How To

Title: The Veteran’s Survival Guide – How to File and Collect on VA Claims
Author: John D. Roche
Genre: Non-Fiction, Reference, How-To
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1597970514

"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.

Title: Help! I'm a Military Spouse--I Get a Life Too!: How to Craft a Life for You As You Move With the Military, Second Edition
Author: Kathie Hightower & Holly Scherer
Genre: Non-Fiction, Reference, How To
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1597970670

Help! I'm a Military Spouse is not a book about being the perfect military spouse. And it's not about rebelling against military life. It's about creatively taking advantage of the military life's opportunities to fulfill one's own dreams. Military lifestyle columnists, workshop presenters and longtime military spouses themselves, Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer show how to tap into the richness and possibilities of a life with the military. Their positive, practical tips include:

-Five keys to happiness for a life with the military
-Fifty tips to maintain energy and lower stress
-Seventy creative and practical ways to follow one's dreams

Updated to address the latest issues, this ultimate self-help book is for anyone engaged to someone in the military, for the new military spouse, and for the longer-term spouse frustrated by the unique challenges of the military lifestyle.

Title: The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook: Tips, Tricks, and Tactics for Surviving Boot Camp
Author: Michael Volkin
Genre: Non-Fiction, How-To
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1932714111

As anyone who has undergone the transition from civilian to soldier will tell you, basic training is a lot tougher and more challenging than any recruit can imagine. Michael Volkin discovered that fact soon after 9-11, when his personal vow to serve my country convinced him to enlist in the U.S. Army.

As Volkin quickly discovered, he was utterly unprepared for the new world of the military, "a completely different environment full of unknown exercises and acronyms, where can't eat or talk without permission. Volkin began taking notes on everything and anything with the hope that no one else would have to go through basic training like I did completely unarmed with knowledge that would have eased my transition into the military and allowed me to be more successful.

During Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom, Volkin organized his notes, interviewed hundreds of other soldiers, and began to write. The result is The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook, a unique and utterly indispensable guide to successfully coping with and thriving in today's military.

The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook is a comprehensive, practical, and easy-to-follow survival guide written specifically for every new or prospective recruit about to enter any branch of the armed forces. Volkin's book offers step-by-step instructions and solutions, including helpful charts and graphics, for how to prepare both physically and mentally for boot camp. It includes a special eight-week fitness program specifically designed to improve your fitness test scores, specific study guides, an instructional How to"chapter, a list of what to bring (and not to bring) to basic training, tips for success, and much more.

The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook was written by a soldier for men and women who want to become soldiers. No one should enter boot camp without having read this book.