Collection

Title: DEROS Vietnam: Dispatches from the Air-Conditioned Jungle
Author: Doug Bradley
Genre: Short Story Collection
Reviewer: Jim Greenwald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0985338814

DEROS Vietnam: Dispatches from the Air-Conditioned Jungle presents a unique, fictional montage of the war, and postwar, experiences of Vietnam support troops. Structurally based on Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time, DEROS Vietnam (the acronym stands for Date Eligible for Return from Over Seas) is a riveting collection of 16 short stories and 16 interlinears about the GIs who battled boredom, racial tensions, the military brass, drugs, alcohol—and occasionally the enemy. From cooks and correspondents to clerks and comptrollers, DEROS Vietnam distills the essence of life for soldiers in the rear during the war and, later, back home in a divided America. Vietnam veteran Doug Bradley, a former Army journalist who served in the air-conditioned jungle at U. S. Army Headquarters near Saigon in 1970-71, tells these compelling stories with wit, intensity, and empathy. In doing so, he provides a gateway to a Vietnam experience that has been largely ignored and whose reverberations still echo across America.

Title: A Heart Without Words
Author: David McDonald
Genre: Poetry
Reviewer: Cathryn J. Prince

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1471770885

This poetry deals with the emotions Soldiers and their loved ones must deal with in a myriad of situations. This poetry is much softer in nature to my previous work and is, I hope, easier on the reader for that.

Title: My Peaceful Dad
Author: Ross H. Mackenzie
Genre: Poetry
Reviewer: Hodge Wood

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B007K1V2X6

My Peaceful Dad presents practical lessons on life – its challenges, joys, and hopes – in easy-to-understand and approachable ways while also offering the reader biblical references to investigate more about Christ’s original teachings, making them realistic and tangible. My Peaceful Dad is perfect for anyone facing transition in life, from pre-school through grad-school and from puberty through retirement. “Your actions and your state of mind / Can influence all mankind.”

Title: Shaken to the Core (and Finding God's Strength)
Author: Marjorie Hodgson Parker
Genre: Spiritual/Religious
Reviewer: Barbara Peacock

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1933979992

Drawing from powerful personal stories and timeless truths from the Bible, this devotional book offers hope and comfort for the darkest of times. These devotionals along with gentle exercises help strengthen body and soul as they build trust in God

Title: Tying Up Water and Other Stories
Author: Ross H. MacKenzie
Genre: Short Story Collection
Reviewer: Rob Ballister

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B007K1VMYU

A helicopter crash leaves Stuart adrift with unreliable memories, foggy recollections, and bittersweet realizations. Through this catastrophic experience, Stuart must rely on his strength, his family, and his faith to try and persevere. Sensual passion, exhilarating rock climbs, and tender hope for a legacy combine to define this remarkable story as not only a harrowing adventure, but also a touching love story.

The collection delivers other stories equally captivating in arenas varying from Australian rock climbing to high-sea Navy adventures. Ross H. Mackenzie is an award-winning author best known for his Patriot Kids children’s book series that positively impacts military families every day.