Corrales Writing Group 2013 Anthology

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MWSA Review

How does one rate and talk about a book that has six individually talented authors with diverse interests and focus? I dove into the book by not beginning at the front of the book - but by randomly jumping into the middle where I found author Jim Tritten's chapter called "Night Flight to Norway". This kind of got my attention and so that was where I began the process of discovering digesting the whole book. I found it was like reading six very short books but that did not bother me, nor do I think it would anyone else. Each story captivates and entertains in a different fashion. No two authors had the same energy, or point of view. The only thing that ties them all together is the like ability of the authors. The book is certainly a journey which is easy to walk. The stories are just long enough for those times when you want to read something while you are not engaged doing anything or waiting.

I personally explored it by skipping over stories that I would later come back to and explore. The key is to enjoy your own time with this book. In the end, I devoured it in all it’s entirely. Yes, some of the stories stood out for me more so then others - like the first one I read by Tritten but there were none that were bad, or that I did not enjoy or find some valve in. Nice book to have laying around the house for light reading, or for when you are at an airport or on vacation.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

Jim Tritten (Navy vet and MWSA member) wrote: Night Flight to Norway (memoir about a military flight during which he almost died), Two Old Soldiers (memoir about his veteran grandfather), & So Why Did they Invent Pink Duct Tape? (humorous essay). The latter two have won awards elsewhere.

Tom Neiman (Army vet) wrote: The Leather Truths (memoir about teenage life in New Jersey), & A Heart's Journey (memoir about his wife).

Leon Wiskup (Army vet) wrote two short stories - The Newcomer & Funniest Damn Thing (a military story); as well as two poems - On Being 88 & Dawn Encounter.

Don Reightley (Navy vet) wrote five serious essays: On Becoming Sixty, Meditations on Life, Making the Best of It, Dragon's Lair, Is Anybody Home?, & Corporate Oligarchy.

Sandi Hoover wrote: An Amazon Night (memoir fantasy while hospitalized), What Love Is (memoir about her husband), My Father had a Sweet Tooth (memoir about her father), and Saving Mother Earth (essay).

Patricia Walkow wrote two memoirs from her teenage years in New York - Revelation & The Aristocrat. She also contributed an excerpt (the first two chapters) from her forthcoming fictionalized biography of her father-in-law's life in Germany during WWII as a slave laborer - The War Within - Jozef's Story

The entries in the group's first anthology will make the reader laugh, wonder, cry, smile and reminisce.

Chopper Warriors: Kicking the Hornet’s Nest by William Peterson

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MWSA Review
The Vietnam War was the war which the helicopter came into prominence.  From the Ia Drang Valley to the A Shau Valley, the uses of these important flying vehicles meant the difference between defeat on the battlefield or success.  The use of choppers in Vietnam were used for resupply, insertion of air cav infantry and the evacuation of wounded and firepower from above.

Vetnam was the war of the chopper.  Chopper Warriors, Kicking the Hornet’s Nest brought to us by author William E. Peterson is an amalgamation of Vietnam chopper stories.  Many of these stories are written by Peterson of his tour in Vietnam with an Air Assault Battalion.  Other stories were written by members of air crew teams from crew chiefs, door gunners and pilots.  When one thinks of Vietnam, one thinks of the infantrymen in combat who engage the enemy directly.  However in Vietnam it was the use of the choppers which made the difference.  In fact the difference with the US success on the battlefield and the French who were not successful at all was the use of the choppers.

It conveys the stories of these air crews who supported the infantry in the field.  The stories tell of these brave men who put themselves at risk to accomplish their missions.  It tells of their fears and thoughts of life which is lived at the edge.

Vietnam was the war of the “Chopper”; the skies were filled with the sight of whirling blades flying in diamond formations on missions of insertion, medical evacuation, resupply and evacuation.  You Tube has a tribute to the UH-l titled Gimme Shelter with background music by the Rolling Stones. This is what Paterson’s book conveys, this was indeed  the war of the chopper and Peterson captures it like the blades of the slicks he rode on.  Excellent book!!

Reviewed by: Richard Geschke(2015)

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Author's Synopsis

After having written my first Award Winning book, Missions of Fire And Mercy, I felt something was missing. I have always had a great deal of respect for the Infantry (grunts) who our unit, C/227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry supported. 

They were always appreciative of the helicopters and crews. My personal feeling is that the grunts heroically fought the worst part of the Viet Nam war. Chopper Warriors will introduce many of the survivors of that war. 

The true, interesting, gut-wrenching and often thrilling stories you are about to read are from heroes whom I am honored to know. Many of the words written here are theirs from interviews I have done. As a storyteller, I have tried to recapture the events as they happened forty-five plus years ago.

Military Life: Service or Career, a Soldier’s Perspective by John McClarren

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MWSA Review

What is military life like! From horror stories to glory, McClarren sheds truth on the subject. 

A career Army officer,starting out as an enlisted man in the Army, he has seen it all and lived it. Military Life-Service or Career A Soldier's Perspective delves into the realities while avoiding the tall tales often heard about boot camp.

Making the military a career is simply not for everyone, but for those that go beyond the three or four years of an enlistment there are endless opportunites for education in a wide variety of fields, advancement (more money), and benefits that one normally may only think civilains receive.

Danger does exist, wars do happen, but most military folks on average see little combat. More recently that has changed somewhat, with Iraq and Afghanistan, but then we do not have a draft, our military is all-volunteer.

Call it a primer, or basic education in what to expect, this book tells it like it is and is worth picking up for yourself, a son, or daughter that may be thinking of going this route.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

A book for young people interested in the military as a service or career, and for older readers who have had military service and would like a good read to reminisce the old times and their own experiences. It is informative, exciting, sad and very humorous all in one volume. It is full of stories that are entertaining, as well as educational and emotional

24 Years and 40 Days: The Story of Army 1LT Daniel Hyde by Glenda L. Hyde

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MWSA Review
Ordinary and extraordinary! A mom uses these words to describe her son, forever lost to her in a war far away. This is a heartfelt journey filled with emotion and yet abounds in times and things remembered. Bring your tissues when you sit down to read Glenda’s book, 24 Years and 40 Days.

Loss is the ripping out of one’s heart on a journey to not acceptance but realization. No journey will ever be more difficult, no one can tell you “things will be okay.” Deal with it and get over it would be like throwing gas on a fire. Healing is something we each deal with in our own way. Healing is a tunnel, one which has no visible light at the end, rather in time a light dimly appears.

This is the beginning of the healing process. This mother has reached that place. A place where the great memories and not so great, the smiles and humorous things of her son’s life start to fill her mind. The loss will forever exist but the life and time together will always remain.

This is not a “how wonderful, pat him and me on the back” book though, that would be understandable. Mom (Glenda) states only fourteen pages into her book that “Daniel was not the most gifted person, but he worked harder than anyone else.” Accomplishment requires work, work is effort, the end result is success on whatever level and clearly she has a right to be proud.

When a mother can say “falling apart won’t bring him back,” that is a milestone. When that same mother can add to that, “he would be very disappointed in me if I did,” her choice is to not fall aprt in honoring his memory.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

He was never mine to keep. I was entrusted to bear him, raise him, and delight in him for 24 years and 40 days before God called him home. This is the sweet, inspiring story of the ordinary and extraordinary life of Daniel Hyde.

His mother shares her wonderful journey with her son, and the solemn honesty of the horrific difficulty faced by any parent who loses a child. Filled with memories, but determined to keep his spirit alive without regret, Glenda and her family join those who knew and loved him to celebrate Daniel's life.

This is my commandment: Love one another, as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends. John 15: 12,13

Memories and Shadows by Mike Mullins and Jim Greenwald

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MWSA Review

Having passed through life being virtually unscathed by the effects of war, it has only been in the past ten years or so that I’ve realized what many of my peers have been living with for decades deep within their souls. 

Memories and Shadows by Mike Mullins and Jim Greenwald is a book for both veterans and people who love them and want to understand how past experiences from so long ago could still be affecting them. It is a book that should be read by people in my situation to help me understand friends and relatives and how their memories bring shadows into their lives.

Authors Mullins and Greenwald bear their souls through essay and poetry. I must admit that poetry has never been my favorite genre, but these men have brought me to a place of understanding and appreciation. 

They take readers on a journey of experiences without preaching via thousands of words, but through the words in their poems, readers will feel the experiences and become sensitized to the effects that serving our country has had on so many of our veterans. It isn’t an “easy” read in the sense that it brings about emotions…but it is a great read for the lasting effect it can bring to the reader.

For veterans, some who maybe still have not voiced their pain, this may be the opening to an avenue of writing to bring about healing in their own lives. It might show them that they are not alone. It could bring a light to their dark soul. 

For family and friends, we need to be enlightened so that we can be more understanding to those who served. For those reasons, Memories and Shadows is an important read for all Americans…our heroes and those who support them.

Reviewed by: Joyce Gilmour(2015)

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Author's Synopsis

Memories and Shadows is not about the creation of poetry and verse; it is about a time long ago and the forever shadows it casts yet today.

It is a story and explanation meant to help heal. It places a face on that time and what it means today and yesterday.

PTSD is in the news daily and taking care of veterans is finally getting the attention it deserves and requires a slow process for sure, but hope does spring eternal, as they say.

If you are a vet, or know a vet, this book will help. It puts much of the
pent-up feelings and emotions into words where they can best be dealt with. If you have chosen this book, you may also wish to purchase Pass The Salt Doc and Kings of the Green Jelly Moon.

Medic Against Bomb: A Doctor’s Poetry of War by Frederick Foote

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MWSA Review

Medic Against Bomb is Frederick Foote’s book subtitled: A Doctor’s Poetry of War. He is a retired U.S. Navy physician. The thing that impressed me is that he is the director of the Warrior Poetry Project at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Through his book, he is leading by example, in showing his readers how writing can bring healing.

The book is divided into three sections. The first being “Contact,” which describes  experiences of treating the wounded. Part two is “Battle Fugue,” tells readers about the experiences of combat as seen by those engaged in combat. And the third section, “Ruins of Peace,” share the themes of loss and mourning. A number of poems are written for individuals, and I was impressed to see women of war honored via these poems.

Poetry of war, in its essence, cannot be an “easy” read; Medic Against Bomb takes us to the heart and soul of warriors who have sacrificed their lives and/or those who have “survived” war but lost limbs or maybe even “lost their souls” due to the effects of war, but still are “alive” to face their world, being lonely and misunderstood. We see the war through the eyes of the warrior and those who served to care for them.

This book of poetry could bring healing to those hurting and understanding to those of us who have never come close to any of these experiences. Thank you, Frederick Foote, for sharing poems from your heart, as painful as it must have been for you to sometimes put pen to paper.

Reviewed by: Joyce Gilmour (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

A book of original poetry honoring our Nation's Wounded Warriors and the deeds of our military and V.A. healers. Won the Grayson Books Poetry prize and was published 15 October, 2014.

The Dare by Linda Swink

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MWSA Review

The Dare is well written and should hold the interest of the age group it is intended for. Teddy, the main character shows a determination past his eleven years of age. Along with his two best friends they bounce from adventure to adventure, problem upon problem, typical for that age group.

Teddy’s sister went missing; no one could find her, not even the police. But Teddy, who is close to his sister and has always seemed to know what, was going on with her keeps hearing words in his mind, messages from his sister he knows, she needs him.

Part of this is guilt, Teddy and his friends had in typical youthful zeal dared Sarah to go into the graveyard and bring back a flower. They never thought she would, but, Sarah did, and disappeared.

Teddy was suffering from a lot of guilt and no one would listen to him. Something that even most adults can remember from their youth, grownups never listened. The Dare has a good message, and a number of lessons that can be gained, an overall excellent read.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2015)

Author's Synopsis

It was supposed to be a joke–just a silly dare. But when eleven-year-old, Teddy, challenged his little sister to go into the graveyard at night and bring back a funeral flower, she took the dare. Now she is missing, and Teddy must find her before its too late. 

The ABCs of Titles for Tiny Tales by Mary Lee

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MWSA Review

Computers, cell phones, computer watches and other devices, emails, twitter, texting and the ink in the pens is drying up along with imagination.

Penmanship is not taught, writing in college yes, below that level, not! Mary Lee has put together a great teacher or parent aid to use that will stimulate young minds. What better gift can you provide than the gift of the ability to read and imagine.

Each page has a picture then a page to write on with a title prompt at the top. Kick start your child, be amazed at their imagination as they and not a computer create the scene/story. 

Clearly a book that belongs in schools as well as homes. 

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2015)

Author's Synopsis

The ABC’s of Titles for Tiny Tales is a mixture of fun titles, vibrant illustrations, and creative border pages. This extraordinary book is filled from A to Z with child-friendly writing prompts that may be used by teachers and parents to challenge children to write or tell stories of their own making. This book may launch a child forward to a writing career.

Corrales Writing Group 2013 Anthology

MWSA Review

How does one rate and talk about a book that has six individually talented authors with diverse interests and focus? I dove into the book by not beginning at the front of the book - but by randomly jumping into the middle where I found author Jim Tritten's chapter called "Night Flight to Norway". This kind of got my attention and so that was where I began the process of discovering digesting the whole book. I found it was like reading six very short books but that did not bother me, nor do I think it would anyone else. Each story captivates and entertains in a different fashion. No two authors had the same energy, or point of view. The only thing that ties them all together is the like ability of the authors. The book is certainly a journey which is easy to walk. The stories are just long enough for those times when you want to read something while you are not engaged doing anything or waiting.

I personally explored it by skipping over stories that I would later come back to and explore. The key is to enjoy your own time with this book. In the end, I devoured it in all it’s entirely. Yes, some of the stories stood out for me more so then others - like the first one I read by Tritten but there were none that were bad, or that I did not enjoy or find some valve in. Nice book to have laying around the house for light reading, or for when you are at an airport or on vacation.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2015)

Author's Summary

Jim Tritten (Navy vet and MWSA member) wrote: Night Flight to Norway (memoir about a military flight during which he almost died), Two Old Soldiers (memoir about his veteran grandfather), & So Why Did they Invent Pink Duct Tape? (humorous essay). The latter two have won awards elsewhere.

Tom Neiman (Army vet) wrote: The Leather Truths (memoir about teenage life in New Jersey), & A Heart's Journey (memoir about his wife).

Leon Wiskup (Army vet) wrote two short stories - The Newcomer & Funniest Damn Thing (a military story); as well as two poems - On Being 88 & Dawn Encounter.

Don Reightley (Navy vet) wrote five serious essays: On Becoming Sixty, Meditations on Life, Making the Best of It, Dragon's Lair, Is Anybody Home?, & Corporate Oligarchy.

Sandi Hoover wrote: An Amazon Night (memoir fantasy while hospitalized), What Love Is (memoir about her husband), My Father had a Sweet Tooth (memoir about her father), and Saving Mother Earth (essay).

Patricia Walkow wrote two memoirs from her teenage years in New York - Revelation & The Aristocrat. She also contributed an excerpt (the first two chapters) from her forthcoming fictionalized biography of her father-in-law's life in Germany during WWII as a slave laborer - The War Within - Jozef's Story

The entries in the group's first anthology will make the reader laugh, wonder, cry, smile and reminisce.