Jim  Greenwald, MWSA Lead Reviewer
 
Don Arndt | Chris Avery | Pat Avery | Rob Ballister | Richard Barone | Lee Boyland

D. H. Brown | John Cathcart | Buddy Cox | Bob Doerr | E. Franklin Evans

John Faulkner | Joyce Faulkner | Joyce Gilmour | Andrew Lubin   

 Bill McDonald | Mike Mullins | Eliot Parker | Claudia Pemberton

 Larry Purcell | Mary Sullivan | David Tschanz | Hodge Wood

Inactive Reviewers

**Although our members have opinions regarding current events, our intent is to support the United States military rather than denounce it. We have no illusion that the performance of our military or our nation’s leaders are flawless, but we feel strongly that there are more than enough existing venues for criticizing them. We do not wish to become another one. Consequently, we make efforts to avoid publishing material that we find to be primarily critical in nature.

Please submit requests for review to our Lead Reviewer, Jim Greenwald, using the book review form.

Jim Greenwald served in the Navy in a variety of capacities.  “Join the Navy and see the world,” whether you want to or not.  It provided an opportunity to see much of the world and too meet two presidents.  He holds degrees in Computer Science, Business Administration, Business Management and a Masters in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.  He is happily divorced, his three children quickly growing older than he, and has four beautiful teenage granddaughters.  He is a two time survivor of cancer who enjoys each and every vertical day, crediting the Creator and a positive attitude for his survival.  His writing is a reflection of his multicultural background; Ojibwe, French and German.  A professional photographer for many years who now takes pictures almost exclusively at Native American powwows.
 
His poetry has been published extensively in e-zines, magazines and anthologies here and internationally.  He has published seven books of poetry to date mixing emotional poetry and Native American oriented poetry and stories, he co-authored a volume of Native poetry and stories.  He has received several awards for his writing, including two gold medals from the MWSA for his books titled Tears for Mother Earth and Across the Bridge, four Editors Choice awards from the International Library of Poetry and two Honor Scroll Awards from Angels Without Wings Foundation, Inc., he is a lifetime member of the Military Writers Society of America,  Canadian Federation of Poets, American Authors Society, Academy of American poets, and the Native American Rights Fund.  He lives by a quiet stream in the middle of nowhere in Bedford County, PA where he can hear the water speak. 

Reviews:

• A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions, by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

• Path of Thunder, by Mike Green

• A Quiet Reality, by Emilio Marrero Jr.

• American Battlefields of World War 1, by David C. Homsher

Don Arndt was a drafted Missouri farm boy that spent the year of 1966 with the 27th infantry Regiment, 25th Division in Vietnam. He owned and operated an Electronics business for 36 years and is now retired. Don is the author of See the Dragon, one Wolfhounds Vietnam story and he currently writes a weekly column for the local newspaper. Don is also working to finish his second book. Read more at www.seethedragon.com

Reviews:

• A Hill Called White Horse, by Anthony Sobieski

• The Dream Warrior: A Viet Nam War Veteran's Memoir, by Anthony J. Chibbaro

• Beyond the Call, Memoirs of a Medical Visionary Vol I, by William E. Mayer, M.D.

• Immeasurable Spirit, by Latoya Lucas

Chris Avery  is a new reviewer.

We'll update bio and photo shortly.

Reviews:

• War in the Pacific Volume IV, by Jerome Hagen

Pat Avery is an author, photographer, journalist, and poet.

We'll update bio shortly.

Reviews:

• The Claridon Conspiracy: A Sergeant Sandy Coker Novel, by Ronald Smith

• The Sandman, by David Lucero

Rob Ballister, MWSA lead reviewer in 2009, published his first book "God Does Have a Sense of Humor" in September of 2005, and joined MWSA in October 2006. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, he is an active duty Naval Officer with over 13 years military experience. His book won a 2007 MWSA Gold Medal and was a co-winner of the 2009 President's Award.  He reviews novels and science fiction for the Society, and has also served as a board member.

Reviews:

Richard Barone retired in 2004 after 30 years of federal civilian service, having worked for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. His last position was as Technical Information Specialist with the Air Force Technical Applications Center. He served in the Vietnam War from 5/68 to 3/69 as an infantry platoon RTO and a weapons platoon sergeant with Delta Company, 2nd Wolfhounds, 25th ID . He holds a BA in philosophy, MS in criminal justice, and MLS in library & information science. He is the author of the novel Traces of a Lost War (2008) and is currently working on a novel titled Lost on Takeoff, which is about the U.S. air marshal program.

Reviews:

• Gift of Change, by DT Sanders

Lee Boyland has a degree in nuclear engineering, three years of active duty in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer and Nuclear Emergency Team commander specializing in nuclear weapons accidents and incidents. His military career continued as a civilian weapons designer and later the disposal of chemical weapons. These programs led him to hazardous waste management and founding several companies.
 
Currently he consults, appears as a guest on talk-radio shows nationwide, and writes with his wife, Vista. He was a member of a U.S. Government technology exchange team sent to China in 2003.
 
Lee Boyland is the author of two award winning techno-thrillers, The Rings of Allah (silver medal) and Behold, an Ashen Horse (gold medal), chapters of the Biohazards Management Handbook, and numerous technical articles and papers. Lee and Vista are finishing their third book, America Reborn.

• Hibiscus Blood, by J.E. Buck Ballow

• Rhombus, by Bob Gore

• The Texas Gun Club, by Mark Bowlin

• The Whiplash Hypothesis, by Don Westenhaver

• Carolina Roots: from whence I came, by Tom Shytel

• Occupation and Insurgency: A Selective Examination of The Hague and Geneva Conventions on the Eastern Front, 1939-1945, by Colin Heaton

D. H. Brown has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Vietnam; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Hunting Guide, Trapper and Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Movie Producer; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. He writes about what he knows.

His first book, Honor Due, was received with critical acclaim and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal for Fiction by the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) and a Honorable Mention by The American Authors Association (AAA)

A Vietnam veteran, D. H. BROWN earned the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal and the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) Gallantry Cross Medal w/Palm. He lives a life of solitude deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife and the spirit of Buddy Dog, working on his next book. Checkout his website at: http://www.dhbrownbooks.com

People who bother him end up in one of his books, dead...

• An American Family in World War II, by Ralph L. Minker, Sandra O'Connell, Harry Butowsky

• Immediate Response, by Major Mark Hammond RM DFC with Clare Macnaughton

• Fields of War: Fifty Key Battlefields in France and Belgium, by Robert Mueller

• Beyond Duty: Life on the Frontline in Iraq, by Shannon Meehan and Roger Thompson

• The Remains of Company D: a Story of the Great War, by James Carl Nelson

• Sacred Ground: A Tribute to America's Veterans, by Tom Ruck

• Interrogation of Morals, by Jason Meszaros

• Memories of Me, by L. M. Romagnoli

MWSA member and reviewer USAF Major (Ret) Herman Bailes (Buddy) Cox is a Vietnam Veteran. He flew  C123 planes out of Phan Rang from May 1969 to May 1970.  His mission was to move cargo and passengers in the Central Highlands.  On his second tour, he flew K135 tankers out of Thailand. After retiring from the Air Force, Buddy became an Airline Pilot for American Airlines and is currently retired.  He is working on a book about his time in Vietnam called "In the Pipeline" -- a wry, amusing, and self-deprecating look at the War in Southeast Asia that changed the lives of baby-boomers around the world.
 
Second only to flying and his beautiful wife Mary and their five daughters, Buddy loves music.  He plays trumpet and is the leader of Buddy's Big Band.  When he's not arranging swing tunes for the band, he enjoys riding his Harley.

• So Others May Live Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Saving Lives Defying Death, by Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, CDR USCGR

• Margaret Mahler: A biography of the psychoanalyst, by Alma H. Bond

• A Forgotten Soldier: The Life and Times of MG Harry Hill Bandholtz, by Patrick V. Garland

Bob Doerr

Bob's bio and photo will be updated shortly.
 

• MST: Military Sexual Trauma, by Miette Walker

E. Franklin Evans is a decorated, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who fought as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam and served in the United States Army for over twenty-six years. Following a tour with the Ranger Department at Fort Benning, Georgia, he departed for Vietnam in 1968. Frank has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Columbus State University, a Master of Arts in Management and a Master of Arts in Computer Resources Management from Webster University in Saint Louis. Following retirement from the military, Frank was an Executive with the Boy Scouts of America. Most recently he has been employed as a Department of Defense contractor evaluating combat command and control systems. As an adjunct college professor, he has taught courses in Microcomputer Applications for eleven years.  His first book, STAND TO…A JOURNEY TO MANHOOD, was published in January 2008 and has been awarded the coveted MWSA Founder’s Award for 2009, a Silver Medal by Branson Stars and Flags, as well as the Editor’s Choice, Reader’s Choice, and Publisher’s Choice Awards by iUniverse  In 2009, Frank was  nominated for the Georgia Writer’s Association’s Author of the Year Award. He is currently working on his first fictional novel which will be published in 2010-11. He is the widowed father of three grown children, two sons and a daughter, and lives in Georgia. His web site is www.efranklinevans.com.  You may preview Stand To…
at http://www.efranklinevans.com/index.php?page_id=269

• Finding My Way: A Teen's Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has Experienced Trauma, by Michelle D. Sherman and DeAnne Sherman

• Fe Fi FOE Comes, by William C. Samples

• The Iron Triangle, by Joe Rhinehart

• To Serve My Country, by Jenna Turnipseed

• American Secret Pusher Fighters of World War II, by Gerald H. Balzer

• U.S. Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects, by Bill Norton

John Faulkner

Bio & photo will be added shortly.

Joyce Faulkner lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She published her first article in high school back in 1965.  Her writing credentials include many magazine, newspaper & web articles.  She also wrote columns -- "The History of Aerial Applications" for AG Pilot International and one on writing topics for webzine "Scribe & Quill."  She is a ghostwriter, an editor and a web, newspaper & book designer. Her published books include "Losing Patience" (a Collection of Short Fiction), "The Complete Writer: A Guide to Reaching Your Full Potential"  (with coauthors), "In the Shadow of Suribachi" (2006 MWSA Gold Medal for Historical Fiction), "For Shrieking Out Loud" (a collection of humorous creative non-fiction essays), "Sunchon Tunnel Massacre Survivors" (with Pat McGrath Avery, Non-fiction).  Two of her stories -- "Part the Horse's Mane (fiction) and "Rosa" (nonfiction) are available as Amazon "Shorts." 
Her educational background includes a Major in Writing at the University of Arkansas (3 years) in the 1960s, an Associates Degree in Engineering Science, a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Cleveland State University.  She worked in the Gas Industry for many years...first as an Engineer and then as a Supervisor of Gas Supply and then Manager of Information Services.  When she left industry in 2000, she was the Director of eCommerce with many years experience in web development and design.

She has been a member of MWSA since 2006 and has served as Secretary and MWSA Webmaster since January of 2008.  Her skills include Management, Project Management, Web Site Design, Writing and Layout.  She volunteered for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center for several years and has led various corporate, community and volunteer committees & organizations. Her goal is to help veterans record their piece of history -- for themselves, their families, their communities -- and our country.

"It all started when I wrote 'In the Shadow of Suribachi'," she says.  "It's basically the story of my father's experiences as a young Marine at the Battle of Iwo Jima.  That book has my heart.  It was also the beginning of my working to get veterans' stories written and published.  Working with MWSA is an extension of that dream...to make sure that all of our history is recorded and recognized.

Hodge Wood lives on the lake with Beth, his wife of twenty-eight years, and they have two boys.  A true street survivor, Hodge practiced occupational therapy for twenty years after the four year recovery described in his first book, Chum Water.  Recognized as Oklahoma’s Occupational Therapist of the Year - 1991, he has served in many staff and leadership roles with an expertise in Industrial Rehabilitation, private practice, and program development.  From a hospital employee population of sixteen-hundred, Hodge was Employee of the Year Nominee 1996 (one of twelve) for Norman Regional Hospital’s Service Excellence Exceptional Kindness (SEEK) award.  After graduation in 1981 from the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, he became a Registered and Licensed Occupational Therapist and performed in a variety of rehabilitation settings as Staff Therapist, Chief of Occupational Therapy, Clinical Coordinator, and Program Director.  Hodge created two private practices, started four new Industrial Rehabilitation programs, and re-established services for an Independent Living Center that gained “Exemplary Status” by the Rehabilitation Services Administration during his OT career.  Hodge is an Officer on the Board of Directors for the Mid-America Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (MAPVA).  He was presented the 2007 - MAPVA Volunteer of the Year Award.
 
Hodge is an active member of the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) and the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc (OWFI).  He was given the prestigious 2008 MWSA President’s Award for Extraordinary Contributions for both his military and lifelong service.  Chum Water book received the 2008 MWSA Silver Star for a Memoir.  Hodge is further published.  He writes feature stories about veterans’ interests, details hunting experiences with disability, provides book reviews, and has penned grant and technical training manuals.