Historical

Comes A Soldier's Whisper

I am very excited to be a new member of MWSA and to share Comes A Soldier's Whisper, a collection of wartime letters with reflection and hope for the future.

Although these letters were written some seventy years ago between 1943-1945, they resonate the same sentiments of our soldiers today. A soldier's thoughts turn to family, the future and his past and is shown throughout my father's (David Clinton Tharp) personal letters sent home. War changes a soldier. It changes their family too...

A Tribute to Tankers

Title: A Tribute to Tankers
Author: Clyde Hoch
Genre: History
Reviewer: Dick Geschke

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0615784178

Read a short discription of a type of American tank used in combat, followed by stories of soldiers who served in that type of tank in combat. Starting in WWI and continuing to Iraq, along with photos of each tank. These are true combat stories coming directly from the men who manned the tanks and in their own words. Journey back in time and feel the anguish, frustrations and fear these brave men faced day after day. Read of the great sacrifices they made for you the people of the U. S. These stories must be told. These brave men are all worthy of calling real hero's. "A Tribute to Tankers" will educate you about combat tanks, the men who crewed them and what it was really like to go to war.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Hoch, Clyde

Sundown Town Duty Station

Title: Sundown Town Duty Station
Author: John Zerr
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Dick Geschke

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1475969287

In March 1968, Navy Lieutenant Jon Zachery has just received orders to report to his new duty station in Meridian, Mississippi, for basic jet pilot training. But after he and his wife, Teresa, arrive in what they are initially told is a friendly little town, they soon learn what it means to live in a sundown town.

When Jon and Teresa attend Mass on their first Sunday in Meridian and enter a pew occupied by a young colored woman “sitting-in” the all-white church, the Zacherys unwittingly step into the middle of a KKK campaign created to discourage civil rights sympathizers. As Jon works his way through six months of flight training with an antagonistic flight instructor, the Klansmen escalate their focus on the Zacherys, soon transforming their threats into violent acts. Near the end of Jon’s tour of duty, tensions escalate further, culminating in a confrontation with deadly consequences.

In this compelling story, a young lieutenant’s faith, patriotism, morality, and love for his family is tested as he bravely battles the evil that lurks within the shadows of Meridian, Mississippi.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Zerr, John

Counting Coup: The Odyssey Of Captain Tom Adams

Title: Counting Coup: The Odyssey Of Captain Tom Adams
Author: Bob Stockton
Genre: Literary Fiction
Reviewer: Jim Greenwald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1483606937

The story of the way west in the early nineteenth century was often a tale of danger, death and unspeakable suffering. The early trappers and mountain men forged the trails westward for the pioneers that followed and became part of the legend of the American West. Of this hardy breed of early venturers one name stands out above the rest: Kit Carson. Many stories of his bravery, often wildly exaggerated filled eastern bookshelves of the day.
How much of what was written was true and how much was fantasy? Cavalry officer Captain Tom Adams vowed to seek the truth behind the legend and along the way faced near shipwrecks, attempted assassinations, Indian massacres, murder, and torture in an odyssey that he never believed could have been possible.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Stockton, Bob

Hamfist Down!: Evasion, Survival and Combat in the Jungle (Volume 2)

Title: Hamfist Down!: Evasion, Survival and Combat in the Jungle (Volume 2)
Author: George Nolly
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Ed Cox

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0975436228

It's August, 1969. Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock has been shot down over Laos, and must use all his skill, and luck, to avoid capture and certain, violent death. To facilitate his rescue, he must become a ground FAC and direct airstrikes against North Vietnamese targets on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. And, to survive, he must engage in hand-to-hand combat. But Hamfist may face his greatest battle after his rescue. Back in Vietnam, while recuperating at the hospital at Cam Ranh Bay, he experiences a sapper attack. And, following his return to the air, Hamfist is tormented by a flying error, an error which may have cost a comrade his life. Only time will tell if Hamfist can regain his self-respect and passion. On his final flight, Hamfist faces a brutal enemy in a life-or-death duel that will determine if he will be shot down once again or return home to his soul-mate. The rescue, the airborne mistake and the final battle force Hamfist to reevaluate his priorities in his career, in his flying, and in his life.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Nolly, George

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