David W. Powell (1941 - 2011)

David Powell was one of the first Viet Nam veterans diagnosed with PTDS to benefit from Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR). Out of this experience came his book, My Tour in Hell, A Marine’s Battle with Combat Trauma, published in 2006. David was a tireless advocate for veterans and for Traumatic Incident Reduction, giving live talks and interviews as well as appearing on radio and TV programs.  An excerpt from David’s book, “An Office in Hell”, appeared in the anthology More Than A Memory: Reflections of Viet Nam published by Modern History Press.

In recent years he trained as a TIR facilitator, wrote a workbook for people dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, and was planning on attending and presenting at the 2011 annual Technical Symposium in Ann Arbor. To our great sorrow, we lost David this year to a sudden illness, shortly before the publication of Reboot! Confronting PTSD on Your Own Terms (Forward by John Durkin, PhD). He will be missed by all who knew him.
Ragnhild Malnati writes:

“David Powell did the TIR workshop with me as his Trainer about 2 years ago. In the workshop the other students loved hearing David’s stories about how TIR had helped him with horrendous war experiences. After the Vietnam war, David suffered from PTSD and after trying all kinds of other helping methods in the VA to no avail, he came across TIR and he was cured of PTSD. What was most remarkable about David was his compassion and genuine interest in others. We deeply mourn him and wish his family the best.”

On Sunday morning of this year’s Symposium in Ann Arbor, MI on October 2nd, 2011 at 9:00am there will be a brief memorial service for David for all who wish to attend.

REBOOT! Confronting PTSD on Your Terms: A Workbook

David’s final work, Reboot! Confronting PTSD on Your Own Terms (Loving Healing Press) a 38-page workbook is available through www.TIRbook.com and other fine online retailers.

The award is a $100 cash prize for best debut book by a veteran (fiction or memoir) and is sponsored by Modern History Press. The contest is administered by Reader Views Inc., which includes a general book award contest as well.

Richard enlisted into the US Army and served in Vietnam in 1969 – 1970 with the First Air Cav. He is the author of two books, The Last Dead Soldier Left Alive (2007)  a firsthand inquiry into why thousands of Vietnam veterans have committed suicide  and Last Train Out (2008). Right up to his death Richard was writing a third, In the Valley of Dry Bones.  He passed away on Feb 21st, 2009 at the VA Hospital
in Albany, NY.

Entry Fee

$65.00 per title (for the initial category) if postmarked before October 31, 2009, $75.00 if postmarked November 1, 2009 or later. $20.00 for each additional category or regional/global entry. Entry fee must be in USD via U.S. check or international money order payable to: Reader Views.

Submission for more than one category or area is acceptable. Submit two copies of the book for the first category, and an additional book for each other category to be considered. For example, if you enter your book in the “Fiction – Historical” category as well as “Young Adult” and “SW Region” you must send in four books.

All books entered will become the property of Reader Views and donated to local charities after the awards program is completed. Submissions received without the entry fee will not be considered.  Entry fee is non-refundable.

Registration Deadline

Authors are encouraged to submit their entries as soon as possible but postmarked no later than December 15, 2009. Any submission postmarked after this date will not be accepted. (Help us prevent judge burn-out and submit your book early! Hint: our judges read the book in its entirety – give them plenty of time to read the book.) We will confirm your entry via e-mail so print your email address clearly.

Registration

Registration form may be downloaded here.  Be sure one form is included with each title submitted.  If submitting more than one title or in more than one category, one check or money order may be included for all submissions.

Be sure to send appropriate number for books. (Two for the first category, one for each additional category.) Registration form must accompany each title and sent to:

Reader Views Literary Awards 2009
7101 Hwy 71 W #200
Austin, TX 78735

Richard Boes (R.I.P.)

This just in from Marc Levy:

Regret to inform you that Richard Boes, whose work opens More Than A Memory: Reflections of Vietnam passed away on 21 Feb 09.
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Richard Boes died yesterday at the VA Hospital in Albany NY. Richard enlisted into the US Army and served in Vietnam in 1969 – 1970 with the First Air Cav. He is the author of two books, The Last Dead Soldier Left Alive (2007) a first hand inquiry into why thousands of Vietnam Veterans have committed suicide and Last Train Out (2008). Right up to his death Richard was writing a third, In the Valley of Dry Bones.

You can read Richard’s recollection “POW Remembered” which was published in the VVAW publication The Veteran in Fall 2004 (Vol. 34, No. 2)

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“Above the line I know enough to know I know nothing. Less is missing, no greater than the whole, hole I’m in, bullets, buttons, and apart from. I’m dumber than a stone like a crumpled page, blood for ink at the price of fleshy gooseflesh. It’s a beautiful day, yeah, but I only want out. A simple song, a clear view to the bottom, out from the glass. The water’s deep, wiggles and divides, I’m a stick in the mud, a new-found mind set. And the gold finch in a feeding frenzy smacks up against itself. All vanity is glass. There’s no one I’m looking for, but most likely Myles is dead like all us good soldiers.”
                                                                                     –Richard Boes, Last Train Out

Veterans Recall Viet Nam in Diverse Poetry and Prose Anthology

Viet Nam shaped a generation, yet decades later, the soldiers’ experience remains difficult to grasp. Now fifteen veterans have collaborated in recalling, through poetry, fiction, and personal essays, their war experiences in “More Than a Memory.”

Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB) February 23, 2009 — No book on Viet Nam has ever completely captured the experience of that war because no one can speak for every soldier. A new anthology resolves that limited viewpoint by capturing the diverse experiences of veterans in “More Than a Memory: Reflections of Viet Nam” (ISBN 9781932690644, Modern History Press, 2008).

William Faulkner once stated, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Four decades later, the legacy of America’s involvement in Viet Nam continues to haunt a nation. For fifteen Viet Nam veterans, the war shaped and still shapes who they are today. In “More Than a Memory,” through poetry, short fiction, and personal essays, these men reflect on their war experiences and how their tours of duty changed them. Their words provide a cross-section of perspectives on Viet Nam, what it meant, and what its legacy is for today.

“More Than a Memory” defines how modern warfare affects the lives of those who lived it, and how it affected their families when they returned from war. The men who have contributed to this volume each have played a part in Viet Nam, whether as medic, air cavalry, recon, forward observer, or just plain grunt. In writing about their experiences, in fictionalizing them to create a framework for meaning, or through poetry to capture the full drama, the veterans try to understand and release the pain they felt, witnessed, and too often buried. Through these diverse voices, readers come to understand the collective truth of the Viet Nam experience.

“More Than a Memory” puts each veteran’s experience in context beside that of his comrades. The anthology is a memorial to those who did not come home; it is a soldier witnessing another’s story, it is a priceless document of the past, and a reminder of mistakes that must not be made again. As a bridge between the past and future, “More Than a Memory: Reflections of Viet Nam” is the latest addition to the “Reflections of America” series published by Modern History Press. Anyone seeking to understand the Viet Nam War will find much to mull over in this long overdue collection.

About the Editor and Authors
The editor of “More Than a Memory, Victor R. Volkman, is Senior Editor of Modern History Press, a publishing house dedicated to empowering authors to speak about surviving conflict and seeking identity in modern times. Although not a veteran of any service, he is committed to seeing veterans’ stories told. Among the authors of “More Than a Memory” are Marc Levy, Tom Skiens, and Tony Swindell. Marc Levy served with Delta 1/7 Cav as an infantry medic in Viet Nam and Cambodia in 1970. He was decorated once for gallantry, twice for valor, and twice court-martialed. “The Real Deal,” a video of his war experiences, is distributed by The Cinema Guild. Tom Skiens joined the 11th light infantry brigade in Hawaii, September 1967 a year out of high school. Tom became the 4.2 inch Forward Observer (FO) for Charlie Company, 4th Battalion 3d Infantry Regiment on the USS General Gordon seven days before they arrived in Viet Nam. Tony Swindell served with the 31st PID, 11th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB), Americal Division, during 1968-69. His unit participated in the My Lai massacre in Pinkville in 1968, and he was later a witness to incidents involving the murder of Vietnamese civilians by brigade commander Col. John W. Donaldson.

“More Than a Memory: Reflections of Viet Nam” (ISBN 9781932690644, Modern History Press, 2008) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information, visit www.modernhistorypress.com/more-than-a-memory. Publicity contact: www.ReaderViews.com. Review copies available upon request.

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