Jen Upshaw Swartz, editor of Military1 recently contacted me requesting writers with a military background who could write about a variety of topics. Here's a summary:
Title: Miss You To Pieces
Author: Donna M. Purkey
Genre: Childrens
Reviewer: Jim Greenwald
ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1470158035
Riley’s dad is in the Navy and deploys for 6 months. To help Riley count the days, his mom introduces a unique puzzle project in which he also finds comfort, strength, and encouragement. Children experiencing a temporary separation from a loved one will identify with Riley’s story and will learn that while we are challenged, we also grow and become stronger. We build ourselves as Riley builds his puzzle, and we stay connected to our loved ones as Riley’s family, and his puzzle pieces, stay connected. The puzzle project can be easily adapted for any family experiencing a temporary separation. The book includes tips for creating your own puzzle project!
Title: Changing the Rules of Engagement
Author: Martha LaGuardia-Kotite
Genre: Non-Fiction History
Reviewer: Betsy Beard
ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 159797689X
Changing the Rules of Engagement documents the lives of American women who have shattered the glass ceiling and performed extraordinary feats while serving their country in the military. By telling their stories about their remarkable careers in traditionally male-dominated environments, Martha LaGuardia-Kotite demonstrates how tenacious and courageous women can achieve the unimaginable. Among the pioneering women profiled are Vivien Crea, who as vice commandant of the Coast Guard held the highest position of any woman in the history of the U.S. military; Tammy Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient and triple amputee who was shot down in Iraq while piloting a helicopter; and Heather Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate, Rhodes scholar, and the country’s only female veteran in Congress. Included are the inspirational stories of women Marines, one of the three female Space Shuttle commanders, and the first female members of the military service academies gender-integrated classes, who recall the highs and lows of their trailblazing experiences. These are only a few of the remarkable women who tell their own inspiring stories. Representative of a widely diverse group of enlisted women and officers from different races and cultures, they have succeeded since the mid-1970s at combating prejudices and aiding change in the military with intelligence, passion, and honor.
Thought the membership might want to know about this:
DD-214 now on-line
Current Information Regarding DD-214's
Title: Dog Tags: The History, Personal Stories, Cultural Impact, and Future of Military Identification
Author: Ginger Cuculo
Genre: Non-Fiction & Fiction
Reviewer: Joyce Faulkner
ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0983305706
The 100 year anniversary of the official use of American personal identity tags, affectionately known as Dog Tags, recently passed without fanfare. We are currently in a war where the Dog Tag is once again a highly personal item to warriors of every service and to their families as well. Every Dog Tag carries its own human interest story. Receiving it, hanging it around the neck, and feeling it is a silent statement of commitment. The tag itself individualizes the human being who wears it within a huge and faceless organization. While the armed forces demand obedience and duty to a higher cause, the Dog Tag, hanging under each service member's shirt and close to their chest, becomes a part of them. It brings comfort to that fear of every soldier facing death: I do not want to be forgotten; I will not become an "unknown."
Understanding and sharing the history of Dog Tags and their deeply personal meaning in today's world is at the core of this book.