Hell Wouldn’t Stop – An Oral History Of The Battle Of Wake Island by Chet Cunningham

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MWSA Review

The Tale of Hell on Wake Island by the Survivors. The story about the battle for Wake Island, at the outbreak of WWII is a great tale made even better by first hand remembrances and accounts of those who were there and survived. Hell Wouldn’t Stop – An Oral History Of The Battle of Wake Island is a brilliantly reconstructed history that needed to be told! This story is good history that is made even better by great writing. It is a story that needed to be saved for future generations. This is prolific author Chet Cunningham’s best work to date (he has written and had published over 300 books).

I could not put down this history book. Normally, historic books are not riveting stories, but this is a thriller as much as a tribute to those men who tell their stories. The author skillfully weaves his comments and facts into the story telling by the men who were there. I just cannot say enough about how good of a read this book is. The author certainly honors all those men who fought there, including the author’s own brother who inspired the book. THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK!

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

In this gritty, poignant, often disturbing oral chronicle of one of the first and most tragic military engagements in World War II, Chet Cunningham gives the gallant U.S. defenders of Wake Island—among them his older brother, Kenneth, then a private in the Marines—their long-overlooked due. For Kenneth Cunningham, a serviceman in the defense battalion stationed on Wake Island, World War II began on December 8, 1941, just five hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It ended on December 23. That day the Marines on Wake Island—their twelve Wildcat fighter planes lost, their forces diminished—faced an overwhelming enemy invasion, with the Japanese arriving in so many ships that, as one eyewitness put it, they could have walked from one to the other on the open sea. Private Cunningham and his fellow Marines fought intrepidly, until their commanding officers ordered them to surrender. Their term in hell, though, had just begun. When the Marines laid down their arms they were stripped naked. With their hands bound, they sat naked in the hot sun all day; at night they shivered in the cold. They suffered endless days at sea jammed in the holds of ships that took them to prison camps in China and Japan. Forty-four months later, liberated at last, they would return home unheralded and largely forgotten. Their often horrific, frequently heroic story now stands recorded, for the most part in the words of the soldiers, sailors, Marines, and civilian personnel who were there, as well as of their wives and widows, in startling, unforgettable detail. Eight pages of black-and-white photographs add to this gripping reconstruction of the sixteen-day battle for Wake Island and its aftermath.

The Gulf War Chronicles by Richard S. Lowry

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MWSA Review

The only book you will Ever need to learn about The First War with Iraq! Richard Lowry writes the ultimate and most accurate and complete history of Operation Desert Storm in his superlative book  The Gulf War Chronicles – a military history of the first war with Iraq.   His book is “the gold standard” for history books written about this war. There are none better or more compelling.

This is not a dry history of whom and what – but great story telling. It has details that not even those who watched the war glued to their TV sets knew about or even heard of. This book should be a part of college and high school history classes and certainly needs to be read at our military academies – which I would assume they do. This book is a classic already. It has captured all the pertinent and significant information from that war experience. Everything you would want to know about that war is there.

I have read several dozen books on Desert Storm over the last decade and a few volumes right after the war ended. I thought I knew all about the war and what happened. Lowry has years of productive research and he makes good use of it to paint the reader a very visual mental picture of what happened and when. His writing style is alive with energy as he takes the reader from the opening moments in the war and orchestrates a chronicle of events and people. He adds detailed touches to the operations as if he were an eyewitness to events that he is sharing with the readers.

Lowry is a gifted writer who knows how to tell a story and make it entertaining, exciting and educational as well. This is a must read book for all military and history buffs.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

Extensively researched, painstakingly documented, and dedicated to the courageous men and women who fought and served in the First War with Iraq, this is a factual military history of Operation Desert Storm-and the only readable and thorough chronicle of the entire war.From the first night of battle to Day Two, when Saddam struck back, to G Day and the eventual cease-fire, accomplished military historian Richard S. Lowry delivers a detailed, day-by-day account of each battle and every military encounter leading up to the liberation of Kuwait.Desert Storm was a war of many firsts: America's first four-dimensional war; the first time in military history that a submerged submarine attacked a land target; the Marine Corps' first combat air strikes from an amphibious assault ship; the first time in the history of warfare that a soldier surrendered to a robot; and more. And it was an overwhelming victory for the United States and its allies.Intentionally presented without political commentary and ending with a complete listing of the heroic Americans killed in Desert Storm as well as a battle timeline, glossary, bibliography, and resources, The Gulf War Chronicles provides a much-needed understanding of the nature of modern-day, high-tech warfare and honors America's collective resolve and commitment to freedom.

The Veteran's Survival Guide by John D. Roche

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MWSA Review

BEST DAMN BOOK ON VA CLAIMS EVER WRITTEN! When I got my hands on  The Veteran’s Survival Guide – How to File and Collect on VA Claims  I realized at once, that this was “the gold standard” of this genre. This is truly the best and most helpful book on the subject that I have come across in my 3 decades of helping veterans. There are none better! AuthorJohn D. Roche has taken all his personal experience of having worked for the VA and for veterans in Florida and put it into readable simple and easy to follow language.

Not only does he tell you what to do, but he also gives you insights on how the VA operates and makes decisions on claims. If you have a claim to file or have one being processed right now – then you should run down and buy this book. I sincerely mean that. You cannot afford not to have a copy of this book that you can reference back to for information.

I most highly recommend this book for every veteran. Sometime in your life you or your family may need this information. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

"Claim denied!" All too often millions of veterans have received this response to their legitimate claims for federal benefits. In most cases, writes veterans' advocate John D. Roche, the claimant didn't understand the procedures needed to meet the myriad requirements of the Department of Veterans Affairs. With the appeals process requiring years to resolve disputes, deserving veterans and their dependents are left confused and frustrated by the agency and a system that was created to serve them. The answer is to submit a well-grounded claim initially, which The Veteran's Survival Guide, now in a revised, second edition, analyzes in detail. This unique book, written in an accessible self-help style, will be required reading for any veteran or veteran's dependent who wishes to obtain his or her well-earned benefits and for those officials of veterans' service organizations who assist veterans with their claims.

Street Fight in Iraq by Patrick Tracy

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MWSA Review

The Real Deal in Iraq by a Marine Who Was There! Leatherneck Publishing has rolled out a long anticipated book about the current war on terrorism called Street Fight In Iraq. The book is written from diary notes taken from August 2004 through April 2005 by then GySgt Patrick Tracy, USMC. It brings the action to the reader as if you were right on patrol with the Marines. There is lots of emotion and many personal observations as the book lays it out as viewed from a combat soldier’s perspective. This is not some story of strategies and battle plans written by some general or some imbedded reporter – this is a first hand accounting of the day to day life in a real combat zone.

Gunnery Sergeant Tracy captures the nuances as well as the harsh realities of life and death in his well crafted book. This book holds no punches back and could never be called “politically correct” in any sense. The author tells us without much emotional censorship what he went through, how he felt about the terrorists and about losing good men, and how much he missed his family. The author’s words are not homogenized and fluffed over – the language is all Marine and very raw and salty at times.

There have been many books already written about the war going on in Iraq but none have the force and the power that Patrick Tracy’s book has – this is the best book of this genre! It is a must read book for all those interested in understanding the current war in Iraq; however, it is an absolute necessity for all those troops being deployed there in the future. This book is real history and is destined to become a classic war memoir for this generation of Marines.

The book is neither recommended nor suitable for all family members, or for those who may be offended by some very raw “colorful” language at times throughout the book.

This book is about today’s Marine Corps and reflects well on the men and women who proudly wear that uniform. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

A day by day account of the battle for Ramadi, Iraq during the height of the Iraqi insurgency from August 2004 until March of 2005. The legendary Fox Company, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines battled insurgents on a daily basis and this book serves as a blow by blow account; told by Fox Company Gunnery Sergeant, Patrick M Tracy. The author brings you along for the ride through many battles and skirmishes and has an upfront, no-nonsense style of telling his story.

The First Hellcat Ace by Hamilton McWhorter

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MWSA Review

 One of the Truly Great WWII Aviation Memoirs! Professional writer Jay Stout and WWII air ace extraordinaire, CDR Hamilton McWhorter III (USN Ret) have captured a great piece of personal history in their non-fictional book, The First Hellcat Ace. This is truly one of the all time greatest stories of U.S. Naval aviation history. The authors take us along as we follow a young Hamilton go through his training (During the time of Pearl Harbor) and off on his battles over North Africa against the Vichy French and in the Pacific against the Japanese.

This is not just a story of how one man becomes the first air ace in a Hellcat Fighter but it deals with accounts of other men from “Fighting Squadron 9.” These were America’s best young men who fought in the skies above the likes of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Tarawa Atoll among other places. They risked their lives daily in air to air combat and from hostile ground and ship fire.

There is much depth to the story telling as we get to look at McWhorter’s experiences as he reflects back on those days during the war. It is told as if it had just recently happened. The writing style is easy to read and follow and creates great excitement. It also gives us a more personal view of the men and what their lives were like. This book is suitable for most all readers.

If you enjoy aviation, or naval war stories, history, or just like to read about heroes, then this is the book for you. This is an important book that needs to be discovered by young Americans looking for old fashioned heroes. Commander McWhorter is the real McCoy and it would be good to honor him and others like himself before the Greatest Generation becomes just a memory. But when they do, I hope that this book will still be there casting long shadows over future generations.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

 THE FIRST HELLCAT ACE Cdr Hamilton McWhorter, III, USN (Ret) with Jay A. Stout Though he objected to being called such, Hamilton McWhorter III's service to family and country make him a standout among America's Greatest Generation. A Georgia native whose family roots date from that region's settlement during the 1700s, Mac McWhorter was a naval aviation cadet undergoing training when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. After earning his Wings of Gold in early 1942, Ensign McWhorter was trained as a fighter pilot in the robust but technologically outmoded F4F Wildcat. Initially assigned to VF-9-a fiercely spirited and hard-playing fighter squadron-he saw first combat in November 1942 against Vichy French forces in North Africa. After returning to the United States, VF-9 became the first unit to convert to the new Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter-the fighter the U.S. Navy would use to crush Japanese air power during the long offensive from the Southwest Pacific to the shores of Japan. From mid 1943, Hamilton McWhorter was constantly engaged in the unforgiving and deadly aerial warfare that characterized the battles against Imperial Japan. His fifth aerial victory, in November 1943 off Tarawa Atoll, made him the first ace in the Hellcat, and seven subsequent victories ensured his place in the annals of air-to-air combat. McWhorter's combat service, from the beginning of the war to the last campaign off the shores of Okinawa, makes his story a must-read for the serious student of the Pacific air war. Hamilton McWhorter III retired from the Navy as a commander in 1969. He passed away in 2008. A Marine F/A-18 pilot from 1981 to early 2000, Lieutenant Colonel Jay A. Stout is a combat veteran with over 4,600 flight hours. He has also authored Hornets over Kuwait, which recounts his own experiences during the Gulf War. What the experts are saying about The First Hellcat Ace: "Mac McWhorter not only survived three carrier deployments in World War II, he earned a reputation as one of the Navy's deadliest fighter pilots. His memoir captures the attitude of his generation-the heroism and the sacrifice, and the return to a loving famiy. It was an era never to return again." --Barrett Tillman, author of Hellcat: The F6F in World War II "Mac McWhorter became a noted Navy fighter ace during World War II, his three carrier deployments characterized by intense combat, the loss of numerous squadron mates, and the pain of separation from his wife and family. His memoir is not the stuff of legends or glamour so often associated with fighter pilots, but a sensitive look at the realities faced by carrier aviators who go in harm's way." --Bruce Gamble, author of Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington "Not only a thrilling account of some of the great air battles of the Pacific war, Hamilton McWhorter's book provides a window through which we can view a generation of young men at war, impressed by their camaraderie and spirit and humbled by the hardships and fears they overcame." --M. Hill Goodspeed, historian at the U.S. Navy Aviation Museum

The L.P. by David Walks-As-Bear

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MWSA Review

Book Would Make Great Action Movie! David Walks-As-Bear has done it again, showing off his talents as a creative novelist and master writer of the thriller genre. His newest book, The L.P. (which is military lingo for a “listening post”) is filled with tons of action and suspense dealing with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The plot of this story is what makes this book so damn interesting and frightening as well. What the men in this unit over hear and learn about is so diabolical in nature and outright evil that they have to pass this information on to their superiors even if it may cost them their own lives attempting to deliver it.

The author mixes some great characterizations in with a well thought out and terrifying plot that makes an explosive mixture that entertains. He will have you completely hooked on the storyline within a short period of time and it will become difficult to set the book down to go to bed, or to eat, or to do anything until you've read the final word.

The dialog is strongly written and the interaction between characters seems believable. The chemistry of the whole reading experience seems to work well. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis
A story about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. At the war’s beginning, near the outskirts of Baghdad — an undermanned infantry squad and two young women are caught with legions of the Iraqi Republican Guard all around them. Death could come swiftly for the American soldiers assigned to the listening post. Do they fight, hide or surrender? Sgt. Parker is the man in charge and he can’t let any of those things happen. Because the L.P. has heard something sinister and no matter what the cost...it must be told.

Every Shape, Every Shadow by Roger L. Conlee

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MWSA Review

Historic WWII novel that reads like a non-fiction! Author Roger Conlee is an avid historian, an excellent researcher and a gifted writer and he combines all his talents into producing a WWII classic story called “Every Shape, Every Shadow – A Novel of Guadalcanal.” There are few war novels that rise to this level of expertise. He writes as if he were there among the men who lived and fought there. Not only that but he gives the reader views of the battle from both sides allowing us to learn something about the Japanese commanders as well.  We even get to listen to Tokyo Rose broadcasting her propaganda to the troops about ready to do battle.

Conlee captures the feelings and sense of the battle that those who were there might have felt. He shares both some real and fictional letters home that give a more personal insight to those men and adds another layer of emotions to his story. The book feels like non-fiction and reads like a thrilling action adventure tale of war. His use of dialogs helps us to get a better sense of who each character in the story is; and it carries the plot along effortlessly. His descriptions of the battle and inner sense of what happened there makes for riveting good reading. This is a page turner; you will not want to put it down until you have finished the book even if it well past your bed time.

There have been some really great books written about the heroics of WWII and now you can now add this one to that list. It is that good! 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis

It is 1942 and the Japanese have overrun Southeast Asia and most of the Pacific islands. They have to be stopped somewhere or Australia could fall. That somewhere is a place called Guadalcanal. Every Shape, Every Shadow is Roger L. Conlee's fictionalized account of one of the epic battles in American history. Guadalcanal was where the Japanese were finally stopped and the Americans could start on the road to Tokyo and victory.

The story is told mostly through the eyes of a frightened, lonely young Marine.

The Sobs of Autumn's Violins by A. R. Homer

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MWSA Review

An Intelligent Spy Thriller from WWII.  Author A. R. Homer creates a captivating story of the D-day invasion and all that leads up to it by mixing actual historic facts with both real and fictional characters. His novel, The Sobs of Autumn’s Violins – A Novel of War and Love, is a wonderfully creative and devious mixture of history and imagination.

Although this is only Homer’s second novel, he is already being viewed as one of the more credible and exciting up-and-coming mystery, thriller writers of his generation. This book is not just a story of WWII spies and espionage; it is laced with great interplay between characters and is partially a love story as well.

Actual facts are weaved into and throughout the storyline which adds a touch of realism and believability to the plot. The only thing lacking for this book to make it to the best seller’s list is marketing and being “discovered" by the media. This book is a must read for all avid readers of thriller or WWII books. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis
A Secret So Colossal It Will Decide Who Wins the War...

May, 1944: The world holds its breath as the Allies prepare to launch their all-important invasion of Europe. The invasion plan is a secret that must be kept at all costs, but the secret is beset from all sides: a sleeper spy in England, a disaster during an invasion rehearsal, a double-dealing French Resistance leader, a ruthlessly-obsessed Gestapo head. And, for an American intelligence officer, it is a race against time to save both the secret and the woman he loves.

And now the secret's safety hangs upon two things: Operation First Violin, the brainchild of the chief English spymaster, and a French orphan girl seeking to find escape from a world that has dealt her terrible blows.

Played out in England and Normandy over two weeks that will decide the course of history, The Sobs of Autumn's Violins is a tale of suspense, courage, and love that builds to a stunning double climax.

Red Sky At Night by Bill Bigelow

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MWSA Review

A Believable Submarine Thriller in the Tom Clancy Mold! Author Bill Bigelow, a former Navy officer and also an actor from old TV shows like Hawaii Five-O, Charlie’s Angels, Magnum P.I. and Jake and The Fatman, has created a great submarine thriller that gives the reader total satisfaction. The book has a great balance between the plot and the character development. This is a well written and an intelligent accounting of a very plausible scenario dealing with submarines, secrets, murder, spies, and international intrigue.

The phrasing and writing technique that Bigelow uses to tell his tale, makes for entertaining story telling. This book will hold your attention from the first few pages all the way to last satisfying pages. This is a great undersea novel that connects well with the reader. I loved the book. I believe that Bigelow has all the potential to join a very elite group of best selling writers of military fiction. This is a must read! Watch this author he is going to be noticed!

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis
 

Rogue Trident by John Hindinger

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MWSA Review

Phenomenal Yarn! Author John H. Gallagher takes on the military and even Senator Joe McCarthy in his historical fictionalized story about the Korean War "Grady's Tour". Most books do not take on such a complete stretch of history, in this case, four years that covers both the war and afterwards. 

The book has some great action sequences in Korea that will satisfy almost all military buffs who enjoy reading a good war novel. The book goes into an area that most writers of this genre do not. It deals with issues beyond the war itself and takes on the great spy hunt at home by people like Joe McCarthy. It raises some questions and it might open old historic wounds for some people. 

Readers will get their money's worth; as the book is well over 500 pages long and is entertaining through out .

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2006)

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Author's Synopsis
A historical novel of: Fighting in Korean War; Zealous commanding general at Stateside post; McCarthy communist spy hunt; Politics at home; Romance.