious North Vietnamese after the American forces left the country in 1975, with many emigrating to the United States.

Author D.H. Brown, a Vietnam vet who fought with the Montagnards, has written a fast-paced thriller based on the CIA-Special Forces-Montagnard relationships that continued after 1975.

With the hero patterned after a special forces vet living in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, Brown’s story drags the hero, ex-Special Forces, back into the CIA- Spec Ops – Montagnard confusion of the late 1960’s – early 1970’s. His ‘yard’ friend suddenly and brutally murdered after an attempt on his own life, Brown’s hero finds himself falling in love with his friend’s daughter as they chase and are chased by a renegade CIA hit team. The action is realistic and convincing as our two defend themselves before a thrilling and surprising conclusion.

“Honor Due” is D.H. Brown’s first literary effort, and the first of a planned trilogy and is well worth reading.

MWSA Reviewer: Andrew Lubin

---

Author's Synopsis
 

182 Days in Iraq 2nd edition; by Phil Kiver

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

MWSA Reviewer: 
 

---

Author's Synopsis

Phil Kiver's real-life, moment-to-moment journal of his assignment as an Army journalist in Iraq is honest, irreverent gripping and emotional one moment a howl the next. Kiver's journals are raw reaction, impression, and introspection. This, folks, is what it feels like to be Phil Kiver in this war in Iraq missing home, lounging at one of Saddam s pools, angry with the brass, witnessing the deaths of children and comrades, nighttime explosions too close for comfort, pasta with the Italians, toasting the fallen with the Ukrainians. It s a delirium of experience with this journalist sorting through the rubble and smoke in search of the story that will one day be history

5 Brothers In Arms; by Raymond C. Heimbuch

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

A chronicle of one family's service in WWII. Raymond Heimbuch's book is a powerful tribute to the service provided to this country by the five Heimbuch brothers. Each enlisted to help America defeat aggression in WWII, and each had stories to tell about that service. Ray and George were captured in the Philippines while serving in the Army Air Corps. They survived poor food, long marches, sadistic guards, and a ride on one of the infamous "Hell Ships," where they were crammed into the hold of a transport ship for three months en route to Japan. Scariest of all was their separation, not knowing how the other was holding up. Erv joined the Marines, and was one of only three men in his company (over 240 Marines) who survived unwounded through the invasion. Floyd and Mylo also served, and had stories of their own. 

Heimbuch puts a very human face on war, bringing to light the little stories and anecdotes that develop the special brand of camaraderie that only veterans truly understand. His first hand account of being captured near the beginning of the war is also very educational, especially when he relates some of the humor and humanity of his Japanese captors. While some were indeed sadistic, some were simply soldiers doing their part for their country just like the author, and the Heimbuch does a fine job of describing both types. 

Those who enjoy memoirs from combat soldiers in WWII may enjoy this book, and at less than 200 pages it is certainly a very readable work.

Review by Rob Ballister, MWSA Lead Reviewer (June 2009)

ags: Non-fiction, History, Memoir, World War II

---

Author's Synopsis
This book starts with our becoming POW's, with a brief flash back telling how we got there, then goes on to tell about my POW life, and as each of my brothers who is not already mentioned joins the service, he gets a separate chapter telling his war experience, and goes on to tell what happens to each of them up until the present time.  Essentially it tells what we did during the war and then what we did up until the present time.

Soft Target by John D Trudel

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review
Gripping military techo-thriller...

From the moment Gerry Patton enters the Pentagon office of General Mike Mickelson, John Trudel's Soft Target grabs the reader and doesn't turn him loose until the final page.  Mike is reassigned to the NSA on a top secret project by the President of the United States.  The project has one employee, Ms. Patton, the great-granddaughter of General George Patton. The president is afraid of a coup and a new bioweapon unlike any the world has seen. Mike is one of the few people with unique skills that President Carson Hale can trust with a mission critical to the survival of the nation.

The culprit is a terrorist nation in the Middle East called Bukhari. It is creating a bioweapon that makes the black plague look like the sniffles. In this country, Bukhari is aided by ambitious Senator Harriet Stiles who is working quietly, plotting the overthrow of the government, but first must get a vaccine to counter the disease being developed by Bukhari.

Mike was a special operations Marine destined for a career behind a desk. The president needs his special skills to lead the black operation. Key to the project is an Oregon software company working on an impenetrable program for NSA to allow members of Congress to work from their home. Mike knows nothing of computer operations or of the intricacies of the NSA, but can be trusted. He is sworn to secrecy by the President.

Author John Trudel skillfully weaves a thriller that links the once wheelchair-bound Marine General, his NSA project leader, and a savvy SEAL team assigned to protect them on a chase to Oregon where a Bukhari hit-squad raids a NSA contractor, kidnapping Gerry's father in the process. Then Mike goes to Israel and Saudi Arabia, two countries that help him conduct a clandestine raid on a Bukhari lab where a devastating bioweapon is being created.          

In the meantime, Senator Stiles steps up her plot as Mike races against time and the odds of getting out of Bukhari alive.

The story is full of action—terrorists, firefights, and intrigue, with a dash of romance—written in a way that keeps the reader excited and in the heart of the action.  Soft Target is a book difficult to put down, and one that will scare the hell out of you.

MWSA Reviewer: Joe Epley (March 2018)

---

Author's Synopsis

Soft Target: A Cybertech Thriller

The 21st Century started off dangerous and got worse. America is working its way back, wounded, but recovering and rebuilding.

Exceptionalism is a memory, but embers glow in the darkness. Hope is alive. A maverick scientist, GERRY PATTON, works alone behind tight security.

Her wild card project could ensure government survival if Washington was destroyed, but it’s being sabotaged. MIKE MICKELSON (“Twenty Mike”), a Marine, was gravely wounded when his command post in Yemen was overrun. Now unfit for combat, he’s assigned to help Gerry.

Unknown enemies are watching. A bioweapons attack is planned, a coup orchestrated by officials in our own government. Gerry’s program could hamper their plans.

Why take a chance? She’s a Soft Target.

Can Mike save Gerry? Can she help him heal? Can they prevent a paralyzing WMD attack?

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0983588610
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 322
 

Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Author Jackie Minniti weaves a poignant tale of fear, friendship, hope, and faith in Jacqueline. This novel is based on the true story of ten-year-old Catholic Jacqueline and twelve-year-old Jewish David, during the final years of the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. It is set in the town of Rennes and is a tale for both young and old.

Through bombings, air raids, ever-present hunger, constant fear, and death, Jacqueline, her widowed mother, and David live through the war. One day, when Jacqueline and David are away from their apartment building, the Nazis round up David’s family and ship them off to a transfer camp before their likely shipment to a concentration camp, and Jacqueline’s mother takes him under her wing and into her home.

War stories are not totally about armies and battles. They are about ideas, implementation of those ideas, and how that implementation affects ordinary people. Jacqueline lets the reader see the war through a child’s eye, which is perhaps the purest version of war…and the most touching. Among other heart-wrenching events, the great tragedy for Jacqueline and David may have been losing their childhoods.

The text is written in a way that flows smoothly, and the dialogue seems quite realistic. I think children of middle grades and beyond would find the book both enlightening and interesting. It is also a touching read for adults.

Minniti’s story resonates for all children, regardless of nationality, and is especially relevant for youngsters who find themselves in the midst of strife around the world today. It is a gem to read, and the author unequivocally allows the reader to feel the impact of war on young people. I would read it again and recommend it to friends, young and older.

MWSA Reviewer: Patricia Walkow (Feb 2018)

Author's Synopsis
When ten-year-old Jacqueline Falna hears her mother’s scream, she is unaware that
the axis of her world is about to tilt. Her father’s plane has been shot down by German fighters. In the midst of poverty, food shortages, air raids, and the grinding hardship of  daily life under Nazi rule, she forms an unlikely alliance with David Bergier, a twelve-year-old Jewish neighbor who poses as her cousin after his family is “relocated” by the Nazis. When Rennes is liberated, Jacqueline meets an American soldier and becomes convinced that he has been sent to reunite her with her father. 

Based on a true story, “Jacqueline” is a tale of family, faith, unusual friendships, and
the resiliency of the human spirit set against the backdrop of occupied Rennes in
1944. With the drama of fiction and the authenticity of personal history, “Jacqueline” 
is both a story about family and a family’s story.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-10: 0996329080, ISBN-13: 978-0996329088, ASIN: B011SCVPJS
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Chapter Book
Number of Pages: 219
 

The Chords of War by Christopher Meeks and Samuel Gonzalez, Jr.

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Max is only seventeen at the beginning of this saga. His life has fallen apart because of his own bad decisions. He’s been kicked out of his own band. He’s given up on education. His landlord has locked him out of his room and is selling off his possessions on the curb, and even his girlfriend has left him. He seeks to save himself by joining the Army, like the heroes of the war movies he watches. This is a novel inspired by a true story, and that definition explains many of the book’s difficulties. If this book is a novel, then readers may justifiably complain that the supporting characters are not well-enough developed. If it’s a memoir, then it lacks sufficient introspection The main character fails to fully convey the angst of a homeless teenager or the emotional impact of the horrors of war. 

The details will not please an older generation of readers, who will be befuddled by the numerous mentions of music and films they do not recognize. Others will complain that there is too much sex, too much drug use, too many tattoos, too many swear words, including that f-one. In short, there’s too much punk and too many punk rockers. Much of the success of a book comes from the story’s ability to pull the reader into the narrative. The post 9/11 rock music scene is a pretty far stretch for most baby-boomers.

The book will not please the grammarians—those who notice every error of punctuation and chronology. Nor will it please those who expect an author to follow all the rules of writing, whatever those may be. The philosophers won’t like Max’s over-simplification of cosmic crises.  And the book will not satisfy those looking for a typical coming-of-age narrative. Max is unlikeable at the beginning of the book, and he hasn’t changed a great deal by the end. He still seeks the answers to his problems in the life of music he once left behind. And what good is a coming-of-age story if the young person hasn’t found a new meaning of life, a purpose that drives him, or a moral ruler against which to measure his own actions and those of others?

And yet . . . and yet . . . this may well turn out to be an important book—one that provides our literary world with an early understanding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Max and his friends represent a generation of soldiers caught somewhere between the heroism of World War II and the bitterness of Vietnam. Perhaps we are still too close to the period to fully comprehend what that means for them and for their futures.

MWSA Reviewer: Carolyn Schriber

Author's Synopsis

Inspired by Sam Gonzalez’s true story, "The Chords of War" is the tale of punk rock teenager Max Rivera from Florida, who seeks purpose as he tries to understand why his life always teeters between music and mayhem. After he's kicked out of his band on tour, he joins the Army to change his life. It's after 9/11, and he finds himself under fire in Iraq, part of the surge in Baquabah. In order to deal with his teen angst and raging hormones among daily patrols, coordinated battles, and women fighting alongside him, Max creates a new band with soldiers. Will Max and his friends make it?

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0986326523
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 280