The AUSA Book Program brought together authors, publishers, and record numbers of attendees in the best-ever AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Situated within a new Education Zone at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, the book program spotlighted six military writers in the Authors’ Forum on Monday, October 14.

Col. (ret. ) George P. Coan, Jr. moderated the event, which featured two panels of speakers presenting their works, followed by question-and-answer sessions with the audience. Coan, who commanded field artillery units during his 30-year Army career, is the former director of AUSA’s National Security Studies.

C-SPAN recorded the proceedings and will broadcast them later this year as part of their BookTV programming.

The first group of speakers discussed “The Forging of a Leader.” Dr. Stephen A. Bourque kicked off the panel with his hot-off-the-presses biography, Tubby: Raymond O. Barton and the US Army, 1889-1963. “Tubby” Barton led the 4th Infantry Division during the D-Day landings on Utah Beach and became the first American general to cross into Nazi Germany. Bourque, a noted author whose own Army career included 20 years of both enlisted and commissioned service, gave an inspiring overview of Barton’s time in uniform.

Dr. Michael D. Matthews then stepped to the podium. Standing at an impressive 6 feet, 6 inches, he discussed his work as an editor and contributor to Leadership in Dangerous Situations, Second Edition: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders. Matthews is a professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy.

Dr. J. Furman Daniel III followed by asking the audience to envision Winston Churchill. While most people picture him as the dogged prime minister leading Britain in WWII, Daniel noted that it was his failures in WWI—and how he learned to overcome them—that forged the leader we all know. Daniel is a prolific author whose new work in the AUSA Book Program is Blood, Mud, and Oil Paint: The Remarkable Year that Made Winston Churchill.

The second panel highlighted the challenges of the battlefield. Maj. Gen. (ret.) James W. Holsinger, Jr. began by discussing Patton’s Tactician: The War Diary of Lieutenant General Geoffrey Keyes. Holsinger, who served over 31 years with the Army Reserve, edited the WWII chronicle of the man whom Patton characterized as having “the best tactical mind of any officer I know.”

Next, Kenneth P. White detailed The Battle of Bong Son: Operation Masher/White Wing, 1966. The operation was led by Col. Hal Moore, two months after the famous battle of the Ia Drang Valley. White served 18 months in Vietnam, both in an assault helicopter unit and with a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit.

The forum concluded with Steven J. Zaloga highlighting his illustrated guides to American armor, US Battle Tanks 1917-1945 and US Battle Tanks 1946-2025. The first reference published in the spring and the follow-up will be released in November. Zaloga is a defense analyst and author of over 200 books on military technology and military history.

In addition to presenting their work at the forum, the authors were posted throughout the show at the new Education Zone. The AUSA Book Program partnered with the Education & Programs team in a dedicated space adjacent to military and family forums. Visitors kept the authors busy discussing their works, posing for pictures, and signing copies of their books. Please visit www.ausa.org/books to order copies of these and all other titles in the AUSA Book Program. Use the promo code F24AUSA for select member discounts when purchasing titles directly through the publisher links.