Letters From Long Binh, by Randy Mixter

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MWSA Review
Just another book about Vietnam? Wait; don’t dismiss this memoir out of hand. Every experience is different and every soldier has both a shared and a unique vision of that experience and Randy Mixtertells an honest and humorous story of his time in Vietnam in Letters From Long Binh. 

Memories change over the years for most, for soldiers they are forever part of their life. So many stories of those so young can start saying “I boarded the plane.” If thoughts or ideas existed about easy and heroes they ended with wheels down. 

In sharing his memories through the letters of that time in his life Mixter has opened the door into his and many Veterans lives. From the mundane day to day to the absolutely frightening he shares it all. Adding humor into the telling makes it easier for Veterans to read.

History buffs and those that simply do not understand what it is like to serve in country need to read this. It will definitely open their eyes.

One phrase keeps banging around in my head, remembering how many times I have heard it, reminded after all these years by Letters From Long Binh “You’ll be fine.” 


Reviewed by: Jim Greenwald (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

I boarded the plane to Vietnam at exactly midnight on January 1st, 1967. I was a 19 year old soldier with pen and paper in hand. I began to write.  

“Letters from Long Binh" gives the reader an honest appraisal of the everyday life of an MP in Vietnam. Sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, but always gripping, the book is written with a deep sense of respect for his fellow brothers-in-arms in a war-torn county.” Lou Fantauzzi - Vietnam 1966-67

Surviving Serendipity, by Lawrence Enders

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MWSA Review

Lawrence J. Enders had done a wonderful job of writing his story inSurviving Serendipity.  His goal in life was to be a stable, hometown physician.  He ended up being drafted and serving in the U.S. Air Force as a flight surgeon for twenty-three years.  He retired as a colonel and accomplished being a doctor, pilot, medical administrator, and military officer. He shares many “serendipitous” events, which lead to interactions with astronauts, Russian spies, Hollywood stars, an acquitted multiple murderer, the John F. Kennedy family, a Nazi war-crimes scientist, etc. Dr. Enders served in seventy-five missions in Southeast Asia. He has lived quite the life!

 Many of Dr. Ender’s experiences do seem unreal, and family members and friends encouraged him to write his book, for that very reason.  In one year, Enders was selected by NASA on loan from the Air Force, was involved with a daring sea rescue, and helped with the delivery of Jacqueline Kennedy’s baby. And that was just one year of his life. More than once he heard the words, “Have I got a deal for you!” 

 I would like to share a quote from Lawrence Enders from the end of his book: “We may not be able to choose the parents to whom we are born, or indeed, where we are born. We may not be able to choose how or when we will die. But we can all choose how we live!” Webster’s defines “serendipity” as “an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally.”  Read about many serendipitous happenings in the life of Lawrence Enders in Surviving Serendipity.

Reviewed by: Joyce Gilmour (October 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

Lawrence J. Enders, a cadet at Cretin High School, St. Paul, Minnesota and Dr. Enders today. 

Follow Me, by Elizabeth Carroll Foster

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MWSA Review

This is a memoir of a woman who became the wife of an Army officer and pilot. As a young bride, she was clueless as to the demands that would be placed upon her. She felt ill-prepared for the nomadic lifestyle and her frequent moves from pillar to post while raising four children. In spite of that, she succeeded.

 In the Preface, she writes, “Military life is hard for anyone who experiences it, whether of short duration or over many years. Yet, as difficult as frequent moves, school changes, goodbyes and long separations are, it is a life of travels to places outside of one’s dreams, of making new friends, and many, many fun times. It is a life of building memories to be unwrapped and relived years later.”

 She recalls “We traveled across the United States, lived in Pakistan, toured in India andItaly with four youngsters and a dog … my first airplane ride was with a new baby dosed for teething. Four babies were born in five years.”

 Foster also observes “After twenty-five years as the spouse of a U.S. Army officer, I think I know a thing or two about military wives. They are full of grit.”

 She notes that military wives have much in common, regardless of the branch of service. Conditioned to be strong, they show endurance. When life gets hard, they may sit down and cry, but not for long. There is always another move to make, another house to turn into a home. And during tragedies, they share food, tend the deceased’s children, and put the house in order for a grieving friend.

 Foster’s book includes photos which help the reader feel a connection to the author and her family. Her story will resonate with many who have lived a life in the military. It may even inspire envy in those civilians who have never had the opportunity to travel to exotic places.

 This book is entertaining, enlightening, and honest. It is a testament to the bravery and courage of the distaff side of military life, and a validation of their many sacrifices. As Foster so aptly asserts, “Military wives accept the life that’s dealt them.”

 There’s no doubt, our country needs military wives. They are the nurturers, the healers, the bedrock and the heart of America. Very highly recommended reading.

Reviewed by: Charlene Rubush (September 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

On September 6, 1949, the author was a bride and clueless as to the twists and turns her life would take as the wife of a US Army officer. Her husband served sixteen months at the end of WWII and completed his three-year obligation in the reserve forces. Meantime, he tried to complete college and enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard while at the University of Oklahoma. The Guard unit was recalled to service with the 45th Division at the outbreak of the Korean War.

Elizabeth was ill-prepared for the kind of life she would experience as a military wife, the frequent moves from pillar to post while rearing four children, the separations from her husband, and parting from her friends and making new ones. Without a support system, she learned that military wives depended on each other.

It wasn't an easy life, but it offered many exciting adventures and presented friendships in many places. Her children adapted well to the nomadic lifestyle, despite transferring from school to school in midterm. Would she have made the commitment had she known what it entailed? She would have because it was a life of wonderful adventures shared with her husband, her children, their dog, and many, many friends.

G-Day, Rendezvous with Eagles, by Stephen D. Wiehe

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MWSA Review

Too few books have been written about the first Gulf War—Desert Shield and Desert Storm-- overshadowed, no doubt, by the current war in the Gulf region—Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. But to make sense of the latter, it is important to understand the former.

Author Stephen D. Wiehe does a great job of telling the story of that first war as he witnessed it while a forward observer with the 502nd“Strike” Brigade Infantry Regiment, a vital part of the 101st Airborne Division’s lead brigade task force in the liberation of Kuwait. These are the troops who stood in the gap of President George H.W. Bush’s “Line in the Sand.”

Wiehe’s motivation for writing the book was to create an accurate document of his unit’s history that could be used as reference material for future generations. He did that quite successfully with his research that included excerpts of documents and plenty of maps placed throughout the book to orient the reader unfamiliar with locations in that part of the world.

But while the book focuses on the 502nd, it is also able to tell the story of the greater war which was probably the experience of most American troops deployed there. The reader is taken on the journey from training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to the sandstorms and freezing temperatures of the Kuwaiti desert with gas masks always at the ready. Grueling walks carrying a hundred pound rucksack across rolling mounds of sands, avoiding enemy and hidden minefields, put the reader in the middle of what that short war was like. Hard to believe it has been 20 years.

I learned, or should I say, relearned a lot of history of that first conflict and that’s what I enjoy reading in such a book.  It is easy to forget, and perhaps too easy to falsely remember, why we went to Kuwait.

G-Day: Rendezvous With Eagles is a good read. Wiehe lays out a great story with facts he has meticulously researched.

Reviewed by: Gail Chatfield (December 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

When I started my research, the twenty plus years that had passed began to shrink. By the end of the project, the events that changed my life two decades ago seemed like yesterday. The reconnection with old friends was well worth the time it took to put the book together. 

In working on our unit history, I found very little about our important missions and objectives during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.  I was amazed that the units themselves had very little information regarding our objectives and the reasons for them.  In a day when the internet and cell phones are everywhere, including the front lines of combat, there is a rich and living commentary written by the troops as they live it.  But, just a few decades ago during Desert Storm, there were no blogs, satellite radio or internet.  When it comes to Desert Storm there is a void in the written history. Our children would be hard pressed to put all of the pieces together.   My goal when I started writing G-Day was to create a factual, historical document that all of us could be proud of and that could be used as a reference for future generations.When visiting with Dr. John O'Brien, Chief Historian at the Don F. Pratt Museum at Fort Campbell, I told him I didn't want this to turn into a book of "fish stories" or a compilation of war tales that are told so many times over the years that they gradually become the truth.   

There are some great books written by accomplished authors who give us a great view of the "big picture" in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.  In writing this book, my hope is that it will help you see, and appreciate, the day to day activities of the soldiers who were there and how they fit into the "bigger picture."  

In Our Duffel Bags, by Richard C. Geschke & Robert A. Toto

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MWSA Review

Wow! The man who was ordered to go to Vietnam against his desires wrote this poem! This passage is key to the flow of this book and the bond of friendship between the co-authors that exists to this day. In the same chapter he writes: It has taken me almost forty years to recollect what I’ve experienced, and it is very difficult to write about oneself in an objective way. I was again in the soup and now I had another “boss” who was angry with me… (P.100)

These men are real and attempt to put it all in perspective as their hopes are dashed and anxieties tighten on rational thinking. At that moment, I was mad, feeling that the military was nothing but a political battlefield played by small-minded people who took advantage of their subordinates. If the subordinates did not “play ball,” the ball was taken away, no matter how good or competent they were. (P.101)

Combat Vets will appreciate the candor and frankness of the authors. Some things about war never change. Some people walk around as “combat vets” without ever really having an idea that a war is going on. Geschke’s words could be my own words with a few changes. It seemed so strange to me that these army personnel were drawing the same combat pay that I was drawing. It didn’t seem right forty-one years ago, and it still doesn’t seem right now, but it was a fact: They were in a different world than we were dealing with in the fields of Vietnam (Iraq, or Afghanistan). (P.158)

Geschke and Toto challenge our status quo in how we understand and approach wars. There is an uncomfortable air about their insights and open-ended conclusions. However, speaking as a combat chaplain who has actually been in the soup of Iraq, I believe they are spot on. The two of them should be expert advisors because they would hold all soldiers and citizens accountable, including me.

Yes! It was a privilege to serve. And it was an honor to review this book. The authors did more than survive the Vietnam era; they thrived and blossomed. And I might add, they inspired this chaplain. Well done!

Reviewed by: Ron Camarda (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

DECEMBER 28, 2011 - First Lieutenant Richard C. Geschke and Lieutenant Robert A. Toto co-authored a book sparking emotions and revealing buried memories of the Vietnam War within the book titled In Our Duffel Bags, just published by iUniverse.

Both men are longtime service buddies as well as friends and it is through
this book they share the sometimes harrowing events encountered during their service in the “War with no purpose; no mission statement.” This
narrative book uniquely conveys each man’s first hand experiences as
soldiers serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War era and their
transition to civilian life afterwards.

“I did not realize that I had PTSD, until I started to cry while I was out
walking near my home” said Robert Toto during a recent interview. “This
book became part of my therapy.” As for Richard Geschke, his memories came about differently as he said, “It wasn’t until I had a vivid dream of
reality about a trip down the Hai Van Pass which occurred forty years ago
that the thoughts of not only Vietnam but of my entire army experience came
to my foremost thoughts. I immediately put them on paper, starting with the
chapter titled “Going My Way” and followed by the chapter titled “Was
That Forty-One or Forty-two Rockets?” Both men entered the military through the ROTC program which put them in as an officer once completing college. “During our day there were protests, draft card burnings and a very lively debate about the merits of the war.

Today, because we have an all volunteer army, the regular population is more or less mute on the war. Current debates about the wars are timid in
comparison to the Vietnam era,” said Richard Geschke. Aside from the political unrest our country was going through, these men each had their battles with society dealing with the stigma of serving the country in a war which was shunned by their peers. For Robert Toto, “It was difficult being in grad school once I was discharged. The undergraduate students really had no clue of what military life was.” Richard Geschke commented, “Vietnam was a different era altogether, with the protests and the divisive politics of the times.” He summarized, “I didn’t make military policy, and all I did was to serve my country in an honorable way!”

The stories within In Our Duffel Bags are written in a down to earth manner
using language that makes it easy to relate to the storytellers. This is the
type of book that can be a captivating read for those wanting to indulge in
the mindsets of young men forced into becoming soldiers during a war in which no one wanted to fight.

In the Gray Area, by Seth Folsom

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MWSA Review

In every war there exists a behind the scenes force that is for the most part invisible to the public. There are no movies made of this subculture of warriors who quietly train and serve alongside host country forces, but their contribution is enormous, dangerous, and crucial to the hoped for success of the strategic mission. During the Vietnam War Americans served by the thousands in the Military Assistance Command (MACV), advising, and leading the South Vietnamese army. U.S. forces slogged through the jungles and mountains, with American men, in American units, while MACV soldiers did the same thing imbedded with South Vietnamese forces. The stress, and uncertainty of such combat duty was measurably more mentally and emotionally demanding, being in harm’s way with an alien culture whose motives were frequently suspect.

Such has been the duty of American advisers once again in Afghanistan, and Iraq. Appropriately named "The Gray Area", this spooky part of the war where religious fanaticism is capable of turning who you thought were your friends against you in a heartbeat, is a vital element in the chemistry of success in both theaters. The author does a masterful job of illuminating the challenges, and dangers of such duty via his own service performing this critical job. His challenges, frustrations, and affection for his charges are illuminated in his graphic, deadly, and sometimes humorous reflections on the demands placed upon our shadow warriors who face the daily challenges of impacting and directing a culture to a desired end that may or may not be achievable.

Reviewed by: Bob Flournoy (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

In the Gray Area builds on Seth Folsom s earlier award-winning memoir, The Highway War. In February 2008 Major Folsom was deployed again to Iraq as the leader of a U.S. Marine advisor team embedded with an Iraqi army infantry battalion. The realities of the Marines mission is frankly addressed by Folsom in this new work as he reflects on challenges they and their Iraqi counterparts faced in their struggle to gain control of al-Anbar province. He explores the bonds he formed with his men, the Outlanders, and the tenuous relationships forged between the American and Iraqi soldiers whose cultures were so vastly different. The author creates a compelling picture of the obstacles faced by both as they lived, ate, and fought side-by-side. 

Callsign: Spectre, by Jeff Noecker

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MWSA Review

"Callsign: Spectre" is about the author's experiences in the military. Jeff Noecker wanted to be a mechanic but ultimately became part of the gun crew of an AC-130 during the Vietnam War. He was one of the people who worked in the back to keep the guns going. His primary job was lookout. He was assigned to Thailand and patrolled the Ho Chi Minh Trail starting in the spring of 1971.

Appropriately, the cover has a picture of the plane flying at night shooting out the left side, down at the ground, with artillery exploding around it. The artist's rendition will draw in all those who functioned in similar circumstances during the Vietnam War.

Noecker's description of survival school in the PI brought back great memories for me. I also enjoyed reading about their missions which were similar to others I had heard about myself while in country. In one of the more exciting narratives, they did get hit once but managed to get their airplane back. However, it was severely damaged. Miraculously, no one on the plane was wounded.

The book is well-written and beautifully published. Vietnam veterans of the era and historians will enjoy this piece.

Reviewed by: Buddy Cox (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

This is the story of a young man from Pennsylvania who enlists in the U.S. Air Force at age 19. After three years of essential but otherwise boring duty, he is accepted into the AC-130 gunship pprogram and is assigned to a special operations unit in Southeast Asia. This book is written in a memoir format and details the duties and missions of this young man and his contemporaries as they attack supply convoys while flying at low altitude along the notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail. The story relates the good with the bad and has a special section dedicated to the "urban legends" of the time.

The Boys of Diamond Hill, by J. Keith Jones

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MWSA Review

The Boys of Diamond Hill is a handsome book. When I first received it, I spent a long time examining the cover -- and every time I picked it up, I saw another detail in the mural-like painting representing a soldier's life in the Confederacy. It is well-researched, well-documented, and beautifully presented by editor and MWSA member J. Keith Jones. If you are a scholar of the Civil War, you will rejoice as the primary materials -- letters exchanged by members of the Boyd family -- brings their experiences to life as only first-hand accounts can do. If you are a casual reader, you will be struck by the cultural and philosophical differences between the 19th and the 21st centuries in America -- and yet, how much the same we all are. Any reader will be moved by the lives of these people, farmers, caught up in the major American catastrophe of their time -- politics gone awry and turned violent. 

In the afterward, the editor comments about the emotional connection with this family he felt after the many weeks and months he spent working with their letters and researching their lives. I understood his point. As I read about the brothers' devotion to their parents, their affection for their siblings and their love for their wives and children -- I began to feel like I knew them. And when they began asking each other of news about Felton or about Andrew's well-being, even though I knew they were already dead when these words were written, I too was devastated. 

This book had to have taken an incredible amount of work. I'm sure Mr. Jones found the information in bits that had to be fitted together like an enormous jigsaw puzzle. He helps the reader along with a well-constructed index and comprehensive bibliography. I loved an appendix that explained the various cast of characters and how they were related to each other. In fact, I read that both before I tackled the letters -- and afterwards. Then, I spent hours scanning the Boyd brothers company rosters -- looking for names that I might recognize. 

This is a work to linger over -- and I did. It's a gold mine for novelists -- each letter, in and of itself, is a story with subplots and character development. I found myself reading a letter from one of the boys, reading Mr. Jones' background information, and then looking up some obscure comment or reference. I got a big kick out of how the Boyds talked so casually about the momentous things happening to them. Daniel is wounded on the second day at Gettysburg. Yet, other than to tell his father that he got hit in the leg, he doesn't explain himself further. When so much is going on, I guess it's hard to know what to mention and what let pass. Or perhaps you think you will have the rest of your life to talk about it -- or maybe you want to forget it as soon as possible.

This is perhaps the most dogeared of the books that I've received in the last few years. I will probably keep it near as reference for a story I'm planning -- or maybe just to reach back in time to touch the Boyd family once again on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2011)

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Author's Synopsis

In April 1861, brothers Daniel and Pressley Boyd left their farm in Abbeville County, South Carolina, to join the Confederate army. The Civil War soon swept their other brothers, William, Thomas and Andrew, as well as brother-in-law Fenton Hall into service. By the war's end, only Daniel survived. The extensive collection of letters the Boyds left behind, assembled for the first time, details their experiences across almost every theater of the war and offers commentary on many aspects of soldier life--from illness, death, and religion to friendly fire, desertion, and politics. Few families sacrificed as much to the Confederate cause as did the Boyds. Their letters remain a testament to their commitment and reveal the profound human impact of war.

The Insurgency in Chechnya, by Robert W. Schaefer

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MWSA Review

Robert Schaefer's book on the insurgency in Chechnya is comprehensive and informative. He takes a conflict about which many readers have only a passing familiarity gleaned from newspaper headlines and explains the historical and cultural origins of what he argues is an insurgency spanning three centuries. Military audiences will appreciate his discussion of the differences between terrorism and insurgency, and his efforts to discuss the Chechen case study using current military doctrinal terms.  Others will enjoy his in-depth discussion of the historical origins of this conflict and its implications for the Caucasus and the rest of the world, including the relationship between religion and insurgency. Schaefer argues that insurgency is fundamentally different from traditional or conventional warfare, a view that is widely debated in current strategic circles.  Since the focus of his book is on Chechnya and not the nature of warfare itself, his arguments in support of this view are likely to reaffirm the beliefs of those who agree with him on this point but not sway those who come down on the opposite side of the argument. Schaefer’s informed analysis of the Chechen insurgency makes this a book that every student of counterinsurgency or the Caucasus region should own.

Reviewed by: Edward Cox (October 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

The shocking events of the Moscow airport terrorist attack make it clear that the North Caucasus insurgency is still strong – despite the Kremlin’s announcement in 2008 that the conflict was “over.” Find out why Russia has been promised a “year of blood and tears” in 2011 and what this means for the Sochi Olympics in 2014. For the first time, a military expert on both Russia and insurgency offers the definitive guide on activities in Southern Russia, explaining why the Russian approach to counterterrorism is failing and why terrorist and insurgent attacks in Russia have sharply increased over the past three years.

The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad is a comprehensive treatment of this 300 year-old conflict. Thematically organized, it cuts through the rhetoric to provide a contextual framework with which readers can truly understand the "why" and "how" of one of the world’s longest-running contemporary insurgencies, despite Russia's best efforts to eradicate it.

A fascinating case study of a counterinsurgency campaign that is in direct contravention of US and Western strategy, the book also examines the differences and linkages between insurgency and terrorism; the origins of conflict in the North Caucasus; and the influences of different strains of Islam, of al-Qaida, and of the War on Terror. A critical examination of never-before-revealed Russian counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns explains why those campaigns have consistently failed and why the region has seen such an upswing in violence since the conflict was officially declared "over" less than two years ago.

The book's features include: information drawn from the North Caucasus Incident Database (NCID), compiling every violent incident in the region over a two-year period; charts showing the complex strategies of the insurgency and the Russian counterinsurgency campaigns; declassified intelligence reports; as well as maps and a bibliography. Presented through the lens of counterinsurgency theory, this incisive analysis explores the historic roots of each issue, the key players, and the farthest-reaching effects. It is the first doctrinal analysis (classified or unclassified) produced on the conflict in over 10 years and is already being used as a textbook at the Program on Terrorism and Security Studies at the Marshall Center.

That Time, That Place, That War, by Margaret Brown

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MWSA Review

THAT TIME, THAT PLACE, THAT WAR by Margaret Brown is a book for every American's bookshelf, a book that reveals the Vietnam War, not as a war book or a political book--though it addresses both evenhandedly--but as a human book: a book of human life during war shown by those who fought. The author shares the code of Vietnam using the grunts' words, photos and poetry. Her hope is that her book "unlocks the door that separates the soldiers who went to war from those who love them and from those who want to learn about history."

Sections are organized by military alphabet. Alpha is for A-Team, Ace of Spades, Afrvn--Armed Forces Radio in Vietnam, and Agent Blue (plus 22 more including Anti-War Protests). Bravo is for Baby-killer, Bad Paper and Bagged and Tagged. THAT TIME, THAT PLACE, THAT WAR: VIETNAM uses stories from the men who fought in the war, photos, research, definitions, songs, poems to give a complete and balanced view of Vietnam.

A professor at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, the author taught a course on the Vietnam War and invited vets in to speak of their experiences. What they shared changed the students' perspective and evolved into this book.

I grew up in the Vietnam era, yet this book gave information and perspective to so many memories, questions, and emotions. I hope THAT TIME, THAT PLACE, THAT WAR unlocks the code to finally welcome our Vietnam vets home.

Highly recommended!

Reviewed by: Marcia J Sargent (July 1, 2012)

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Author's Synopsis

THAT TIME, THAT PLACE, THAT WAR by Margaret Brown is a book for every American's bookshelf, a book that reveals the Vietnam War, not as a war book or a political book--though it addresses both evenhandedly--but as a human book: a book of human life during war shown by those who fought. The author shares the code of Vietnam using the grunts' words, photos and poetry. Her hope is that her book "unlocks the door that separates the soldiers who went to war from those who love them and from those who want to learn about history." 

Your Gift to Me, by Bonnie Latino & Bob Vale

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MWSA Review

Your Gift to Me is a hybrid -- a story of love and war spliced with historical fiction. The characters are almost too robust for simple romance. Ted and Emily's tale reminds us of wounds that don't heal, fears that won't go away, and life that remains forever disastrous and wonderful at the same time. Each has lost a soul mate -- Emily's husband dies in a fiery helocopter crash in Iraq, Ted's wife loses her fight with cancer. And with this background, Latino and Vale explore that most agonizing of situations -- do promises and bonds exist after death and if they do, how can the partner left behind reconnect with someone else?

Within the circle of this overriding question, the small military community supports and comforts each of them. Who else can understand this reality better? Emily and Ted's waltz includes a shakey courtship, sabatoge, and the threat of further tragedy. Latino and Vale write with a deep understanding of the joy and horror new love brings. Emily thinks, "Ted’s obsession with flight was obvious. Like Gary had, Ted would always put flight first. She had no intention of competing with the ethereal mistress of flight. Not again. Not with a pilot assigned to a wing that, for no apparent reason, had airplanes falling out of the sky. Two pilots in Ted Foley’s chain of command were dead. Dead!"

I read this book almost straight through -- relishing well-drawn side-kicks like "N'Awlins" and chuckling at the intimate interactions in this private society. Using prose that is both elegant and subtle, the authors write: "Ted walked a few steps beyond the foyer to the study. The strict military protocol between a general and a subordinate officer temporarily dissolved between old friends. Unobserved by others, their long-time relationship overcame the obligatory 'Yes, sir/No, sir' responses that pepper the conversation of military personnel of different ranks. Instead, the bond of personal friendship filled their conversation, a rare moment both of them treasured. Over the years, Ted had won John’s trust and respect. Thus, he had also earned the courtesy of being on equal footing during private moments. Absolute professionals, neither man ever forgot which was the lieutenant general and which, a colonel. The fact was as absolute as eye color."

Warm, engaging – and oh so thought provoking, Your Gift to Me celebrates the resilience of human connections across time and space and mortality. This book will revisit you at night – often.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

Set primarily in Hawaii, this Military SuperRomance celebrates the redemptive powers of love and laughter. 

Nearly ten years after Emily Ann Meade’s husband died in a fiery Special Operations helicopter crash in the Gulf War, grief continues to follow her like a second skin shadow. Still single and emotionally guarded, she clings to her vow never to get involved with another man committed to a dangerous profession … until she meets charismatic F-16 Viper pilot, Colonel Ted Foley, in Hawaii. Although she is attracted to Ted, he is assigned to a fighter wing that has recently lost two pilots in unexplained air crashes. 

Ted finds the elusive Emily to be like smoke--smoke that surrounds and envelopes him, but that he can't quite grasp. He is intrigued by the first woman who has made him feel alive since his wife died of breast cancer. 

Allowing her mind to wander through fields of dreams on which she can't afford the emotional mortgage, Emily lowers her barriers and discovers Ted’s greatest virtue. He makes the ordinary feel sublime! Healing in shared confidences solidifies their relationship. 

As Emily becomes the vivacious woman she was before her husband’s death devastated her spirit, her worst fear resurfaces. Ted’s squadron suffers a third mysterious F-16 crash. Terrified that his life could be in danger, and she will be left to suffer the emotional consequences, she pushes him away . . . again. Their relationship shatters. 

Emily must find a path through her emotional minefields or risk never discovering that she is rejecting the only type of man to whom she is genuinely attracted . . . and a man whose life could be in danger! 

Ultimately Ted and Emily discover that grief, like joy, is finite, but love is infinite. 

Written from alternate he said/she said points of view, the captivating story will appeal to anyone, age eighteen to eighty, who requires both entertainment and substance in their leisure reading.

Tales Mark Twain Would Have Loved to Steal, by Glenn Wasson

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MWSA Review

Glenn Wasson has dedicated this novel approach of this book to his late friend Dean Hill. Dean entertained thousands of people as a Mark Twain impressionist. Dean used no makeup or alteration of any kind during his performances. Some said he looked more like Mark Twain than Mark did himself. He performed on several occasions, in Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. People said he was the most realistic impersonator of the famous humorist in the entire country.

This collection of previously published stories is an interesting read.

Reviewed by: Robert Ruehrdanz (July 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

Colonel Glenn Wasson has flown over 350 combat missions as a navigator, bombardier and pilot. He was never able to overcome his fear of flying, so after 30 years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force he finally bailed out.

A Golden Weekend, by Larry Carello

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MWSA Review

This is a sad story, one all too familiar in our society. Carello weaves a tale of lives taking two paths and how different these paths end.
 
It centers around two half brothers and their families and relationship, antagonistic and distant on one side and warm on the other. How two can be so different adds to the reality of the story. Jimmy Roscoe who appears to be doing well and garners the respect of the community while his half brother struggles daily , Jimmy owns the hot restaurant in town and Mel the Burger Shack at the beach.

Their lives take entirely different paths as time progresses. Jimmy’s son Freddy has grown to be another Jimmy in attitude and behavior, and because Jimmy and his wife have no time for him they spoil him and cover up for him as he descends into ever worsening behavior.

Freddy in a typical fit of rage and revenge for what he felt was an insult to him burnt down his Uncle’s business. Jimmy offered his half brother money to not tell the police but Mel wanted no money and did not tell the police. How the story progresses from there you will need to buy the book. 

This is a life lesson. Read it carefully, knowing many families fit this mold but all have choices to make, those choices determine who and what you are and become. A great read.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2011)

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Author's Synopsis

Mel Rosco and his brother Jimmy shared the same last name, but that's where the similarities ended. After years of barely getting by, Mel teetered on the brink of financial collapse. Plagued with bad luck, about all he could count on was the moral support of his wife, his kids and a handful of friends. On the contrary, life couldn't be sweeter for his older brother Jimmy, who had risen to the top of Woodland Beach's social ladder through planning, strategy and hard work. His swanky Shoreline Inn was a landmark, a place where customers waited in long lines for a table. The upcoming July 4th weekend provided both men with opportunities: Jimmy could fatten up his bank account; Mel would have one last chance to save himself. Neither man had any idea how the dramatic events of this golden weekend would change his life for ever.

Lost in the Blue Room, by Richard Barone

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MWSA Review

More realities circling in tandem then a stack above LAX International. If you love philosophy, guns, sex and flights of imagination, then follow Richard Barone down the rabbit hole and into the Blue Room. You'll find him in there, lost in existential angst.

One of my favorite words is perturbation. Barone uses it and knows what it means. In fact, “Lost in the Blue Room” weaves past and future possibilities into a tapestry of extrapolations only a government agent, hashish smoking, deadheading airline marshall with too many hours at 35,000 feet can imagine. That much time and intellect will have anyone agitated, not to mention foot high lovers with a penchant for chaos.

Let’s be honest, you won’t remember all the details, there are way too many unless you are compulsive enough to re-read once or twice, but there is no way to forget this read either. It will live in your memory and blossom into a flavor and brew uniquely your own. What a lovely gift beyond the read itself!

Reviewed by: Carmen Stenholm (July 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

Would the Twin Towers still be standing if federal air marshals were flying on September 11, 2001? Ex-sky marshal Jack High thinks so, and he’s about to make the government and airlines pay for their gross negligence. Armed with a top-secret smart gun, he hijacks a new blended-wing airliner and demands that the passengers take a journey with him back to 1970 when the original sky marshals flew.

With a taste of ashes still in their memories of 9/11, the passengers savor first class meals and comply with the skyjacker's demands. 

Andrea flies first class for a living, compliments of the besieged airlines. He is a college professor, a plastic surgeon, a Buddhist monk, or anyone a sky marshal can be, except, of course, a sleeping passenger. To survive boring hours of wakefulness, waiting for a skyjacker to strike, she writes a journal that challenges the man of her past with the woman of his present. Highly addicted to the anonymity of the job, Andrea explores drugs, violence, and sex, loses sight of the destination, and turns the story into a terrorism of obscurity--the very thing the passengers are helpless to destroy.

Written by a former sky marshal, this book takes place in jumbo jets, communal apartments, hotel rooms, and blue rooms. Boardrooms and courtrooms are not on the itinerary. 

Seven Lives to Repay Our Country, by Edward H. Carpenter

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MWSA Review

At MWSA, we applaud original thought and creativity. Ed Carpenter, a US Marine, steps into the skin of his characters -- once enemies -- and makes them come alive as real people. Things like culture and military training melt away in the extremety of war and we become alike in our humanity. At the end of the road, prey and preditor become simply people choosing whether to live or die. An intense, lovely story that invokes thought.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2012)

Author's Synopsis

The battle of Saipan pitted US Marines and Allied soldiers against the island's Japanese defenders in one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific War. In this short story written by a US Marine, a pair of Japanese soldiers on Saipan confront the inevitability of defeat in different ways.

This story mixes fact and fiction to examine the nature of humanity in modern warfare. Please note that this is a short story, written as a submission to the Kindle Singles collection, and priced accordingly. It is 9 pages long (approx. 3000 words) and contains author's notes that highlight the historical and fictional influences that drove the story.

I hope you enjoy the story, and thank you for supporting independent, self-published literature. Your candid reviews, Tweets, blog posts, Facebook sharing and recommendations to friends are all greatly appreciated!

Small as a Mustard Seed, by Shelli Johnson

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MWSA Review

Small as a Mustard Seed is a momentum building, emotional rollercoaster read. Shelli Johnson’s impressive ability to make her main character, Ann Marie, so credible led to my believing that I was reading an autobiography. This is a very well written story of a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional family in the sixties and seventies.  With a father suffering from physical and serious emotional injuries as a result of his participation in the Korean War, and a seemingly uncaring mother, Ann Marie and her sister try to cope with life.     

While the story explicitly depicts the possible effects on a family of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the author does so without making PTSD the central theme of her book.  The family and its flaws make up the setting for the story.  The story is about Ann Marie and her struggle to understand.  The majority of the novel is set in the years Ann Marie spends growing up with her parents, but the author does a good job of bringing the story back together at a point when she is a lot older.

In Small as a Mustard Seed, Shelli Johnson has written an extremely good story that I highly recommend to any fan of fiction. Put it on your list of “must reads.”

Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

As a child in 1960's rural Ohio, Ann Marie Adler finds herself caught between her father, Frank, a veteran who survived the war in Korea but with devastating post-traumatic stress, and her mother, Adele, who is blindsided by the mental illness that accompanied him home. In a series of escalating dangerous episodes, Frank confuses reality with soul-searing memories, believing he's still a soldier fighting for his life in battle-torn Korea. During the delusions, Ann Marie and her younger sister, Jolene, become the enemy, which leaves them fearing for their lives. Unable to fully protect her daughters, Adele scrambles to keep order while her husband's threatening and unpredictable outbursts slowly tear the family apart.

True Surrender, by Tracey Cramer-Kelly

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MWSA Review

War and its aftermath is a deep, deep well for stories about devotion to duty, sacrifice, strength of character, friendship and love as well as violence, betrayal and loss. Perhaps it’s the uncertainty of war that brings this urgency to situations and depth to characters. 

Tracey Cramer-Kelly successfully weaves these emotions together in her poignant book, True Surrender, where we enter the world of Major Aaron Bricewick. After enduring capture and torture by terrorists in Afghanistan, and ultimate rescue by his fellow soldiers, Bricewick returns to the states wounded both physically and mentally. As may be typical of combat veterans, his stubbornness and outward self-confidence mask his vulnerability.

Perhaps it’s because of the author’s Army Reserve medic experience, but I found the descriptive side story of Bricewick’s leg amputation with its phantom pain, adjustment to prosthetics, acceptance of the reality of a lost limb and the limits it places on career and personal life, to offer raw insight into a world too many of our war wounded face and so few of us civilians can imagine.

Bricewick’s amputation brings him together with his former lover, Holly Rossiter, a prosthetist (artificial limb maker) at Holbrook Medical Center in California. But the amputation also serves as a metaphor for his life at this point: cut off emotionally from those around him, caught off balance by the betrayal of those he trusted, and in need of support from loved ones, no matter how painful it is for his independent self to admit.

Mix this with a mystery to be solved, an endearing and sensual love story, and a renewal of faith that had been long forgotten and True Surrender becomes a compelling and entertaining story.  I couldn’t put it down.

Reviewed by: Gail Chatfield (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

When Major Aaron Bricewick is rescued from Afghanistan terrorists, he thinks the worst is over. But his personal journey is just beginning... The first surprise is the amputation of one of his legs. The second is the woman he left behind, now a widow with a 4-year-old son - and his new prosthetist (artificial limb maker). He vows that losing his leg won't derail his career. But maintaining his outward appearance as a got-it-together officer becomes increasingly difficult as he faces one personal demon after another - and sees his career aspirations slipping away. And though he has no intention of expanding his life to include a woman, his heart has other ideas - and he finds himself questioning the very foundation of his personal beliefs. When violence - and unexpected redemption - touch his life again, Aaron must make a stand. Which will he choose: duty or love?

Bittersweet Colony, by David Michaelson

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MWSA Review

The third book in the series will most certainly be anticipated as human nature requires answers and will want to know how the adventure develops. Will the two races be able to understand each other or will the destruction of one ship, or both, be the end result of a minor misunderstanding? Many of the problems are here today and will only in time become worse, colonization of another planet is inevitable and needed, will any lessons have been learned?

The sequel is here, how the story unfolds is only pages away in “Bittersweet Colony” Michaelson’s follow up to “The Centauri Intervention” the second book in the trilogy. Generations have gone by, over 1900 years and the new planet can be seen through Pegasus’s powerful telescopes.

Set in a distant future it carries many of today’s problems with it. Prejudice, slang and insulting terms continue to be part of the makeup of the survivors of the Earth. Communication and basic understanding have been reached between them and the Odeon’s who have indicated that the planet that is there destination will be fine for them as the Odeon’s have no use for it.

Arrival at their new home brings dangers that could not have been foreseen. This is not Earth, nothing is the same and death comes in strange ways. This, the second volume will make you want to read the third in the trilogy. What will become of these intrepid travelers from a world they no longer remember?

This part of the story winds down to an end that rejoices in the first birth and the discovery of more life in the landing pods.

Reviewed by: Jim Greenwald (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

Nearing the end of a tragic 20,000 year journey to Alpha Centauri, the starship Pegasus is escorted to mankind's final destination by the mysterious and powerful resident aliens. Once shuttled to their new planet the humans discover the terrifying reasons why the Odeons never settled the plane the human race now calls Bittersweet Colony.

The Centauri Intervention, by David Michaelson

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MWSA Review

Michaelson though not alone in the idea behind the story presents an interesting future. The concept of settling another planet for humans is a growing idea in many. A strong belief in planet wide destruction as a result of man’s foolish actions is in our news daily.

War, catastrophic events, and two races each alien to the other add to the intensity of the struggle for mankind’s survival. He weaves a tale of potential problems and issues that will arise. You can conceivably place yourself in the situations that arise and communication is tops on the list.

The books that follow will most certainly be anticipated as human nature needs answers and will want to know how the main characters develop. Will the two races be able to understand each other or will the destruction of one ship or both be the end result of a minor misunderstanding. Many of the problems are here today and will only in time become worse, colonization of another planet is inevitable and needed, will any lessons have been learned? 

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (September 2011)

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Author's Synopsis

Out of control human population and a depleted Earth has created a need to seek another planet to colonize. The trip to Alpha Centauri in the starship PEGASUS will take 20,000 years. Near the end of the long journey, the aliens (Odeons) finally make their appearance. We are now in their backyard. The two species cannot communicate in any way, resulting in a tenuous warlike situation between starships. Two unlikely young heroes emerge—one human, the other Odeon. Together they take clandestine steps to recreate an ancient dialogue technique in the hope of establishing meaningful communications.

To make matters worse, the humans suffer from catastrophic cryogenic failure, losing many of their brightest minds. When morality wanes, The Church Of The Eternal Insight, led by the Good Vidhali, sets the standards of behavior for the surviving humans, as the final leg of their journey brings unprecedented grief and sadness.

The Warrior Among Us, by Dick Hrebik

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MWSA Review

Sci-fi, the term alone conjures up memories of Star Trek and Star Wars. The Warrior Among Us can be added to your collection. Aliens whose world is destroyed by immigrants to it come to our planet not to harm it but in a twist of the often plied plot they came to save not destroy us. Sci-fi appeals to humanities penchant for conflict, conflict in which we the inferior defeat the superior. Hrebik sets the stage of a dystopian future in which aliens become benefactors.

Space ships, telepathy, the ability to inhabit other bodies, what is not to like about this story. All the elements are present in “The Warrior Among Us.” Add to that the Sarnificans have a much longer life span than earthlings and after their 100th. birthday they are able to blend in with the local population real well.

The Sarnificans make their initial homes under the ground, where in the U.S they meet a civilization of rather short people that live al la Jules Verne in the center of the earth. They make friends with the Rincons who aid them in building their new cities.

Of course the immigrants to Sarnificus who called themselves Sarnifikites have also arrived on earth and take up residence in the Middle East. Having totally destroyed the planet they had both lived on.

Deke the Administrator of the Sarnificans and Ali Khan the leader of the Sarnifikites settle their score in one last final battle in which Deke wins. The questions of course are unending. Is violence a solution to anything? Does war really accomplish anything? Is the loss of millions of lives justified? The reality to this reader is no to each question.

The reader will identify this book readily with the political issues of our times. A battle between Muslims and all Non-Muslims ensues; some items in the book have already come to pass. The question is, will the rest?

Reviewed by: Jim Greenwald (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

The Warrior Among Us is a science fiction, political novel about the future. After a nuclear war annihilates an entire civilization on the planet Sarnificus and the United States falls off the international stage when Congress becomes impotent after years of increased partisan politics, and is unable to function. The world becomes a battleground centered in the deserts of the Middle East. Finally, Deke, a U.S. Marine, takes up arms with another nation's army in an attempt to save the world from itself by the year 2025. Can he save Earth? Discover our destiny in this suspense filled novel.