An American Knight by Norman Fulkerson

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Seldom does a book's story live up to its potential; An American Knight was much more than just a true tale about an American hero. This book delivers the riveting life experiences of a real hero without any worry about being politically correct in today's world. The author Norman Fulkerson takes us right to the heart of the man and his black and white world of morals and righteousness. The author does not meekly skip past those elements that made John Ripley idolized by his fellow Marines and perhaps greatly criticized by social liberals bent on changing the traditions and standards of this national. 

No matter how one feels about women in combat, or about allowing women to attend to all-male military schools - or about his outspokenness about allowing gays to serve in the military - one has to admire Ripley's courage to say what he felt in his heart and not step aside from controversies. He was as uncompromising and courageous on and off the battlefield. His social views certainly made him very few friends on Capitol Hill, or in political circles - and surely ended his military career hopes. 

The section in the book about his heroics in Vietnam are bigger than life exploits which one would expect to see in some Rambo movie. But the key difference is that it was all for real and he risked his life and limb for the mission he was asked to carry out. If you do not understand duty and honor then you will never understand John Ripley. He was all about honor and duty and he was willing to put it all on the line. 

I did not agree with all of what John stood for with regards to his social beliefs but I have to admire his ability to cut through all the superfluous and get right to the point regardless of what the results would be to his career. He was someone that we veterans could admire. He was always true to his self and to his personal beliefs- what more can we ask of anyone. 

I personally recommend this book regardless of your political and social views - it will teach you about true courage.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

This first cradle-to-grave biography of Colonel John W. Ripley provides readers with the complete story about a great man who is considered by Marines, such as General Carl Mundy, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, to be on the same level as legends Chesty Puller and Dan Daly.

Colonel Ripley is most commonly known for his heroics in Vietnam during the Easter Offensive of 1972, where Colonel Gerald Turley ordered him to hold and die, in the face of over 30,000 North Vietnamese and 200 enemy tanks. John Ripley proceeded to blow the Dong Ha bridge, preventing the enemy from crossing. He unhesitatingly obeyed and earned the nation s second highest honor, the Navy Cross.

As stunning as the Dong Ha story is, there was much more to Colonel John Ripley. An American Knight: The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC narrates his early life and the influences which shaped his personality.

In youth, he was a rambunctious Huckleberry Finn who spent his days getting into all kinds of mischief in Radford, Virginia. The stories from this time period, so well narrated in An American Knight, will leave the reader with at least a smile, if not a laugh.

After his mischievous Huckleberry Finn days in Radford, he learned to discipline his wild side and, in spite of his intellectual weaknesses, went on to graduate from the Naval Academy. The strength of will with which he accomplished this task was later applied on the battlefield, where he earned the status of legend during his first tour in Vietnam as a 28-year-old Captain.

Readers will also get to know about John Ripley, the father, but more importantly the chaste husband. When he was approached by people wanting to make a movie about his life he agreed as long as his character was not portrayed as having a romantic relationship in Vietnam. I have never been, he said, nor will I ever be unfaithful to my wife.

The final chapters narrate the struggle Colonel Ripley endured with a bad liver. He would finally undergo two liver transplants, the last one of which was defined as the most dramatic in history.

If a young officer or Marine ever asks what is the meaning of Semper Fidelis Colonel Ripley once told a friend, tell them my story.

This is his story!

Riding a Donkey Backwards Through Afghanistan by Mick Simonelli

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

The first Military Comptroller at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul reflects on directing America's initial investment towards creation of an Afghan National Army.  Abruptly redirected to duty in Afghanistan, journeyman comptroller Simonelli shares how vast cultural differences, customs, personalities, and expectations collide when there is no playbook to begin a new army.  The reader will appreciate the dedication displayed by Simonelli's small, nine-person financial team and empathize with the dilemma they faced.  Chain of command fiascos and other human dynamics wreaked havoc on financial priorities, and I could hardly fathom the size of this army-building project.  With no local markets to buy from and Central Command back stateside directing the limited funds in unworkable fashion, the author accurately and metaphorically describes how he, "built an airplane during flight."  Included are funny, sad, bitter and sweet encounters that will give the reader a view of what it takes to dig a garden with only the handle of the hoe.  I recommend this book for those who are interested in America's war effort in Afghanistan, and for comptrollers / managers that appreciate knowing how to direct a bigger-than-life program.       

Reviewed by: Hodge Wood (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

A behind-the-scenes account of America's critical effort to build an Afghanistan National Army.  Written from the unique vantage point of the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, this book reveals the inside story of the United States' army-building efforts. As the first comptroller responsible for funding the Afghanistan National Army, Mick earned the Bronze Star Medal while spending $400 million taxpayer dollars and planning the spending for $2.1 billion more.

Truman and MacArthur by Don Farinacci

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

One of the Best Books on Truman & MacArthur. The younger American generation has little clue as to what actually happened in the Korean War--it is truly a lost history.  Author Donald Farinacci puts together a largely unknown and misunderstood part of that era with his revealing book about the relationship between two of the giants of that period of our history--President Truman and General MacArthur. 
 
There are still many historians that feel General Macarthur was right.  The debate still rages on because of the present day world problems with both China and North Korea. Farinacci chronicles past events and brings them alive. He skillfully documents events while weaving in brilliant his narratives.  
 
"Truman and MacArthur: Adversaries for a Common Cause" is one of the best books I have ever read on this subject matter. If you were only going to read one book about the Korean War and the politics of this time period, then this would be the book that you must read first to gain a better understanding of what happened and why. 

 I highly recommend this book for those interested in history, politics and war. It is informative and actually entertaining.  I would rank this book right up there as one of the top 25 books ever written on that time of our history.  

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

The author's purpose in writing this book was to tell a story of events which occurred during a brief but momentous period in American history, involving two extraordinary men, President Harry S. Truman and General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur. The story tells of their interaction during a time of grave national crisis, how they veered badly off course and ultimately collided head-on. It was a collision which both altered the course of history and irreparably changed their personal destinies. 

What is related here is first and foremost a human story, but one that plays out against the panorama of the Korean War--a nasty, brutish and fearsome slice of hell where what was at stake was nothing less than the determination of whether the Communist Sino-Soviet alliance would gain dominion by force over large regions of the continent of Asia or be contained and held in check by a coalition of United Nations Forces led by the United States. 

As the drama unfolded during a critical period of approximately ten months in 1950 and 1951, the all-pervasive tension holding the principal players in its grip was the ever-present threat of nuclear war looming over all of humankind. 

Other larger-than-life personalities also emerge in this epic tale and are interspersed with the two main characters. They include Eighth Army Commander Matthew B. Ridgway, Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall, South Korean President Syngman Rhee, NATO Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ambassador Averell Harriman, Army General Walton W. Walker, Marine General O.P. Smith, Army Chief of Staff J. Lawton Collins, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar Bradley, and Marine Colonel "Chesty" Puller. Every one of them played an integral role in the drama and some of them such as Ridgway, Acheson, Marshall and Eisenhower actually changed the course of history. But, the overarching giants of this tale are Truman and MacArthur. Their saga of 1950-1951 underscores the fact that no matter what the magnitude of events, history is still primarily a collection of stories about people. 

This is one of those stories--one that is part of the larger framework of the forty-five year-long Cold War, but one that is surpassed in importance by none other in that singularly perilous epoch of world history.

Fortress Rabaul by Bruce Gamble

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

The Second World War was fought by millions of men, and women, in ten thousand places, in a condensed hellish time period of over one thousand, three hundred days.  It was fought in huge massed battles on four continents, bloody assaults on dozens of islands, man to man in streets, and jungles, in the air, and on virtually every surface of the earth's oceans.  Acts of heroism, sacrifice, and defiance occurred daily for almost four years, most of which went undocumented, and have been lost to the march of time. History remembers the large encounters between armies, navies, and air forces, but has a tendency to overlook many events that were more drawn out, in favor of the more spectacular.  The battle for Rabaul, the geographic center of the New Guinea/ Solomon Island campaign, is one of them.  Bruce Gamble's book, Fortress Rabaul reminds us that here was a compelling, never ending battle worthy of the same awe inspired by D Day, or Okinawa, with heroism to match.  After reading this well documented, detailed account of that battle saga, the reader is reminded that the war might be remembered by brief, hot spots of engagement, but, it was won by constant, grinding, and, determined daily fighting that mostly occurred without herald.  In that respect, the battle for Rabaul, which lasted three and one-half years, was a microcosm of the entire war. 
 
This is a history book that reads like a novel, with fine narrative, and researched players on both sides of the conflict.  Air planes and ships are sunk by real people, who we get to know thanks to the author's diligent need to recognize, by name, and personality, the participants.  He has immortalized those brave souls who fought over Rabaul, by researching faces, and personalities that we can identify with.  All American kids next door, and, the names of savage enemy combatants whose actions should be placed right alongside those of their sadistic Nazi allies. Also revealed are the personalities of some of our country's most storied leaders, such as MacArthur, and the egos that motivated them, and, framed many of their decisions.
 
This is not a dry book. It is alive with fast paced narration of a battle that, by the very nature of its' endlessness, got pushed to the back burner of media scrutiny, because it was always there, just like the war itself. A hearty recommendation for aviators who, like this reviewer, have a fascination for the grand old war birds of that era, history buffs, or, anyone who wants to know what the horrible under belly of unrelenting war really looks like.

Reviewed by: Bob Flourny (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

For most of World War II, the mention of Japan's island stronghold sent shudders through thousands of Allied airmen. Some called it "Fortress Rabaul," an apt name for the headquarters of the Imperial Japanese forces in the Southwest Pacific. Drawing upon a vast array of Japanese as well as Allied sources, award-winning author Bruce Gamble chronicles Rabaul's crucial role in theater operations. Millions of square feet of housing and storage facilities supported a hundred thousand soldiers and naval personnel. Simpson Harbor and the airfields were the focus of hundreds of missions by American air forces. Fortress Rabaul details a critical and, until now, little understood chapter in the history of World War II.

New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah by Richard Lowry

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah is award-winning author, Richard Lowry's Opus Magnus. Well-documented, mapped, footnoted, and indexed to enhance comprehension of military terminology, this important piece of American history is as moving as a historical novel and as scholarly as a text book.  It's a small piece that packs an enormous wallop.
 
Unlike other historians who focus solely on battle strategies and tactics, Lowry also introduces the reader to the participants--from the Generals to the Privates--by name. As a result, I shuddered as the Blackwater Contractors were murdered and mutilated in Fallujah -- because this time, they weren't strangers but four men with names -- Westley Batalona, Jerry Zovko, Scott Helvenston, and Michael Teague.  I felt like I was with Gunny Popaditch as he charged into the city to clear out the insurgents -- and I was distressed as any friend would be when he was wounded.  Throughout the battle, I held my breath and prayed for the safety of real people with mothers and fathers and wives and children -- men like Juan Rubio, Benny Alicea, Matthew Smith, and Jason Arellano.
  
For American tax payers who have come to expect the complications associated with inter-service rivalries, this book highlights the cooperative spirit between the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines that made this mission successful. Lowry allows the reader to peek behind the scenes as the Generals define their battle plans, assessing resources and determining who will do what. Then, as the insurgents react, we see Command reassessing and making tactical adjustments.  We see the Army offering up not just the resources that were requested, but the resources that were available.  We see Navy Corpsman risking their lives to bring aid to the wounded and dying.  We watch as the Air Force C130s " Basher and Slasher "rain down death on the enemy--and we gasp at the bravery of young men willing to confront fanatics who came to Fallujah specifically to kill Americans.
 
Battle is grim under the best of circumstances -- and this was a long, sweaty journey into horror.  However, there are moments that make us laugh -- like the time when two officers were talking during a lull in the action. One says to the other, "Let's play the Marine Hymn." They radio back to the Army Psyops group who queues up the tune and broadcasts it. In response to the taunt, the enemy pops up from their hidden positions firing wildly and the Marines pick them off, one by one.  As silence returns, one officer says, "That turned out pretty good. Let's play it again!"
 
New Dawn showcases the close relationships our troops form with each other--so close that they literally risk life and limb to keep other Marines or Soldiers safe. How proud their Mamas must be -- and terrified for them at the same time. On the flip side of that intensity, we can intuit that these young men will grieve for friends who couldn't be saved for the rest of their lives.  
 
Lowry's book concentrates on what happened. He wisely leaves the why to be argued in other venues. He simply tells the world about Richard Natonski and Tom Metz and John Sattler and Pat Malay and Mike Shupp and Willy Buhl and Craig Tucker and Gary Patton and many others who guided our forces through this tough and frustrating assault.  He shows us how men like Jeff Lee, Jason Clairday, Brad Kasal, and Jeremiah Workman came to be recognized for their heroism--and he reminds us about Ed Iwan, Antoine Smith, Steve Faulkenburg, Chris Adlesperger, and the others who didn't make it back alive.
 
I've been carrying this book around and showing it to everyone I meet.  I tell them that it's the real deal. I don't tell them that this story makes me cry sometimes when it's dark and I'm all alone. 

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

New Dawn is the story of the kids who grew up down the block and then flew halfway around the world to fight in the battle that changed the war in Iraq. Richard S. Lowry places you among the brave men and women who fought a determined enemy at the crossroads of civilization. This is the tale of their courage, sacrifice and valor. 
 
Richard tells the stories of the men and women who fought to clear Fallujah, Iraq's most violent city. This is no ordinary historical account. Richard provides gripping narratives of individual sacrifice and valor while documenting the battle for military historians. He weaves a page-turning story that will educate and entertain in a style reminiscent of Cornelius Ryan's Longest Day.
 
New Dawn opens with the brutal murder, bludgeoning and burning of four Blackwater security contractors, followed by the aborted first assault and tense standoff during the spring and summer of 2004. Then, New Dawn tells the complete story of the massive final attack as seen through the eyes of those who were there.
 
Walk down the narrow city streets and into the courtyards, kitchens and bedrooms of Fallujah. Venture into the unknown as young soldiers and Marines kick in door after door, never knowing if they will be greeted by an incensed insurgent or a cowering Iraqi family. This is a story of young Americans at war.  

Nam Sense by Arthur Wiknik

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Nam Sense is an excellent account of the author's own experience with the 101st Airborne Division in Viet Nam, during the war, April 1969 - March 1970.  In setting forth his own story, Arthur Wiknik superbly illustrates the challenges that our Viet Nam veterans faced simply trying to survive their tours of duty during the war.  His narrative style in setting forth his experiences makes the book an enjoyable, informative read for anyone wanting to learn more about a soldier's life in the conflict.  I was very pleased that the author didn't focus his book solely on his combat experiences, but took time to portray what daily life was like for him.  In doing so, he has made this book a far more valuable resource.  I was also impressed that the book included numerous photographs and a map highlighting key locations relevant to his story.

This book is very well presented.  I recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning more about a soldier's life in the Viet Nam war and to anyone who is a military history buff.

Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Nam Sense is the story of a combat squad leader in the 101st Airborne Division in the thick of combat during the Vietnam War. The author was a 19-year-old kid from New England when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968. After completing various NCO training programs, he was promoted to sergeant "without ever setting foot in a combat zone" and sent overseas in early 1969. Shortly after his arrival on the far side of the world he was assigned to Camp Evans, the 101st Airborne's northern most base camp only thirty miles from Laos and North Vietnam. On his first jungle patrol, his squad killed a female Viet Cong who turned out to have been the local prostitute. It was the first dead person he had ever seen. 
 
Arthur Wiknik's account of life and death in Vietnam includes everything from skirmishes with the Viet Cong and combat with NVA regulars to base camp hijinks, including faking insanity to get some R&R. The 101st Airborne was one of the last U.S. outfits to launch full-blooded offensives in Vietnam, and its assault on the NVA stronghold in the A Shau Valley has since become the stuff of legend. Wiknik was the first man in his unit to reach the top of "Hamburger Hill" during this famous operation, the last one in which Americans attacked rather than defended in order to reduce their casualties. Later, the author discovered an enemy weapons cache, thus preventing an attack on his advance fire support base. Between episodes of combat he mingled with the locals, tricked unwitting stateside food companies into providing his platoon a year's worth of hard to get edibles and after defying a superior officer was punished with a dangerous mission. All this time, he struggled with himself and his fellow soldiers as the anti-war movement back home began to affect their ability to wage victorious war.
 
Nam Sense unveils the battlefields of Vietnam with a unique blend of candor, irony, and humor--and it spares nothing and no one in its attempt to accurately convey the true experience of the combat soldier during this unpopular war. This work does not fixate on heroism or glory, haunting flashbacks, or soldiers wallowing in self-pity. It instead portrays ordinary young Americans thrown into strange yet brutally violent circumstances, while only seeking to uphold the honor of their comrades and country. The GIs Wiknik lived and fought with during his year-long tour did not rape, murder, or burn villages, were not strung out on drugs, and did not enjoy killing. They were simply there to do their duty as they were trained, and to try to get home alive.
 
"The soldiers I knew," explains the author, "demonstrated courage, principle, kindness, and friendship--all the elements found in other wars Americans have proudly fought in." 

Roadside Bombs by William Little

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

William Little is a lucky man. He is alive to tell this story -- even though he paid an enormous price in personal well-being and time away from his family. We are fortunate that Little, badly wounded in Iraq, has written this tidy little book.  Although there's been a lot of press about the use of security contractors to supplement military resources and support business activities in a very dangerous country, this is the first book that I've read that explores what it was like for the security officers themselves.

Roadside Bombs and Democracy begins with the author's first experience as a security contractor in Kosovo. He explains that he had the necessary skills, the desire to help, and an understanding family. For a man of his age, in good health, and with a strong resume in law enforcement, the money was excellent and it seemed like a good way to make a meaningful contribution to the War on Terror. His time in Kosovo was an interesting foray into a different culture dealing with the impact of war. While not safe, it did not truly prepare Little for the chaos of Iraq -- but it did give him the opportunity to work there. Iraq was alluring because it seemed to be the very place where people like Little were needed and of course, the salary was commensurate with that need.

The author tells his story with little elaboration -- perhaps because Iraq needs no frills.  Although this memoir has the feel of a journal, it is still a page turner.  The red and brown cover with a picture of a burning Hummer and the title itself gives the reader some idea of what it coming, yet the casual description of daily life is both mundane and gripping.  First at a Baghdad compound where the author is assigned to examine hundreds of Iraqi citizens eager to get very dangerous jobs as Iraqi police officers -- and then later as support for various police stations in Basra, Little is alert and wary -- and the reader doubts that such a wise man would be a victim through carelessness. Then, as the story develops, the readers realize that no one is safe in such a situation. We also see a growing sense of disillusionment in the author. Like many military veterans report, he'd gone to work in this environment hoping to make a difference -- and eventually the enormity of the problems begin to overwhelm and frustrate even the most patience, pragmatic, and determined.  A feeling also overwhelms the readers that perhaps the author's luck has run out -- just about the time that it does.

A well-written and personal view of war from a non-traditional source that drives home the problems in Iraq -- and definitely worth a read!

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

This book is a narrative of my personal experiences working overseas as an International Police Advisor in Kosovo with the U.N. and in Iraq.

Missions of Fire and Mercy by William Peterson

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

There's not much difference between Missions of Fire and Mercyand other combat memoirs. Bill Peterson decides to drop out of college and join the Army in 1967. He must explain his decision to worried parents.  His father is a World War II veteran and understands Bill's need to find himself as a warrior. His girlfriend of four years may or may not understand -- but he feels her support and knows that she will wait for him. So, eager to do the right thing, Bill signs up for helicopters,  goes through training, makes close friends, and volunteers for Vietnam. The Army accepts Bill's offer and off he goes on the first real adventure of his adult life. 

I've read the same story a thousand times...in fact, I can't stop reading these stories. These were the friends of my youth and each time one left, I watched them go with a combination of anger, fear, and frustration.  Why was it that as the daughter of a combat veteran, I began grieving the day they left for basic training?  

However, there's something about this rendition that's especially heart-rending. Maybe it's Bill Peterson's considerable talent as a writer. Perhaps it's because I can remember exactly what I was doing on the days that he was risking his life to insert and extract other grim young soldiers in and out of hell. The throbbing beat of the Rolling Stones blend with the whop of helicopter rotors in the ears of my generation like a rock and roll anthem of confusion, pain, bravery, anxiety, and good intentions. Bill's year in Vietnam played out against societal chaos where right and wrong no longer seemed so pristinely white and black--only Bill saw it all up close and personal while I heard about it from boys with the eyes of old men.  

As the tale unfolds in Missions of Fire and Mercy, Bill allows the reader to watch as his innocent eagerness melts away like a Hershey bar in the back pocket of my jeans. Perhaps because he is up front about his fear and horror, we understand why he is compelled to fly day after day. Bill and the other helicopter crews flew long after it was no longer fun. They flew not because they were ordered to. They flew not even because they were brave -- although they were most assuredly that. They flew because their friends and comrades relied on them. The wounded needed them. Those under fire needed them. No, they flew because they knew they must--and other young men are alive today because they did.  

And after it was all over, some came home and others didn't. Families and friends grieved for those that were lost. However, for most, life went on. Some things changed and others didn't. The worst that could have happened never did, and bad things we never dreamed of came to pass. No one knows if it was right or wrong, worth it or not -- but we do know that these young men were magnificent like their fathers before them. It's impossible to read Bill's book and not know this.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Memoir of my Vietnam tour with C/227th AHB, 1st Air Cavalry in 67-68 as a Huey crew chief/door gunner. This book relates both missions of fire and missions of mercy. This will put the reader in the crew chief seat and take him/her on the ride of their life that they can't possibly experience anywhere else. "White Robe Six" (the aircrew's call sign for God), is given praise often as He protects the flight crews from almost certain death. The subject of PTSD is touched on and highly recommends that Vets seek the free help that is out there. The purpose of Missions Of Fire And Mercy is not only to reach Vets and assure them that they need not have the guilt complex that many have. In addition, it teaches the loved ones of the Vet what they not only experienced, but what they are still haunted with in so many cases.

My Last War by Charles Grist

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Charles M. Grist has written the story of a young man who served first as an officer in Vietnam, a career public servant (police officer), and last as a non-commissioned officer in Iraq. His life has been dedicated to serving his country but his words are humble and appreciative. Grist writes about his C.O.B.R.A. team in Iraq, formed and trained to protect a general officer he learned to respect tremendously. His mission was to protect the general and keep his team safe; he did both.  He loved his team like extended family. Grist pays homage to the greatest hero in his life as well--his wife. Grist tells a story with the experience and wisdom of an American soldier and servant to a country he loves--and it is his own.  His "last war" is contrasted with memories that linger from his first experience with war. I highly recommend this book for the intellectually mature reader.  

Reviewed by: Mike Mullins (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Central Florida police officer Charles M. Grist is one of the few Vietnam veterans to have served as an enlisted soldier in the Iraq war. In 2004, he volunteered to be the sergeant-in-charge of the Protective Service Detail for an Army Reserve general in Baghdad.
 
Grist and his unit, the C.O.B.R.A. Team, were based inside Baghdad's Green Zone, but their travels with the general led them along the deadly roads of Baghdad, to the throne of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, and through the picturesque hills of Kurdistan. It was a fast-paced life of high adventure, filled with convoys, mortar or rocket attacks, and the constant threats of ambushes or improvised explosive devices.
 
As a Vietnam veteran, Grist knew that Operation Iraqi Freedom would be his last war. He used his daily journal to record his team's wartime experiences, to document the events that shaped Iraq in 2004, and to preserve the heroic deeds of some of the Army Reserve and National Guard warrior-citizens with whom he served. That journal became the basis for this book.

The Burntwaters Cook’s Kitchen Guide by David Michaelson

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Could have been titled The Complete Cooking Guide for Idiots. This is as simple as it gets proving one can be a good cook without spending a small fortune on ingredients requiring an 1/8th of a teaspoon and toss the rest away.  Tired of recipes requiring tons of special ingredients, then this book is for you. The authors approach was to keep it simple this creates more interest and improves the families' culinary experiences without great expense, time or trouble.

Recipes are easy to follow and place the emphasis on how and taste, taste after all is an individual experience, different strokes for different folks. How is approached like a campaign; example -- cut into quarters or cube, wow, great but not for me or my family.  Or melt the chocolate in a double boiler, what a great idea, how about adding hot cream to prevent it from seizing.  

Explanations abound, kid friendly recipes, what to stock and how to measure, it's all in here.

Looking for a cooking guide or another cook book for your kitchen, but tired of all the multi page instructions and exotic or seldom used spices, this is your book, trip over yourself on the way to the local book store and get your copy before the 'Chefs Union' bans it sale.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

A cookbook for the overworked, the overwhelmed and the inept.

A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Retailers and anyone selling anything need more than hope to reach their customers.  Carolyn Howard-Johnson has written an excellent "How-To" guide that even a novice can follow.  In-Store promotions is not as it sounds, but rather a method to follow regardless of where or how one sells.

Promotion is the key to success, do none and you stand small chance of succeeding.  If all you do is write a book you are performing half the job.  This book can be set out in a simple formula; promotion = recognition = sales = success.  If success is your goal then doing something to improve your business is essential and in this book it is made easy, and key parts offer inexpensive methods for doing so.

I recommend this book to anyone in any business, fixed store location or web-business.  The ideas and approaches have application to both and more; it is not just for the corner stationary store or the local tire shop.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Retailers need more than crossed fingers to get and keep customers. In-store promotion--everything from in-store branding to events--is the most effective and economical way to do that. This book gives retailers the benefit of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's nearly three decades experience as founder and manager of her own chain of stores, a stint as a New York publicist and as a retail consultant and journalist. It is the first in the Survive and Thrive series for retailers in her USA Book News award-winning HowToDoItFrugally.com books. 

MST: Military Sexual Trauma by Miette Wells

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

MST: Military Sexual Trauma provides an excellent introspective review of the unique aspects affecting sexual trauma victims.  The book focuses both on the victims and the culture of the military community that is the environment in which the victims live.

The author does a very good job of describing the characteristics of life in the military with its camaraderie, command structure, lack of freedoms, discipline and loss of privacy.  The book then expertly describes how that culture accentuates the dilemma for someone who has just survived an MST.  In the process a number of resources for counseling, healing, and even disability claims are identified for the reader.
The author covers a lot of ground in a rather short book discussing a topic that has been the focus of many lengthy studies.  It provides a compelling case that the issues surrounding MST have not been resolved.

While the author does an excellent job identifying the extraordinary set of complicating factors a victim of MST faces, I had a hard time believing that victims' situations were so universally mishandled in the military.  

The book is well presented and maintains an excellent focus.

Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Military Sexual Trauma is a traumatic event from which many victims never fully recover. There is a uniqueness to MST which separates it from other traumas, even other sexual traumas. This book is the result of personal experience and research into the reality of thousands of US soldiers, past and present that encountered MST.

MST: Military Sexual Trauma provides an introspective and eye-opening look into a world that few survive unscarred.

Miette Wells joined the Air Force after high school in 1987 with an aspiration for a career in the military. Like so many others her ambitions were bashed when she has her first encounter with MST. After her military memoir authorship, Crossing the Blue Code and Beyond The Blue Code, numerous accounts of similar experiences flooded her email inbox. She decided there is much more she can do to bring MST to the knowledge of the general public.

The Politics & Security of the Gulf by Jeffrey Macris

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

THE POLITICS AND SECURITY OF THE GULF delivers an excellent, in-depth, hundred year history of British and American involvement in the security of the Arabian Gulf Region.  After a short historical perspective, this scholarly work provides outstanding insight into the basis of that involvement. 

Jeffrey Macris does a superb job in illustrating the changing British and American security and political objectives in the area. Concurrently, he describes how this Western involvement helped shape the region into what it is today.  The author's focus on detail along with his extensive notes and bibliography section make this book a superb resource for students of Middle East history and security.  His narrative approach in setting forth that history makes it an enjoyable, informative read for anyone wanting to learn more about the subject.

I was very pleased that the author kept a sharp focus on historical facts, while leaving political opinions and biases out of the book.  In doing so, he has made this book a far more valuable resource.  I was also impressed that the book included dozens of photographs and the original text of numerous military and political documents to help elaborate and substantiate the author's reporting of historical events.

The book is very well presented.  I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning more about this topic.  I would classify it as a must read for students of Middle East history and military history. 

Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

The United States and its military have fought in three hot wars in the Persian Gulf over the past generation -- the Iran-Iraq War, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom -- but what do we know about what brought our nation to this turbulent and unforgiving region? "The Politics and Security of the Gulf," written by a Permanent Military Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, looks at two centuries of Persian Gulf history, and how the armies and navies of Great Britain and the United States have shaped the region. The book examines how both London and Washington's leaders tended to three enduring missions in the Gulf: maintaining interstate order, protecting trade, and keeping out other Great Powers. For over a century Britain did this with a relatively modest amount of power -- primarily naval -- while drawing upon its vast Indian army when needed.  After World War II, however, the loss of Britain's empire ultimately forced London to withdraw, and the last of its ships and aircraft withdrew from inside the Strait of Hormuz in 1971. Offered the keys to British military bases, the Americans declined to replace the British as security guarantors for the Gulf. In the vacuum that followed, two decades of political, economic, and military chaos ensued: the 1973 oil crisis, the fall of the Shah, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that portended a possible further thrust toward the Gulf, the Iran-Iraq war, and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.  After each of these foreign policy catastrophes, the United States took an incremental step toward the region. When Washington elected to set up a permanent military presence in the Gulf following 1991's Desert Storm, the U.S. essentially had assumed the same missions that the British had fulfilled in the 19th and 20th centuries: maintaining interstate order, protecting trade, and keeping out other Great Powers.

The Military Father by Armin Brott

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

An excellent reference for dads, The Military Father covers issues pertinent to men. Much broader than the title implies, the book covers military and civilian fathers who face a "long-distance" relationship with their wife and children.
 
The book encompasses a wide spectrum of possible reactions to deployment -- from the view of the dad being deployed, the spouse, children at various age levels, single dads, dual military families and the dad at home when the mom is deployed. It covers active-duty military, reservists and civilian/government workers.
 
What makes this book exceptional is Brott's attention to the details of family life. Written is an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow format, the author lays it on the line. His advice ranges from telling fathers to record their voices for their unborn children and planning online games with teenagers to comforting and preparing spouses.
 
He deals with fathers from pre-deployment through coming back home and facing PTSD. Appendices cover a wide aspect of issues including a pre-deployment checklist, stages of childhood development and available resources.
 
Brott writes with respect for all family members, their emotions and the problems they encounter. He is straight-forward and specific, addressing tough and personal issues. He never assumes that all dads, marriages, children and situations can be "buttered with the same knife." He speaks of regret, guilt and loneliness as well as independence, commitment and love.
 
Dads will relate to the preparation, feelings and problems addressed. Mothers and children will better understand that deployment is as hard for the one far away, as it is for those waiting at home.
 
I would recommend this book to every person facing the deployment of a spouse or partner.

Reviewed by: Pat McGrath Avery (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Fathers today play a greater role with their families and children than ever before. However, military dads and dads-to-be are often separated from their families for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, there are very few resources for military (and deployed civilian) fathers, who are looking for guidance on how to be in close touch with their families back home. The Military Father, written by the country's leading authority on fatherhood, will fill that gap, providing deployed dads with everything they need to know to stay (or become) involved with and connected to their family regardless of the distance that separates them. 
 
Part I of this essential sourcebook covers pre-deployment and explores the profound effect a dad's absence will have on his spouse, his children, and himself. It also provides extensive pre-deployment checklists and detailed tips aimed at preparing the dad and his family for separation and long-distance communication. Part II, During Deployment, explains how to stay involved and connected when you're far away, and includes specific strategies and activities designed to help dads and their family remain close across time and distance. Part III, Coming Home, offers advice on post-deployment times from preparing to come home and surmounting the challenges of returning to military or civilian life. In addition, the book includes a chapter on how dads can support a spouse when she's the one being deployed, and a comprehensive listing of resources available to soldiers and their families. 
 
Flavored with the author's trademark wit, warmth, and intelligence, this guide combines a wealth of knowledge from experts, scientific studies, and interviews with scores of military fathers and their families. 
 
The Military Father includes cartoons that complement the text, solicited from deployed military or civilian fathers and family members, ranging from those on active duty to veterans. 

A Quiet Reality by Emilio Marrero

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

A Quiet Reality opens the door to the often un-thought, unspoken part of war, that of God at work.  Emilio intertwines combat and prayer in a manner that makes the story worth reading to Christians and non-Christians alike. This is a powerful and insightful journey into the war in Iraq. This is a different kind of war, calling on talents civilians do not generally think of the military possessing and Chaplain Marrero tells their story as he shared it, a very emotional journey that provides a window of discovery to the reader and will tug at your heart as you share the emotions, message of redemption, death, salvation and tears of loss.  The perspective presented is different from that of a book of "war." A story you will not see on your local news, eye opening and refreshingly honest.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

A Quiet Reality is a heartwarming and hopeful story that invites you to join Chaplain Marrero in this exciting journey through Iraq as he ministered to U.S. Marines. Join him through an exhilarating tactical convoy during his first night in Iraq, through the painful ministry to the wounded and dead. Reflect with him as he ponders on this quest as a man in uniform and a pastor. Walk with him through the ancient ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's Palace in Babil and join him on an exciting quest to open biblical history to his Marines while he seeks to care for the Iraqis around him. A Quiet Reality is a hopeful commentary on a selfless quest to be true to ones faith and one's calling in the most trying of times. A wonderful Christian inspirational story that provides deep insight into how Americans and Iraqis touched one another.

Faith Deployed by Jocelyn Green

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

I think the title of the newest book by Jocelyn Green "Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives" really sums up the content and the purpose of her book. However, I think it is not just for wives and could just as well be for husbands with spouses overseas, or mothers and fathers and even children. There are some fundamental truths and thoughts through the book that lends it to a great audience of readers. And that is my only negative comment about a delightful and much need book. 

This book would make a great gift to give to those who have relatives overseas in the war areas or not. The book is heavy with biblical quotes and lots of real life advice from wives representing all the military branches of service. Green does a good job of weaving in her writing with those of the contributing writers to form a emotional and spiritual foundation from which the reader will find some inner strength and peace from. 

I highly recommend this book and suggest that all those who have any military connections buy a copy and keep it in your personal library. It is good insurance against all those worries that may grip you when you are waiting for your loved ones to return home. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

As a military wife, if you have ever felt overlooked and undernourished as you strive daily to meet the needs of everyone around you-in a culture that largely does not understand your stressful lifestyle-this book is for you.
 
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives is not a guide to long-distance relationships or a how-to on navigating through the military culture. It does not offer "ten easy steps" for an easier, painless life. Instead, through squarely addressing the challenges you face, Faith Deployed will equip you to respond biblically to the daily struggles that threaten to wear you down.
 
The book is written by 15 Christian military wives from all branches of service.

Tear in the Desert by Father Ron Camarda

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Navy Chaplain Father Ron Moses Camarda reflects upon his active duty in Fallujah, at the heart of the battle for the city in 2004. As a Catholic Priest in Florida at age forty-four, the author is almost retired as a reserve chaplain with twenty years of non-war assignments, when a stunning order changes everything. Called to active duty and assigned to Bravo Surgical Company at Camp Fallujah with our Marines, Camarda recounts the horrific carnage faced and his own frailties, while ministering to casualties. He comforts in the most hideous settings; 81 die before him as another 1500 are physically wounded. While standing in blood and with guts exposed, Camarda serves the spirit of the dying and critically wounded, using impromptu prayer and ceremony. The author shares his accounts of providing last rites in the "potato factory" morgue and holding Mass inside the heart of the demolished city. Tattoo's and pocketed paper notes shed light on the spiritual desires of the fallen and connections are made with families of the deceased.  These details provide the reader an even deeper insight into the challenges faced by those who serve and pay the ultimate price.  Much of the book is set around the November 2004 offensive by the First Marine Expeditionary Force in their effort to regain the city from insurgents in the largest urban assault since the Korean War. I admire how Chaplain Camarda exposes his own emotions and salute his courage. He uses scripture, journal entries, and prayers to bring into focus how men pass into eternity after war. I recommend the book for anyone who has interest in a real-world battle of unreal proportions.

Reviewed by: Hodge Wood (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Tear in the Desert is a journey into the Heart of the Iraq War with Navy Chaplain Father Ron Moses Camarda, a Roman Catholic Priest. Father Ron was recalled in July of 2004 to serve with the Marines in Bravo Surgical of 1st FSSG. He reluctantly went and received over 1500 casualties and 81 deaths in which at least 12 died as he prayed with them. Col Mike Shupp, Commanding Officer of Regimental Combat Team-1, Fallujah 2004-2005 writes an afterward, "Father Ron Camarda is one of those quiet heroes, who made a difference in so many ways. Through his enthusiasm and compassion, he strengthened and developed our moral courage to face the horrors of war. When injured physically or emotionally, his strength and commitment held us up to face each day with dignity and courage. I will never forget him or his service to the Regiment. God is Good, All the Time!  Semper Fi!"  
The book also begins to follow how Chaplain Camarda met with the widows, parents and friends of our fallen heroes. He concludes with the story of how he met with the widow of a Marine who died at the exact hour that she gave birth.

Battlefields and Blessings Iraq/Afghanistan by Jocelyn Green

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

This newest installment in the wonderful series of books on faith on the battlefields, deals with the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Three very gifted authors worked together to deliver a powerful series of stories that show courage and faith. It also demonstrates and shows the spiritual connections between these warriors and God through their individual experiences. 

The full title of this inspiring book is Battlefields & Blessings: Stories Of Faith And Courage from The War In Iraq & Afghanistan.Truly a lot of loving work went into putting these personal stories together. It is not just about what takes place on battlefields but it is also about people: veterans, mother's and fathers and chaplains and even non-veterans such congressman, contractors, and missionaries. 

This book is definitely good for the soul of the reader. It is an easy to read accounting of those who lives have been touched by this current war on terrorism. It is heart warming, as well at times, a little heart wrenching. 

This is one book that I proudly display on my won personal bookshelf. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has military people in their lives. I even recommend it to those who are just patriotic or love a book of great faith. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan, part of the Battlefields & Blessings series, is a 365-day collection of inspiring stories of courage perseverance and faith-based on firsthand accounts of more than seventy who have been connected to or involved in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through never-before-told stories, readers will uncover the personal challenges of the battlefield. You'll hear about the experiences and perspectives of deployed soldiers; chaplains; military wives, widows, parents and siblings; organizers of humanitarian efforts; veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder; missionaries to the Middle East and more. Each story is accompanied by a Scripture verse and a brief prayer.

If You Fly Don’t Crash by Charles Bailey

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

In a story that begins in 1969, Air Force Pilot Charles E. Bailey discusses his experiences flying aircraft for the United States Air Force. Bailey gives readers an insightful, humorous, and complete account of life inside and outside the cockpits of many aircraft operated by the Air Force. These stories shed light on the important responsibilities military pilots undertake each time they fly and how their knowledge and expertise are often overlooked and underestimated. 

This book meets all of the qualifications of non-fiction. Throughout the story, the author discusses personal stories and experiences (complete with personal anecdotes) that provide the reader a perspective on the responsibilities an Air Force Pilot has along with the variety of skills and training required of the position of pilot.

Charles Bailey's If You Fly... Don't Crash! was one of those books that I could not put down, and I thought about for a long time after I finished it. There is humor mixed in with the story of one man's determination to succeed in achieving his goals and become an Air Force Pilot. I would recommend this book to people who are looking for an inspiring story. The story takes readers through many real landscapes: the training and experience required to become a pilot and how those experiences translate into success high above the skies in the cockpit. The book breezily moves through the author's life and situates pictures and photographs of various aircraft seamlessly into the body of the narrative. Sometimes, non-fiction stories can be overwrought with jargon that distract a reader from the overall message. However, Charles does a fantastic job of explaining complex aviation terms in a clear, concise manner. This was an excellent book and would recommend it anyone looking for a poignant true story about some of America's true heroes. 

Reviewed by: Elliot Parker (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

The author piloted Air Force heavy jets for over two decades, in peacetime and wartime. If You Fly...Don't Crash! (Confessions of a White-knuckle Pilot) highlights some of the good, the bad, and the simply silly aspects of aviation experienced during his thousands of hours airborne.

Of War and Weddings by Jerry Yellin

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

"And so the enemy became my friend, I felt his warmth across the ocean and he felt mine."  

A quote taken from the book, which sums up Mr. Yellin's story for me. I enjoyed the story with its vivid descriptions of Mr. Yellin's experiences in the war, the wedding of his son, the beauty of Japan and its people, a beauty that the writer discovered many years later. The reader will appreciate the journey Mr.Yellin takes in his life, to finally allow himself to heal from the war and release from his heart the hatred he felt for the Japanese people, he was then able to let go of his hatred and live a life of forgiveness and peace. It took many years of travel to Japan and the joining of two families from very different cultures to appreciate the people and true beauty of Japan. I personally appreciate a book where I can picture myself in the story; this book achieved that for me and will for other readers. If you have an interest in Japan, WW II fighter pilots, you will enjoy this book. I found it to be an easy flowing story that will leave you appreciating life, another culture and realize that true love can exist despite obstacles. It made me quite interested in seeing for myself the beauty of Japan someday.  

Reviewed by: Mary Sullivan (2010)

---

Author's Synopsis

A memoir. World War 2 service as a fighter pilot over Japan, raised during the depression, The wedding of his youngest son to a Japanese woman in Japan, the daughter of an Imperial Japanese air force veteran. The reconciliation between the two fathers.