Memoir

Title: Mollie's War: The Letters of a World War II WAC in Europe
Author: Mollie Weinstein and Cyndee Schaffer
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bob Ruehrdanz

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0786447915

Why did an average American woman become a WAC during World War II and place herself in peril?
Mollie’s War documents the human side of life during the war—a life that alternates between fear and romance, exhaustion and leisure. Some of that story was picked up by the Detroit Jewish News in her hometown when a columnist for the paper asked her to be his overseas correspondent. The newspaper and B’nai B’rith raised $165,000 in War Bonds in Mollie’s name.

It took many letters home telling everything from daily challenges to exciting experiences (when the censors allowed) for her story to emerge. What was it like to be in England while the country was under constant bombardment by unmanned German missiles? Imagine being among the first WACs to enter Normandy after the D-Day invasion. Did you ever wonder whether you would use your foreign language skills from high school? Well, Mollie used those skills when she was transferred to Paris, acting as an interpreter in both work and social situations. Envision being a young Jewish woman in Frankfurt Germany on Rosh Hashanah 1945 and walking with other G.I’s to the rededication of the only standing synagogue.

This collection depicts vividly Mollie’s experiences from her first train trip to Daytona Beach, Florida for basic training in Oct. 1943 to the dramatic image of seeing the Statue of Liberty as her ship approached the shores of the USA in Nov. 1945.

Title: Distant War: Recollections of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
Author: Marc Yablonka
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 098341680X

This is a newly-edited compilation of eighteen years of Yablonka's reportage on American involvement in Indochina and the people affected by America's connection to that part of the world. After all those years and numerous articles about an indelible mark on American history published in the likes of the U.S. Military's Stars and Stripes, Army Times, American Veteran, the Weider History Group publication Vietnam Magazine and others, these stories needed a wider audience for the world to know what they suffered, how most survived, and how they overcame adversity.

Distant War: Recollections of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, will be the vehicle to the reader's understanding of a war and its aftermath that may seem distant now, but what is important is that it will make readers realize--if they haven't already--that in war, whether in the jungles of Vietnam or the sands of Iraq, in a very real sense, while who wins and who loses is obviously important, what is equally necessary is that good somehow must and shall prevail.

Title: EARNING MY WINGS: Adventures of an Air Force Wife
Author: Shirley Dobbins Forgan
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Hodge Wood

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1616633115

When Shirley said 'I will' at her wedding to Dave Forgan, she should have added 'I'll move.' At the age of twenty-three, Shirley Dobbins married an air force jet fighter pilot and took off on a globetrotting adventure, from being a first lieutenant's girlfriend to general's wife. Shirley traveled with Dave, all while raising two boys and fulfilling all the duties of a military wife with a sense of humor and dedication. Readers will discover the life of a military wife, a lifestyle certainly not for sissies. It takes a special woman, willing to make sacrifices, but the rewards are remarkable. There are happy occasions, exciting travels, sad times, hilarious incidents, proud moments, and lifelong friends to be made. Military wives and mothers will find comfort and joy in these pages, and civilian women will gain insight into this exclusive world. Join Shirley as she wings her way on this journey in Earning My Wings. It's an unforgettable ride and delight.

Title: We Came to Fight a War
Authors: Jack Flynn & Alvin E. Kotler
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bob Flournoy

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0557049253

On 15 April 1945, 1st Lt Bill Flynn completed his 25th bombing mission flying a B-17 with the 346th Bomb Sqdn, 99th Bomb Group. On 25 May 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for "extraordinary achievement" in combat. In July of that same year, at a General Court Martial, he was accused of "buzzing," convicted of manslaughter and the destruction of government property. People were intimidated and encouraged to lie and 20-year-old Lt Flynn was stripped of his rank and benefits, dishonorably discharged, and sentenced to hard labor at a Federal Prison in New York. This book was written by Lt Flynn's radio gunner, Al Kotler, and Bill's brother, Jack Flynn. You will meet Bill, Al, and the rest of their crew, and fly with them on missions out of Foggia, Italy. Bill is no longer here to defend himself, so Al and Jack combined forces to present the full story of what really happened and to right a terrible wrong. 33 photos.

Title: Life Interrupted by War
Author: Thomas Van Hees
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Hodge Wood

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1607491478

Beginning as a seventeen-year old Marine, Thomas van Hees presents a sobering account of a common man's journey through Vietnam, mainly serving as an M60 machine gunner. The author interestingly portrays the uneventful, but then in a split-second, bullets zip through him and his platoon. Life altering chaos adds to the story and to the complexity of young van Hees. He and his Marines carry on, but there are fewer as time passes. The author details many experiences - guard duty at the wire, walking patrol, and flying onboard a medevac chopper enroute to a hospital ship for a long stay. I hoped the author's duty was over by then ... but he returned, exactly where a sniper shot him months before. I wonder how and why he and other men gave and lost so much in Vietnam. Thomas van Hees relates that many didn't care about the returning soldier's suffering, sacrifice, or acts of heroism. I recommend his book to those who would care to learn.