Military Writers 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.

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.  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) 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 Bob Doerr, an Eric Hoffer Award winner, and a former Author of the Year for MWSA.

The past president is NY Times Best Selling Author Dwight Zimmerman.

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.

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.

2018 Award Winners
During an awards banquet, held in the beautiful Hilton Garden Inn Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) announced its 2018 Medal Winners. The award recipients are listed below by Genre-Subcategory, medal won, and alphabetically by book title.

Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Silver Medals Eddie and Bingo: Destination Christmas by Kathleen and Katherine Taylor My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? by Brunella Costagliola my daddy is a sailor by Tahna Desmond Fox My Daddy Sleeps Everywhere by Jesse Franklin

Children's Chapter Book

Gold Medal Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

Collections—Anthology

Silver Medal Love, Sweet to Spicy by the Corrales Writing Group

Collections—Religious/Spiritual

Silver Medal Holy in the Moment by Ginger Harrington

Historical Fiction

Bronze Medal Uncommon Bond by John House

History

Gold Medals The Shadow Tiger by William C McDonald III & Barbara L. Evenson Tiger Bravo's War by Rick St John

Silver Medals Air Force One by Nicholas Veronico Blades of Thunder by W. Larry Dandridge Chopper Heroes by William Peterson The Solomons Campaigns by William L. McGee

Bronze Medal Wonderful Flying Machines by Barrett Beard

Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi

Silver Medal Tested by Connie Cockrell

How to/Business/Self Help

Silver Medal Hal Moore on Leadership by Harold G. Moore

Literary Fiction

Gold Medal Syllables of Rain by D.S. Lliteras

Silver Medal The Perfection of Valor by Bob Mustin

Bronze Medal Flowers from Afghanistan by Suzy Parish

Memoir/Biography

Gold Medals Marcel's Letters by Carolyn Porter Racing Back to Vietnam by John Pendergrass

Silver Medal Heroes to the End by Jim Smith Bronze Medals Kanaga Diary by Estelle Lauer Through Smoke-Teared Eyes by Johnny F. Pugh

Mystery/Thriller

Gold Medals Land of Wolves by Tj Turner Soft Target by John D Trudel The Consultant by Tj O'Connor

Silver Medals Homeland Burning by Brinn Colenda Into a Dark Frontier by John Mangan Sins of the Fathers by Joseph Badal

Pictorial/Coffee Table

Gold Medal Lighthouses of America by Tom Beard

Poetry—Poetry Book

Gold Medal War in the Company of Medics by John J. Candelaria

Bronze Medal Vietnam Voices by Michael Lepore

Reference

Silver Medal The Wicked Problem of Cultural Heritage and Conflict by Christopher Herndon and Joris Kila

Bronze Medals African American Warrant Officers by Farrell Chiles Bradley vs. BMP by Mike Guardia

Young Adult (Fiction of Non-Fiction)

Silver Medal Sebastian's Tale by Dylan Weisse