Those Who Remain: Remembrance and Reunion After War by Ruth Crocker

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MWSA Review

Being a Vietnam Veteran myself, I’m one of the millions who returned to the “World” and put the War behind me.  I simply melded back into American society and became a “regular” person.  I discarded my past and started anew.  It wasn’t until forty years later that I revisited my past and learned a great deal about myself when I co-authored memoirs of my service to my country.

In the last 15 years there has been a plethora of memoirs and historical analysis about what transpired in this long and tragic War.  In reading Ruth Crocker’s memoir “Those Who Remain: Remembrance and Reunion After War,” we all see Vietnam in a much different context.  We’ve seen Vietnam from the soldier’s view, the politician’s view and the historians view.  However have we seen this War from the view of young wives who have lost their husbands who were only in their 20’s?  Do we know of their insights and problems?  How did they cope with such tragedies?

Utilizing quick and easy to understand prose, Mrs. Crocker uncovers her long struggle in trying to understand her short marriage and the purpose of what had transpired in her long 40 year struggle in determining what it’s all about.  Her book is both revealing and represents the maturing of a young lady to a wise matron giving proof that life is indeed worth living.

This is a truly inspirational book meant to be read by people searching for hope and purpose.

Reviewed by: Richard Geschke (2015)
 

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Author's Synopsis

A secret is revealed long after the battlefield death in Vietnam of a beloved and courageous army officer. His young widow, in an act of grief and love, buries their letters and significant memorabilia, and climbs to the north face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps to scatter his ashes. She discovers years later that those who survived the war - his comrades devoted to keeping his memory alive - would bring the ultimate healing into her life. The book ends with the disinterment of the letters more than forty years later. A compelling true story with a surprising revelation for those who seek to understand the sources of resilience and emotional transformation following heartbreaking loss, demonstrating the tenacious will of the human spirit to heal.

Fate Unknown by First Sergeant Galen Mitchell USA (Ret)

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MWSA Review

The author provides tactical details and brings to life the unthinkable realities of a 101stAirborne trooper’s Vietnam. 

His writing style makes the mind wonder how anyone could ever survive or recover from the situations faced.  As you read, you are in fight.  Transference made me feel each casualty, drink canteen water filled downstream from bloated bodies, wade neck deep to fight, and absorb a round in the face. 

I wish Fate Unknown was required reading for the American History student.  Vietnam was different than other wars.  This memoir blew me away with the idiosyncrasies. Mitchell’s duty reflections left me with a vivid education from multiple perspectives about the hell faced. 

War terminology can be understood, pictures are clear, and some are in color.  From professional skills required to launch an assault to the “pucker factor” measurement of fear, I came away soberly informed and in admiration for the brave.  I highly recommend this book. It injects a breathtaking dose of reality from the courageous who served in life-taking combat far away in the jungle and on the rice paddies.          

Reviewed by: Hodge Wood (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

Many of you have seen movie versions of war, but have you ever asked yourself what it was really like to be a fighting soldier in the Vietnam War? In Fate Unknown, the author, a member of the famed 101st Airborne Division takes the readers to the battlefield, with boots on the ground, as he candidly shares many of his personal experiences of his 1966 tour. He also reveals insightful accounts from fellow soldiers of different ranks, as they saw and lived through it. Situations and battles come into sharp focus through the eyes and ears of those whose lives were changed forever by their tour in Vietnam. This is a compelling, insightful and nonfictional account of a combat tour. So lace up your jungle boots and live the battle as experienced by an airborne infantry unit during the Vietnam War. You will gain a true understanding of combat and probably change your outlook of war. 

Into the Land of Darkness: A Bombardier-Navigator’s Story by Arthur Haarmeyer

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MWSA Review

The author provides new insight into the Korean “Police Action,” or if you prefer “The Korean Conflict” or “The Forgotten War.” This reviewer has read many books and stories about WWII and the Forgotten War, and the bombers that helped win those wars. Wikipedia’s WWII bombers of the US page lists the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress, B-24 Liberator, and the B-25 Mitchell, but no B-26. Perhaps the reason for the omission and general confusion is the fact that two entirely different aircraft, manufactured by two different companies were designated B-26. The first was the Martin B-26 Marauder (also called the widowmaker), followed by three or more versions of the Douglas B-26 Invader, both of which were in service during WWII. What little knowledge I had about the B-26, I discovered, pertained to the Martin B-26 Marauder. Now, thanks to Arthur Haarmeyer’s excellent book I have broadened my knowledge base to include and appreciate the Douglas B-26 Invader medium bomber, and the unsung heroes of both wars, and the beginning of the Vietnam War, who flew them.

The author also provides a new perspective to the effects of war on young American bomber crews, poking holes in the assumption that crews of bombers flying high above the battle never have to face up close and personal the horror of ground combat. Even fighter pilots, concentrating on aiming and flying do not have time to stare into the faces of men they are about to kill. Not so for the bombardier in the plexiglass bubble in the nose of a Douglas B-26B bomber flying at 50 to 300 feet releasing bombs or strafing with six fifty caliber machine guns. Lieutenant Haarmeyer attempted to deceive himself by, as he wrote, “Substantial physical distance from our chosen targets was another vital factor in psychological survival, a survival that was based entirely upon total denial of reality.” 

Later he learned the images seared into his mind would last a lifetime; images that haunt and cause dreams—a form of PTSD. Recording the dreams, flashbacks and recollections is one method of dealing with PTSD; a method Mr. Haarmeyer used resulting in this book.

Second Lieutenant Haarmeyer, a recently graduated B-26B bombardier-navigator, arrived at the K-9 USAF base in Korea in late December of 1952. Unlike WWII, this is a different kind of war with different rules. No massive saturation bombing by B-29s. The introduction of jet fighters, specifically the MIG-15 and later the MIG-17 ended that tactic. Now single B-26A or B hunter-killer bombers flew north in the dark night skies of North Korea to destroy designated targets, or targets of opportunity: trains, truck convoys, rail yards, bridges, ships, and anything else that helped the enemy. 

On rare occasions dawn raids by multiple B-26 bombers took place, but the majority of the missions were single aircraft. The crews knew there was virtually no place to crash land, and capture by North Korean peasants meant a brutal death, yet they did their duty and braved the dark skies. Each crewman was required to complete 50 missions before being rotated back to the US.

Into the Land of Darkness is the recollections of the author, written down and published 60 years after leaving Korea. A book that puts the reader in the plexiglass bubble staring down through a Norden bombsight, searching for targets of opportunity along enemy main supply routes (MSRs). Each chapter is a different recollection, allowing the reader to experience the harsh conditions, social interactions, and the boredom men endured at K-9 AFB.

Into the Land of Darkness is a book that provides a human look at the Koran Conflict, and points out lessons learned and not learned. An insightful read, and it has found a place on my bookshe

Reviewed by: Boyland, Lee (2015)
 

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Author's Synopsis

On a cold December morning in 1952, young Lt. Arthur L. Haarmeyer reported for duty in Korea as a B-26 bombardier-navigator to Colonel Delwin D. Bentley, Commander, 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, K-9 Air Force Base, Pusan. Haarmeyer was immediately challenged by the colonel: “You’ve got an MBA … from a high-priced university. You could be riding a desk at the Pentagon right now. So why the hell are you here?” His reply—“I always wanted to be here, sir. I can be an accountant later”—was apparently convincing. But over the next seven months, flying fifty missions, mostly low-level nighttime bombing and strafing raids over mountainous North Korea, there were many times when he had reason to question the sanity of both his response and his decision. 

In this book Haarmeyer recalls with clarity and economy of style just what it was like to fly these missions. He puts the reader in the B-26, flying into deep valleys to find and attack communist freight trains and truck convoys carrying men and materiel to the front lines, and then being unexpectedly caught in the sudden and blinding glare of enemy searchlights that triggered multiple streams of deadly and upward-arcing green or white tracers. And he recalls instances of agony, guilt, and terror, such as the times when the flak was so heavy on all sides that he was unable to advise his pilot to “break right” or “break left”—so their B-26 just simply plowed straight through it—or when they flew low enough for Haarmeyer to see, through the Plexiglas of the nose compartment, the terrified faces of the young North Korean soldiers they were targeting. He also recalls moments of breathtaking beauty and poignancy, and it is this artful juxtaposition that makes Haarmeyer's work more than just another wartime memoir. 

Although Haarmeyer left the Air Force upon completion of his four years of military service, the recurring and troubling memories of Korea never left him. Hence, the start of this manuscript fifty years after the restoration of freedom to the people of the Republic of Korea. Just as telling these stories was therapeutic for the author, so reading them will be healing for any reader who is a veteran of that or any war, as well as their family members and friends. The book also provides a valuable perspective on the United Nations Command’s tactical approach to Korea, namely, the aerial interdiction of North Korean troops and materiel, and so it will be of interest to students of the war, as well as military personnel and historians.

Surrender, September 2, 1945 by James L. Starnes with Suzanne Simon Dietz

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MWSA Review

Surrender September 2, 1945 draws you back to a time when virtually the entire world was engaged in war.

Starnes shares that time, and his memories with us in a clear time frame of events in his Naval career leading up to the Japanese surrender on the Missouri in Tokyo Bay. From battles at the beginning of the war, in which the vessel he was serving on almost sunk (USS Boise), to being on the deck for the surrender.

This is not researched history, it is first hand inside experience. Starnes shared the deck with such notable historical figures of the war as ; Admiral Nimitz, Gen. MacArthur, and Adm. Halsey.

An easy and quick read worth your time. The USS Missouri sits near the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl harbor. 

Reviewed by: jim greenwald  (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

Surrender is the personal story of James L. Starnes during World War II. On September 2, 1945, navigator Starnes served as the Officer of the Deck on the battleship USS Missouri from 0800 to 1200 for the surrender ceremony of Japan to the Allies ending the war.

A Novel Approach by Jack Woodville London

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MWSA Review
Being a copyeditor, I work with clients who range from inexperienced writers to those who have taken the time to study the art of writing, so I was pleased to be able to review Jack Woodville London’s A Novel Approach.

I’m always on the lookout for resources for writers that I can recommend. This book is now on such a list that I’ll be sharing with all of my clients, no matter where they fall on the writing spectrum. I especially appreciate the way that Mr. London shares memorable examples from literature to hit home the concepts of writing—which to me is what puts the “novel” in A Novel Approach. To me, it is what makes this resource stand above others and why I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by: Joyce Gilmour (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

Twenty-six chapters of the art of writing a book using the approach of a novelist, from how to approach writing as a serious writer, to research and planning, story arc, conflict, pacing, and organizing, to the meat of creating characters, writing scenes, and dealing in dialogue and point of view.

African American Warrant Officers: In Service to our Country by Farrell Chiles

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MWSA Review
 

Rank classifications in the military can at times be very confusing and quite contradictory.  There are the ranks of the enlisted category classified from the lowest private to the highest of Command Sergeant Major.  In the leadership classifications we have the Officer ranks from 2nd Lieutenants to Four Star Generals.  Between these two classifications are the specialized ranks of the Warrant Officer which at present goes from CW1 to CW5.

Farrell Chiles goes into great detail as to the origins of the evolution of Warrant Officers and branches specifically into the relationship of African Americans in the Warrant ranks.  In fact the author goes into the biographies of the men and women of African American descent who have served in these specialized ranks from WWII to present.  One category which the author bears down on is the helicopter pilots who have served in the Warrant ranks.  In fact Farrell gives detailed accounts of the pilots who have served in combat and who have been placed in the pilot’s Hall of Fame.

The book gives much detail as to the contributions of African Americans who have served our country in the military as Warrant Officers.

Reviewed by: Richard Geschke (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

African American Warrant Officers...In Service to Our Country tells the stories of unsung African American warrant officers who have served our country in and out of the military. This collection of historical articles, inspiring biographies, and profiles highlights the significant contributions of individual African American warrant officers from World War II to the present, with remarkable detail and language befitting their valor.

Warfilms: An Overview of Motion Pictures Within Military Record Groups by Philip W. Stewart

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MWSA Review
WARFILMS is a reference book that would aid a researcher in finding by year, subject, and  service branch films produced for training and historical reference for all to see.  

From basically the start of the 20th century to present, our armed services have produced films to educate and further the historical understanding of what has transpired over time in the US Armed Forces.

With this vast array of old and new footage one can get lost in a myriad of film which for most of us is out of sight and out of mind.  In studying such footage historians learn of what has transpired. In fact much of the footage has come to good use in programs produced on the History Channel and the Military History Channel.  Some of the footage winds up in current Cinematic renderings and TV specials.

The quality of much of this footage is well kept and maintained by the Special Media Services Division located at Archives II in College Park, Maryland.  The rest are housed in the National Archives’ Presidential Libraries located around the country.

Mr. Stewart provides us with a general reference as an overview of Motions Picture within Military Record Groups held in the U.S. National Archives.

Reviewed by: Richard Geschke (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

"WARFILMS: An Overview of Motion Pictures Within Military Record Groups Held in the U.S. National Archives" is a synopsis of the 119,000-plus reels of historic motion picture film produced, acquired, or captured by twentieth century American armed forces that are located within the 35 military Record Groups at the United States National Archives and Records Administration facility in College Park, Maryland. While WARFILMS does not try to list all military films in the National Archives, it does identify and describe over 350 of them for review. The goal is to pique the readers' interest so that they will explore the additional thousands of historic military titles on their own. Basic guidance is provided as how to do that.

Corrales Writing Group 2014 Anthology

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MWSA Review
I actually love anthologies with different authors and poets because it gives me a chance to explore and discover new writers that I may just wish to read more from. Anthologies are samplers of great chocolates or wine or cheese - you get to have small tastes of them without having to eat or drink just one. So they do serve a great purpose in the literary world for readers and can offer up stories or authors that they might never have chosen. So I do encourage that readers read them.

This is the second volume from this writers group. Having read through the 2013 edition, I kind of thought I knew what each might bring back to the table for readers. However, I was wrongly surprised, as the group upped its energy and delivered something much stronger than their first efforts. I did read author Jim Tritten first and was rewarded right way with his two chapters. But I was taken by the quality of work in the book by Patricia Walkow who’s 3 stories start off the book and are worthy contributions to this volume.

There are 7 contributors to this year's collection as author Jasmine Tritten joins in with a wonder story called "Kato's Grand Adventure". The whole volume is rich with literary gems and is worthy of having on your bookshelf.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2015)

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Author's Synopsis

Jim Tritten (Navy vet and MWSA member) wrote: So How Much Did Those Running Shoes Cost? (humorous memoir) & Get-Home-Itis (memoir about a military flight during which he almost died).

Jasmine Tritten (Jim’s spouse and veteran’s family member) & Jim Tritten co-authored Kato’s Grand Adventure (fictional hero’s journey children’s story).

Thomas Neiman (Army vet) wrote: Anatomy of a Joke (humorous memoir about teenage life in New Jersey) & A Bedtime Story (adult fantasy).

Don Reightley (Navy vet) wrote: The Stage of Life (essay about aging), Jamison’s Bridge (first portion of a fictionalized essay about the big bang theory), and DO SOMETHING! (memoir about sailing).

Sandi Hoover wrote three aviation-related memoir pieces: Lighter Than Air, Right Seat Perspective, Kite Flying Rediscovered; as well as Backyard Distractions (memoir about wildlife in our village).

Chris Allen wrote three humorous memoir pieces: A Slight Tap (automobile accident), Eye-to-Eye (hiking in the wilderness), & A Grave Matter (mother’s funeral).

Patricia Walkow wrote three memoir pieces): Love's Assassin (what to do with old love letters), It Sounded Like a Good Idea (a humorous view of her trip to the Amazon), and Reflections on a Pond (a humorous view of life in her yard). 

The 2014 anthology includes memoirs, humor, philosophy, fantasy, poignancy, whimsy and fiction that will make the reader laugh, cry, smile, and reminisce.

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.

Love, Sweet to Spicy: A Corrales Writing Group Anthology by Chris Allen, John Atkins, Maureen Cooke, Sandi Hoover, Tom Neiman, Jim Tritten, and Pat Walkow

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MWSA Review

Erich Segal once wrote, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”  So, if you like anthologies, you won’t be sorry you read the Corrales Writing Group’s Love, Sweet to Spicy.  

This twenty tale collection is entertaining, diverse, and heart-wrenching at times.  The stories encompass aspects of love from all angles—love stories, long-term relationships, parent and child, lost love, and love for pets. There are plots twists that will surprise and delight.  Yarns that will make you laugh and cry. Some will take the reader back to memories of their own past relationships. Included are several collaborative efforts and a poem.

As an added bonus, the book is filled with New Mexican artwork in a variety of mediums.  Many of the authors have included their own compositions.

Due to MWSA guidelines, this review only covers those individual stories not already submitted in earlier editions.

MWSA Review by Sandi Cowper (March 2018)

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Author's Synopsis

Love, Sweet to Spicy is a Corrales Writing Group anthology. It includes love tales: some true and some fabricated; romance between two adults; love between parent and child, and deep affection between a pet and owner. This volume offers the reader the opportunity to explore new love, long-standing love, and lost love. Ranging from sweet to slightly spicy, some stories are amusing, others are uplifting, and a few are heart-rending. The words within these pages offer a journey into love that touches both heart and soul. This work also includes several stories that were collaboratively written by at least two writers.
 

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1976074875
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Collections, Memoir, Single Poem, Young Adult
Review Genre: Collections—Anthology
Number of Pages: 284

Playing With The Enemy by Gary Moore

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MWSA Review

Playing With The Enemy is a moving and heart wrenching biography that is both inspiring as well as entertaining. The book is about author Gary Moore’s father; his experiences in WWII, baseball and his life. It combines powerful aspects of human nature and finding meaning to life itself.

I was greatly touched by Moore’s book, not only as a reader and a reviewer, but also as someone whose own father signed a contract with Boston to play baseball. The war and subsequent wounds and time off from organized baseball were the end of a professional career that never took off. My father was considered a top prospect as a catcher coming out of high school in San Francisco before the outbreak of WWII. So reading about the author’s tale of what happened to his own dad hit me close to home.

This is best book I have read in the last decade. It is a great story that is told with sensitivity and well constructed prose. Moore has captured the spirit and the heart of his father’s story through the use of insightful dialog that gives real understanding to the life experiences and to the people in the story. The book is alive with emotions. It grabs your heart and will not let go of it until you have fully digested the entire book; then the messages of this story still hang around and linger within your head for days.

The story is really about a personal spiritual and emotional journey – in search of the very meaning of life and what our purpose is. This book is for all readers and not just those who love baseball or have some interest in war. It has all the elements needed to make a successful and inspirational movie. The author has written a wonderful and loving tribute to his father that readers will be able to respond to.

The book also teaches us lessons about our own lives and how what we do affects others in ways we may not ever realize. His father's friendship with a Germany POW comes back later in his life to change his own emotional outlook about baseball, family and the meaning of love.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

Part Tuesdays with Morrie, part Field of Dreams—a true American story of World War II and redemption

Driven by word of mouth and the author’s heroic efforts to tell the world his father’s story, Playing with the Enemy was a surprise hardcover hit for its independent publisher. Gary Moore’s book about his father—a baseball phenom whose future in the majors was cut short by World War II and a fateful occurrence during a top secret mission for the U.S. Navy—is a warm-hearted memoir of faded dreams and new hope that is destined for the bestseller lists. Filled with memorable characters from an extraordinary time in our country’s history, it is a truly redemptive story that will be read and reread for generations to come.

Is Anybody Listening? by Barbara Birchim

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MWSA Review

Powerful Indictment of our Government and Our History of The Vietnam War. There is just no way you can come away from reading author Barbara Birchim’s book Is Anybody Listening? A True Story About The POW/MIA In The Vietnam War and not have an opinion about her, the war, the CIA, and our own government. Her accounting of her life and the facts around her husband Jim’s disappearance in Vietnam leave you wondering what truth is and what paranoia is. If you choose to accept what she is saying it will shake the fundamental foundations of your belief in our government. This book is one of the most powerful personal statements from a wife of a MIA from the Vietnam War. It breaks new ground and points fingers but more importantly it begs to know the truth of what really happened to all our MIAs/POWs.

I was visibly shaken by reading her story and all the side information she includes from others that I personally know like Frank Anton (Author and Ex-POW) and David Morehouse (Author of book “Psychic Warrior” and former member of the Army’s Stargate Program). Her book is so well documented that she leaves the reader little choice but to believe that something much more sinister may be at hand in what happened to all our MIA not only from Vietnam but also from WWII and Korea. This book comes off as an indictment of a morally corrupted political system that is willing to leave behind thousands of men who have bravely served their countries.

What Barbara had to endure and go through all these years with her search and the harassment from her own government is sickening to believe. Again, the reader will have to weigh carefully what the author is relating against a lifetime of government information (or misinformation) and decide if what she is saying is even possible. It makes you uncomfortable to accept that our own government could be so cold and calculating with its citizens. Her story reads like a nightmare novel set in some make believe country. God help us if even half of what she is saying is remotely true.

I find that there are many questions she has raised that need to be answered by those in charge at some level. If nothing else, our leaders have played misinformation games with the public and are hiding many of the facts surrounding live POW and MIA sightings over the years. Her book is compelling enough to call into question almost everything that was ever said about the MIA /POW issues. I find myself wanting to not believe her story but I am unable to disassociate the facts and the questions she skillfully provides in her book. This is not going to be an easy story to accept but one that you cannot ignore. There is a part of me that keeps saying what if she is totally right about all that she is sharing  my God can we as a nation handle that possibility?

I found myself totally absorbed in this book. I was horrified, perplexed, dumfounded, angry, inspired, mournful, and bewildered. This book touched all my emotions both mentally and spiritually. Out of all the books I have read and reviewed the past year this book created the greatest movement within me. I am left to ponder and wonder and question this whole issue. Birchim comes across with so much creditability and force of energy that it is hard to turn a blind eye to what she is saying – that her MIA husband Jim, might have survived and had been alive for years after he was declared dead; or that he may in fact, be alive even now. She wonders cries and hurts for the truth that seems to be denied to her and to all of us.

This will be the most powerful and impacting book you will ever read on the MIA/POW issue. I fully endorse and recommend this book for all serious patriots or just the curious – it is a spell binding memoir. That is why I have given this book ;The 2006 President's Award!

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

Thirty-five long years and I was still seeking answers. If I could make someone in the government listen to the facts, I knew they'd want to act on them. After all, who wouldn't want to find one of our POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War? IS ANYBODY LISTENING? tells of dignitaries, presidents and those involved with the POW/MIA issue as I've known it since November 1968 when my husband, a Special Forces officer, became missing-in-action. The pages reveal my feelings and torment during my many trips to Southeast Asia in search of answers, and my frustrations while wandering the halls of Washington D. C. for help. The book was written to show the issue's insidious cover-up and my commitment to the truth.

Seas of Crisis by Joe Buff

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MWSA Review

Another undersea thriller from Joe Buff.  Joe Buff, the author that is most often compared to the likes of Tom Clancy, has done it again with his newest undersea thriller Seas of Crisis.  This novel has it all from heroes, villains and potential catastrophic events. It will grab you by the seat of your pants and drag you willingly into the depths of its story as you remain transfixed and unable to put the book down. It would be an understatement to say that it is a page burner; that would be like saying that a ton of napalm dropped on someone might ruin their day. This book is Joe’s best efforts in a long string of very good books.

The plot is made to seem plausible and the characters feel real. Good word phrasing and technological descriptions. One actually begins to believe the story line—which means that the author hooked us right in once again.

There is something very special about Joe Buff’s newest novel. If you are already a fan of his other novels then you will be wonderfully surprised at the new level of action and suspense that this volume offers us. This is a must read and must buy book!

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

The Allied Powers continue their uncertain and deadly war against the Fascist Berlin–Boer Axis. The Russians remain ostensibly neutral––but their actions hint at something far more dangerous. When the U.S. discovers that the Russians are providing the Axis powers with weapons technology that could shift the balance of power, Captain Jeffrey Fuller, one of the most decorated heroes in the U.S. Navy, is called in to put an end to this potentially catastrophic Russian involvement.

The plan to punish Russia is audacious. It is bold. And it is potentially suicidal. Jeffrey Fuller's orders are to clandestinely transport commandos to Russia, where they will infiltrate a nuclear missile facility, and fire one of their weapons––at the United States. If the plan is successful, the commandos, posing as German forces, will destroy the missile at it reaches the atmosphere, creating a dramatic shift in global politics and forcing Russia to ally with the United States against Germany.