Dagger Four Is OK; by Bill Norris

Review

At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.

Reviewed by: Donald J. Farinacci (Nov 2015)

Author's Summary

At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.

Hello, Wigwam by L John Lawrence

MWSA Review

Private Costas first gets a desk job for no apparent reason in Vietnam. Everything and anything runs out of control from there. Costas finds himself strangely ordered to join in covert field operations with real warriors, under the control of an unseen "Wigwam" command. The young soldier feels the gamut of emotions from fear to bravery in the terrifying fog of war. Triumph and disaster are never fully reported in this classic "SNAFU" as he chooses to lead the fight. In the aftermath, Costas sorts through what can't be stated - and the young man's life goes on totally changed forever.

Reviewed by:Hodge Wood (2015)

Author's Summary

Creating a most unlikely hero, the army assigned Albert Costas, the youngest and lowest-ranking soldier in the Vietnam War, to run errands and do other menial tasks for the headquarters staff in Saigon. The transition to the real world, coming of age - difficult for any young man - becomes for Albert the unreal world of Army life in a combat zone. He sees the parade of bizarre and irrational behavior of men under stress and struggles to maintain his own grasp on reality. Unknown decision-makers hiding behind the code name Wigwam, add to the confusion, where all is upside down, inside out, and backwards. Sacrifice and achievement become twisted with tragic results.

One Stick and a Waco; by J. M. Taylor

MWSA Review

J. M. Taylor scores again with his second in the “Stick” series, featuring everyday heroes from the famous 101st Airborne “Screamin’ Eagles.”

2nd Lietenant Alex Pfister barely survived D-Day, and is now on loan to the OSS.  Preparing for Operation MARKET GARDEN, he’s dropped behind enemy lines, and begins an odyssey that involves a beautiful American nurse POW, a downed Tuskegee airman, several paratroopers from different elements of the 101st, and a german shepherd named Max.  Will Pfister lead this ragtag bunch back to enemy lines, or will the Nazis find them and finish Pfister for good?

This book is well-written, with fast moving action and likable, realistic characters.  It’s realistic without being too graphic, and the reader feels drawn in to the action.  Taylor also works some humor into the story to keep more human.  This book definitely made me want to read the first in the series, and I look forward to the sequel.  Highly recommended.

MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister  

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A well-written, fast moving story of brave Screamin’ Eagles behind German lines during Operation Market Garden!

ISBN: 978-1-879043-25-1  

I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them

Review

Three soldiers brought together by the war in Afghanistan, and after one fateful event none can erase from memory, Wintric, Dax, and Torres struggle to return to normalcy in the country for which they fought.

In his novel, I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them, Jesse Goolsby depicts the lives of three men fighting personal demons after their return from war.  Goolsby pens flawed, loathsome, and lovable characters who burrow their essence into the reader's mind, and become more real than neighbors.  His story spans decades, weaving through time and place, and comes out on the other end as a satisfying read; one which haunts far after the last page is turned.  Even now, I find myself wondering about the characters, wishing for their peace, and missing them.

I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them is a heart-wrenching narrative of revenge, redemption, and release.  The tale is all too real and relatable by generations of soldiers who've returned from the battlefield, and their families who witness the battles still raging within. I enjoyed this book, title and all.  I found it to be one of the best of its kind.  I look forward to reading Jesse Goolsby's next book.

Author: Jesse Goolsby
ISBN: 978-0-544-38098-1
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Cover Design: Brian Moore
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart; 29 November 2015

Mataluna: 151 Afghan Pashto Proverbs

MWSA Review

Mataluna-- 151 Afghan Pashto Proverbs, by Captain Edward Zellem, is a wonderful compilation of Afghan Pashto proverbs common to another element of Afghani culture.  

Zellem takes an entertaining and enlightening approach to sharing ancient cultural wisdom from a country often veiled from our view.  Zellem, as an interpreter and educator while serving in the United States Navy, was privy to an aspect of Afghanistan's history that most combatants never discover.  As a man skilled in the languages and historical nuances of a country where our nation was at war, chose to share proverbs that define it but also parallel our own.  It is an interesting and different journey into a battlefield for anyone interested in history.  I recommend his book and thank Captain Zellem for his continued and successful work.

Reviewed by Mike Mullins (2015)

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Author's Summary

By popular demand from around the world, the much-anticipated new book of Afghanistan's top Pashto Proverbs has just been published. Collected and written by Edward Zellem, the award-winning author of Zarbul Masalha: 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs and Afghan Proverbs Illustrated. Illustrated by Afghan high school students in Kabul, Afghanistan. Edited by Hares Ahmadzai.

Mataluna ('Proverbs' in Pashto) is the first and only book of its kind. It is a unique multicultural and multilingual collaboration between an American naval officer, an Afghan high school, and native Pashto speakers from all over the world. 

Mataluna features 151 commonly used Pashto Proverbs and 50 original illustrations by Afghan high school students. The book is bilingual in English and Pashto, and includes Pashto script, English translations, and transliterations for easy pronunciation.

Sheppard of the Argonne: Alternative History Naval Battles of WWII

MWSA Review

“Sheppard of the Argonne” is a fast read, and once the action starts, it becomes a book that keeps your attention through to its dramatic conclusion. 

Although not fully physically or emotionally recovered from painful leg injuries sustained in combat near Pearl Harbor, Captain Sheppard McCloud was honored to receive command on one of the Navy’s most modern battle cruisers in 1942. Plagued with self-doubt and guilt following the loss of many of his men and the extensive damage to his previous ship, he struggles to put his mission and instincts first.

On Sheppard’s first cruise as skipper of the Argonne, he is part of America’s first naval task force ordered to take the war to the German fleet in the eastern Atlantic.

In this well written historical novel by an author who is a retired Navy captain, the reader sees the action unfolding not only from Sheppard’s perspective but also from the viewpoint of commanders in other vessels and aircraft. The battle scenes are vivid, the descriptions authentic, horrific, and detailed without being overburden with jargon and minutia 

“Sheppard of the Argonne” is a story of a complex battle involving carriers, cruisers, submarines and aircraft. Although skillfully presented from the perspectives of American, German and British characters, it is primarily Sheppard’s story as he works to keep his ship afloat and fighting in a battle that teeters on the edge of disaster. 

There are no stereotypes portrayed here, rather men pushed to their limits in courage, decision-making, and training. I find the book a compelling read and as useful in providing sound leadership advice as it is entertaining.  “Sheppard of he Argonne” is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Epley(2015)

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Author's Summary

Captain Sheppard McCloud, a hero of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor and “savior” of the west coast from air attack, must hide his post-traumatic stress from senior officers and subordinates alike in an age that considered its symptoms cowardice. Though still suffering from both his physical and psychological wounds, the Navy brass has decided they need their best Captain back in command of the latest capital ship—the battle cruiser Argonne. With less than a day until they leave on a mission that could decide the fate of the allied cause, Sheppard must rally his officers and men, gain their confidence, and build them into a team. Leadership challenges abound, as the task force that includes the Argonne crosses the Atlantic they confront submarines, aircraft, and finally enemy surface ships, in exciting battles vividly described, culminating in that rarest of actual battles—a gun duel between capital ships. The novel has been carefully researched to accurately reflect the customs, traditions, and equipment the United States Navy used to win a two ocean war. Much of the hardware from the novel can be seen on board the battleship memorials to the greatest generation. Notes G. William Weatherly is a pen name for a retired U.S. Navy Captain with 30 years of service and command of three ships. His last assignment was as a professor of operations and chairman of the Joint Military Operations Department at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Her Own Vietnam by Lynn Kanter

MWSA Review

Lynn Kanter has hit a home run in Her Own Vietnam.  This is more than just a story about a woman suffering from PTSD, or a story about a nurse's experiences in the Vietnam war.  Her Own Vietnam is a thought provoking journey into the realities of war and its impact on individuals and society. 

Don't let me scare you into thinking this is some philisophical treatise that you have to fight your way through, this book is an easy, interesting read.  It is also a book that will leave you thinking about a significant, but often overlooked part of any war - the life and death in an evacuation hospital where the troops are brought directly from the battlefield. 

At first, I thought the book's focus was fairly specific, but as I read on I realized there was more than one story being told here.  The book is well written.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good literary fiction.

Reviewed by Bob Doerr (2015)

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Author's Summary

For decades, Della Brown has tried to forget her service as a U.S. Army nurse in Vietnam. But in the middle of the safe, sane life she’s built for herself, Della is ambushed by history. She receives a letter from a fellow combat nurse, a woman who was once her closest friend, and all the memories come flooding back.

As the U.S. prepares to plunge into war in Iraq, Della struggles to make peace with her memories of Vietnam. She must also confront the fissures in her family life; the mystery of her father’s disappearance, the things mothers and daughters cannot—maybe should not—know about one another, and the lifelong repercussions of a single mistake.

An unflinching depiction of war and its personal costs, Her Own Vietnam is also a portrait of a woman in midlife — a mother, a nurse, and long ago a soldier.

Publisher: Shade Mountain Press (2014)
Binding: Paperback, 214 pages