Southeast Missouri State University Press

Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 4

Edited by Susan Swartwout

Publication: November 11, 2015
Pages: 272

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4| Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7

Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 4 presents essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and photography by military-service personnel, veterans, and their families.

The volume also sponsored a veterans’ writing competition, judged by David Armand (associate editor for Louisiana Literature Press, Teacher at Southeastern Louisiana University, author of The Gorge, Harlow, The Deep Woods, and The Pugilist’s Wife), Dr. Missy Nieveen-Phegley (Director of composition and assessment, Southeast Missouri State University), Jennifer Geist (professional photographer and publisher of Brick Mantle Books), Jarrod L. Taylor  (history teacher, infantryman in the U.S. Army from 2000 – 2009.), and Gerardo “Tony” Mena (teacher, Iraqi Freedom veteran, author of The Shape of Our Faces No Longer Matters). The winners and finalists are spotlighted in the front of the book.

The anthology is the fourth in an annual series published by Southeast Missouri State University Press in cooperation with the Missouri Humanities Council’s Veterans Projects. See submissions guidelines for the upcoming volume here.

Read Red Bull Rising’s review of Volume 4 here.

Contributors

Fiction Winner
No Travel Returns by Christopher Lyke

Fiction Honorable Mention
The War Within by Scott Owen
Four Shots and Three Funerals by dutch franz

Essay Winner
That Which Is Unforgotten: Combat Trauma, Grief, and the Need for Remembrance by David Chrisinger

Essay Honorable Mention
Korea 1951—Marines Don’t Cry by Leonard J. Adreon
Da Nang ‘Dust Off’ Diary by Robert B. Robeson

Interview Winner
Finding My Way Home by Victoria Otto Franzese

Interview Honorable Mention
Korean War Vignettes: Stories Behind the Scars by Jim Gilstrap
The Hearts Within the Military by Tia Mitchell

Poetry Winner
nights by Nicholas J. Watts

Poetry Honorable Mention
Jay by Bryan D. Nickerson
A Radio-Telephone Operator Writes Haiku by Charlie Sherpa

Photography Winner
Planning For Peace by Jay Harden

Photography Honorable Mention
Missing My Father by Russell Nielsen
Relay by Jeremy Warneke

SELECTED WRITING

Fiction
The War Won’t Let Go by Jarrod L. Taylor
Apart from the World by Jay Harden
Journey’s End by Nathaniel Bläsing
Al by Peter K. McShane
Home by Christmas by Robert Bruce Drynan
Best Revenge by Thomas Calabrese
All Marines are Green by Bruce Sydow
Ahesta Boro by Gary M. Armstrong
Out of Aces by Leo Leffert
Armistice by Ryan Smithson
West Texas Dust by Jeffrey Paolano

Essays
River Games . . . Or Another Reason We Lost the War by Richard Kirshen
Freedom Isn’t Free by Bethany Searcy-DeHart
Why I Went to War by Jay Harden
The Young and the Bold by Jesus Lopez
Jungle Grapevine by Bill McKenna
A Vet Remembers by Bruce Squiers
To the Bottom of the Hole and Back by Charles H. Brown
Farewell by Jason Arment
Homecoming by Mo Kindel
In the Afterglow by Paul C. Mims
Orders is Orders by Richard Pujol
My Vietnam Nightmare by Ronald C. Mosbaugh
The Most Fun I Ever Had With My Clothes On by Tom Davis
How I Almost Lost The War for the USA  by George Fischer

Poetry
Bullet  by Bryan D. Nickerson
Dead Man’s Cap by Nicholas J. Watts
N.B.C.-4 report follows by Charlie Sherpa
The Fifth Dimension by Paul Hellweg
Soldier’s Cross by Oren Hammerquist
TBI by Susan K. Spindler
Struggles of a Guidon Bearer—Basic Training by Amn Lucia Eclipse Roberts
Morning (Mourning) in Fallujah by Andrea DePaola
My Band of Brothers by Art Elser
Hero for a Dad by Ashley Williams
Yellow Dress by Bill Glose
A Sunday Missal by Bill McKenna
The Flight of the Liberty Belle by Billie Holladay Skelley
Banality by Brenda MacCutcheon
I was in the shower when the phone rang by Chelsie Meredith
Selflessness Ash by David S. Pointer
chess people by Gary M. Armstrong
To Vo Xu, our team’s dog, who was killed in action saving American soldiers by George E. Samerjan
My Cross My Burden by James Hackbarth
Transcendence
by James Moffat
Ever It Must Be by Jay Harden
On My Honor by Lyn Geist
Death of the Spirit by Emil S. Saint-Pellicer
Welcome Home, 1971 by Milton J. Bates
I Didn’t Think You’d Make It by Robert B. Robeson
Jargonocracy by Scott Owen
Quang Tri Province  April 1970 by Terry Severhill
New No Name by Travis Klempan
What Is A Soldier? by Valerie E. Young
Inside The Head The War Rages On  by Zvi A. Sesling
The Soldiers Are Coming Home by Carrington Curphy
Watching, Waiting by Carrington Curphy
Coming up Americans by Charity Winters
To Iraq  by Charity Winters
Star of Koto-Ri by Jason Sansburn
My Girl by Jason Sansburn
Dogs of War by Karen Skolfield
Ode to Meals, Ready to Eat by Karen Skolfield
R&R  by Michael Foran
Pope AFB: Burning Down Green Ramp by Michael Foran
Protectors by Kanesha Washington
Untitled by Peter J. De Gaetano
Sightlines by Charles H. Johnson

Photos
Girls of Iraq by Cara Hobbs
Iraqi Boy Sitting by Cara Hobbs
Soldier Reflection by Heidi Springstube
Close Call by Jarrod L. Taylor
Healing Moments by Jarrod L. Taylor
Adhaim Reservoir—Iraq 2004 by Nathaniel Bläsing
Comparing Ranks by A. Sean Taylor
Weapons Qualification in the Desert by A. Sean Taylor
Helocast by Tom Davis
MFF by Tom Davis
Remembering Home by Amn Lucia Eclipse Roberts
Half-Mast by Eugene Allen

Paperback, $15.00
ISBN: 978-0-9962596-4-4