SERVICE CIRCUIT: Local author’s book to benefit veterans

Chris Scalise of New Baltimore with his book ‘Duty, Honor and Country’ where proceeds will benefit the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154 in Clinton Township. (CHRIS SCALISE SUBMITTED PHOTOS)

ADMIN: How cool to read this article in today’s newspaper and find that you and other military authors from Macomb County, MI are included in this piece. Read on…Thank you, Linda May!

By LINDA MAY

PUBLISHED: in the Macomb Daily, January 5, 2024 at 12:14 p.m.

Proceeds from the sale of the book “Duty, Honor and Country” by author and New Baltimore resident Chris Scalise will go to the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154 in Clinton Township.

“After the completion of my book, I had taken a few copies up to Carson City, Michigan,” Scalise said. “This is where I go every Memorial Day to stand guard over the grave of my friend Mark Daniels. I was with him when he was killed in Vietnam.

“The people of Carson City asked me to speak at the public library regarding my book. I sold over 75 copies and explained that 100 percent of the money was going to Chapter 154. I did not write the book for money, but to share it with my family and friends,” he said.

Mark Daniels was a sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Platoon, D Company, Third Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. He died on March 18, 1969 when he was 22-years-old. His name is on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.  The former altar boy at St. Martin DePorres Catholic Church in Perrinton, Mich. is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Carson City.

He played multiple sports and the French horn in the Fulton High School band, and then went on to Western Michigan University and Northwood Institute. He was drafted into the service. The young sergeant was stationed at Camp Enari in Pleiku, Vietnam where he became friends with Scalise.

Mark Daniels’ awards included the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and Purple Heart Medal. A Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Perrinton was named after him.

The two men experienced fierce jungle warfare together and had agreed that if something happened to one of them, the other would take his belongings to his family.

Copies of “Duty, Honor and Country,” will be available starting next week at the Veterans Support Center at 18025  15 Mile Road, Clinton Township. They are $10. The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call ahead to confirm the books have arrived: 586-776-9810.  See vva154.com for details on the programs and projects of VVA Chapter 154 that benefit from donations.

Macomb Township resident Arthur David Jr. wrote “A Soldier’s Journey with the Presence of God,” described as “a book capturing moments and emotions of a young soldier trying to understand God’s purpose in his life.” The sale of that book benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. See soldiers-journey.com.

Doug Howell, who served as a U.S. Navy Corpsman, wrote “The Night is Dark and I Am Far From Home.” He is active with the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition that puts on the annual Detroit Veterans Day Parade and its accompanying race.

“I was in the Vietnam conflict during the years ’66 and ’67 with the Marine Corps,” he said. “We did an extraordinary amount of fighting as a Special Landing Force, with both vertical and amphibious assaults into the country by air and sea. During one particular 48-hour firefight with a regiment of North Vietnamese regular army, we lost 71 percent killed or wounded of our company.”

Howell, a St. Clair Shores resident, returned to Vietnam five times looking for a remote hilltop battle site on the border of Laos so he could place memorials for deceased comrades.

The book is available on Amazon.

Frank Jolliff of Shelby Township authored “365 and a Wake-Up: My Year in Vietnam.” He wrote about his service as a 20-year-old Army combat medic. It chronicles his platoon’s encounters in 1968 with booby-trapped hootches and rice paddies in the villages, and being affected by Agent Orange herbicide. Jolliff later earned a master’s degree and became a teacher. He joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He attributed being able to recall the details for his book by having an eidetic memory, and from his mother having saved all of his lengthy letters from his tour of duty.

Sterling Heights resident John Podlaski wrote “Cherries — A Vietnam War Novel,” and “When Can I Stop Running?” and its sequel “Death in the Triangle”, “Unhinged”, “Unwelcomed”  and “2-27-70” — all available on Amazon.com. Also, see Smashwords: smashwords.com/profile/view/jpodlaski. His blog is at cherrieswriter.com.

John Podlaski speaking at a monthly meeting for the group, “LEST WE FORGET”, at Benton Harbor, MI (photo added by Admin)

Podlaski was an infantryman in Vietnam 1970-71 with the Army’s Wolfhounds of the 25th Division, and with the 1/501st Infantry Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal, two Air Medals, and a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. Later, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and worked in the supplier area of the automotive industry. He is a life member of VVA Chapter 154.

“Fourteen Pairs of Boots: Life Lessons Learned in the Marine Corps” was written by George W. Farrell and is available on Amazon. The book is a memoir of his military service. The St. Clair Shores resident served from 1987 to 2017 in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, including service during Operation Desert Storm.

“I wore a total of 14 pairs of boots, so to speak, and that’s on the cover of the book, all the boots I wore,” he said. “It inspired me to come up with life lessons that I have acquired through my military experience that I wanted to pass on to not only military people but civilians as well. They include dream big, make most of it, avoid negative people, surround yourself with positive people — in other words, seek out mentors. Be a mentor, have faith, always be prepared, laugh at least once a day, cherish the little things in life, keep it real — that kind of stuff.”

Farrell is a member of the VFW Bruce Post 1146 in St. Clair Shores, and American Legion Post 4 in Mount Clemens. He also belongs to the Macomb County Detachment of the Marine Corps League.

The late Gerry Stesiak, was a founding member of Detroit-based Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 9. His book, “Raptor’s Prey: Vietnam 1966-1967” came out in 2002.

He wrote: “We were human and we did what was asked of us. But when we came back, few of us kept it together to articulate that which we sustained.”

He described his book as a “psychodrama” about the “pride and the insanity of combat in Vietnam.”

Former U.S. Army infantryman Robert A. Slivatz from Richmond wrote “From Inside-Now Out — A Collection Of Essays, Poems and Short Stories” drawing on his experience in the Special Forces. He retired from the Detroit Police Department.

Judy Maten is from the Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial project.

“Dr. Guy Stern, one of the Ritchie Boys, wrote ‘Invisible Ink’ about his experience during World War II,” she said.

The Ritchie Boys, who trained at Fort Ritchie in Maryland, were mostly Germans and Austrians who served in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service. Knowing European languages and culture, they successfully interrogated German prisoners on the front lines and worked in counter-intelligence. About 22,000 Europeans served in similar ways including many Jews who had experienced Nazi persecution. They worked to demoralize the Nazis, and they served as translators during the Nuremberg Trials.

Dr. Stern, of West Bloomfield, recently died.

“Christopher Graveline, Army JAG veteran, co-wrote ‘The Secrets of Abu Ghraib Revealed: American Soldiers on Trial’ with Michael Clemens,” Maten said. “Chris is from Berkley and was one of the Army prosecutors in the trial. He is also a board member of The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial.” The memorial is being built at Memorial Park, 31050 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak.

In addition to writing books, there is another way to contribute to the nation’s recorded history.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about my veteran family members and friends as 2023 came to a close,” Marty Eddy said.

She is the Michigan coordinator of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, and secretary-treasurer of the POW Committee of Michigan.

“This year has included the deaths of at least a dozen veterans I know well, and serious illness is close to claiming several more. I am reminded of how important it is for veterans to share their stories with family members, friends, other veterans, and those who may have an interest in history,” the Warren resident said.

She said that veterans and Gold Star families — those whose family member died during military service — are a “living history and a vital part of the American story.”

She urged those people to participate in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. See
loc.gov/programs/veterans-history-project/about-this-program

Send news of service clubs and veterans organizations to Linda May at lindamay@ameritech.net or call landline 586-791-8116.

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