NEWS RELEASE
May 19, 1997 - For ImmediateRelease:
Memorial Day tribute featuresVeterans' stories and poetry
Stories and poetry by eight veterans appear in the annual Memorial Day tribute published by Echoes. The Memorial Day issue is dedicated to those who lost their lives in military service and to those whose lives have been scarred by war or terrorism. Echoes is based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and features short fiction and poetry by people in all walks of life.Much of the writing in this issue is by veterans. But this collection has a unique perspective. Echoes editor Peter Crownfield explained that "All too often, when people discuss war and the use of military force, they focus only on strategy, economics, or national interest. In our Memorial Day issue we show how war and military service impact individuals. And because it is in the form of stories and poetry it is fun to read."
The topics may sound like heavy reading, but the writing is very down to earth and readers will be surprised at how enjoyable this collection is.
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Biographical snapshots
Veterans whose work appears in this issue include Paul I. Alfaro, H. Lee Barnes, C David Benbow, Ray Catina, Jerry H. Jenkins, Gene Moser, and Steve O'Brien. (More information is available by following the underlined links.)Paul I. Alfaro, of Palmdale, California, spent six years in the Army, including several years in Vietnam. He earned the Silver Star and several other many medals and commendations. His poem "Viet Nam" inspired the cover drawing for the Echoes Memorial Day issue.
H. Lee Barnes, of Las Vegas, Nevada, served with the U.S. Army Special Forces in the Dominican Republic in 1965 and Vietnam in 1966. He now teaches English and creative writing at the Community College of Southern Nevada; "Plateau Lands" is the fifth of his Vietnam stories to be published.
C. David Benbow contributed two poems to this issue, "Last Thing Seen" and "No Tinkling of His Dog Tags". He served in Korea's DMZ (demilitarized zone) in 1968 and 1969, holds the Imjim Scout award and is an organizer of the DMZ Veterans Association. Benbow now practices law in Statesville, North Carolina.
Ray Catina is a Vietnam veteran who currently lives in Schenectady, New York. His work appeared in the 1995 Memorial Day issue of Echoes and he contributed "Chaos" and "Rice" to this year's edition.
Dale Cramer is an "Army Brat" who now lives in McDonough, Georgia, His story "Freedom" presents an unusual look at a prison camp. Cramer is a participant in the writer's forum on Compuserve.
Jerry H. Jenkins of Fairfax, Virginia, is a Marine Corps veteran who retired with the grade of colonel after serving in the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and the organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Jenkins has been writing poetry since 1993 and his work has won numerous awards and prizes.
Gene Moser is a veteran of 27 years in the Army. Moser served in Korea during 1968-1969 and received the DMZ Imjim Scout award. He now teaches tenth grade English in Hampton, Virginia and is a fiction editor for EWG Presents, an online literary magazine.
Steve O'Brien lives in Massena, New York. He was a Navy hospital corpsman who volunteered to serve with the Marine Corps in Vietnam. As part of a combined action platoon, O'Brien lived with local people in a village near Hoi An, where he earned two purple hearts.
The Memorial Day issue also includes work by non veterans Kent Braithwaite, Dale Cramer, Dancing Bear, Dolores Guglielmo, Jacqueline Jules, Sean Lovelace, Edith Van Beek, and Ryan G. Van Cleave.
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