Military Writer's Society of America

The Military Writers Society of America, also known as the MWSA, is non-profit, 501(c)3 association of authors, poets, and artists, many of whom are U.S. military veterans or family members of veterans. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in, affinity for, or connection to the military.

The organization provides a venue for meeting other authors and artists, sharing ideas and learning about writing and the publishing industry. Its goals are: (a) to improve writing skills of its members, and (b) to reach out to schools, military organizations and veterans’ groups to foster and encourage an interest in writing, and (c) to recognize the accomplishments of its members' work in literature and the communication arts.[1]

The organization also reviews and considers for award books and other forms of art and literature each year. Annual award winners are announced during an awards banquet, which is normally held during the organization's annual general membership conference.

The experience level and relative success of the membership varies widely, from relatively obscure, first-time writers to best-selling authors like Joe Buff, Gayle Lynds, Dale Dye, and Joseph Badal.

History

The Military Writers Society of America was the brainchild of its founder and first president, W. H. (Rev. Bill) McDonald Jr.[2] A crew chief/door-gunner on UH-1D Huey helicopters in 1966 and 1967, Bill flew with the 128th Helicopter Assault Company out of Phu Loi, South Vietnam. He was awarded numerous medals, including: the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, fourteen Air Medals and the Purple Heart.

Like most who encounter the moral extremes of combat, Bill discovered that war is a crucible of spiritual transformation. It is, quite simply, impossible to live through that sort of experience and not be changed by it. To better understand his own experiences, Bill began to write about them. In the years since, he has discovered literally hundreds of other warriors who are driven to explore and reveal their experiences through fiction, non-fiction, poetry and art. It was Bill's vision to bring them together to share and promote their respective arts. With more than 1200 members, the Military Writers Society of America is that vision brought to life.

The MWSA started off as branch of The American Authors Association (AAA)[3] before becoming a fully separated organization of its own. There are annual awards given for books, music Cds and short films.

The current President of MWSA is NY Times Best Selling Author Dwight Zimmerman.[4][5]

The previous president was Joyce Faulkner. She is a ghostwriter, an editor and a web, newspaper & book designer. She has been a member of MWSA since 2006. Her goal is to help veterans record their piece of history—for themselves, their families, their communities—and our country, to make sure that all of our history is recorded and recognized. Her interest in military writing stems from her book In the Shadow of Suribachi, the story of her father's experiences as a young Marine at the Battle of Iwo Jima.[6]

The second president of the MWSA after the Founder McDonald stepped down for health reasons was Tony Lazzarini - a Vietnam combat veteran. After returning to the states, Tony worked for IBM as a service technician on communicating systems with their advanced products group. He left after 10 years to open his own high performance automotive shop. Along with racing and building cars, his other passions include writing and motorcycles. Tony started Voyager Publishing and his writing accomplishments include two award-winning books, a prize-winning musical stage play and two short films.

2017 Award Winners

During an awards banquet, held in the historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) announced its 2017 Medal Winners. The award recipients are listed below by Genre-Subcategory, medal won, and alphabetically by book title.[7]

Biography

Gold Medal

        The War Within, the Story of Josef, by Patricia Walkow

Collections

Silver Medal

        Passages: A Corrales Writing Group Anthology, by Jim Tritten

Fantasy/Sci Fi

Silver Medal

        Free Fire Zone, by Dennis Maulsby

Historical Fiction

Gold Medal

        Battle Scars, by David Salkin
        That Deadly Space, by Gerald Gillis
        The Last Road Home, by Danny Johnson
        The Parting: A Story of West Point on the Eve of the Civil War, by Richard Adams

Silver Medal

        A Long Way Back, by J. Everett Prewitt
        Guiding Missal, by Nancy Panko
        The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood, by Terrence McCauley
        The Killing Practice, by Linda Swink

Bronze Medal

        Blood Brothers: Courage and Treachery on the Shores of Tripoli, by E. Thomas Behr
        The Third Reich's Last Eagle, by Bob Mustin
        The Twilight of the Day, by Ian A. O'Connor

History

Gold Medal

        A Shau Valor: American Combat Operations in the Valley of Death, 1963-1971, by Thomas Yarborough

Silver Medal

        Papa's War. From the London Blitz to the Liberation of Holland, by Therese van Houten

Bronze Medal

        Echoes From Gettysburg: South Carolina's Memories and Images, by J. Keith Jones

How to/Business/Self Help

Bronze Medal

        Doing a 180 at 60, by John Takacs

Literary Fiction

Gold Medal

        Clear To Lift, by Anne A. Wilson
        Viet Man, by D. S. Lliteras

Silver Medal

        QL 4, by James Garrison
        The Albatross, by Gerry Hawes

Memoir

Gold Medal

        The Honor Was Mine: A Look Inside the Struggles of Military Veterans, by Elizabeth Heaney

Silver Medal

        Spouse Calls: Messages From a Military Life, by Terri Barnes
        The View from the Rigging: Memoirs of a Coast Guard Career, by Richard Marcott

Bronze Medal

        Eternally at War, by Jeanette Vaughan
        Parables From The Prairie---How an Admiral was trained on dry land, by Dennis Jones
        Snowden's Story, One Marine's Indebtedness to the Corps, by Lawrence F. Snowden
        Soldier for Life: Leader Lessons from the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, by Jack Tilley
        The Fortunate Son: Top, through the Eyes of Others, by Timothy Trainer
        They Called Me Doc, by Larry C. Miller

Mystery/Thriller

Gold Medal

        I Promise Do or Die, by Linda Swink
        The Lone Wolf Agenda, by Joseph Badal
        The Nostradamus Secret, by Joseph Badal

Silver Medal

        Bad Apple, by Barry Ozeroff
        Invasion: Ice Hammer Book 1, by Basil Sands
        Lincoln's Bodyguard, by T.J. Turner
        Sin Eater, by John Schembra
        The Oath, by Dennis Koller

Bronze Medal

        Angel's Revenge, by Don Helin
        Aztec File, by Dale Dye
        The Drifter, by Michael D Mullins

Picture Book

Gold Medal

        My Soldier Dad, by Ross H. Mackenzie

Poetry Book

Gold Medal

        Moral Injury, by Michael Lepore

Young Adult

Silver Medal

        Americana A Civics Handbook Second Edition, by Mary B. Mackley

References

  1. ↑ "Bylaws of the Military Writers Society of America" (PDF). MWSA Bylaws. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  2. ↑ http://sbiands.org/rev-bill-mcdonald/
  3. ↑ http://www.americanauthorsassociation.com/
  4. ↑ https://us.macmillan.com/author/dwightjonzimmerman/
  5. ↑ http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dwight_Jon_Zimmerman
  6. ↑ "MWSA Leadership". Military Writers. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  7. ↑ "Press Release". Retrieved 22 December 2017.
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