Veterans' Writing Group of San Diego County

Meet Our Veteran Authors

The Veterans' Writing Group (VWG) is proud to showcase the talented voices of our veteran authors. Each individual brings a unique perspective shaped by their military experiences and personal journeys. From poetry to memoirs, their work reflects the resilience, creativity, and strength that define our community. Below is a list of our authors, along with links to their published works and biographies. Explore their stories, and discover the powerful narratives that our veterans have shared with the world.

Garry Garretson

Garry G. Garretson received his air crew wings and other air medals serving in the United States Navy from 1965 to 1969 as a Second-Class Petty Officer. He flew transportation and early warning flights in support of fleet units in the Gulf of Tonkin and Southeast Asia from 1967–1969. His unit was part of the famed “Typhoon Trackers,” which penetrated and tracked typhoons throughout the Pacific Ocean. He was an electronics technician and an in-flight radioman. Garry retired after a 40-year career with a Fortune 500 company, ARAMARK. Formerly a Marshfield (MA) School Committee member and Parks and Recreation Commissioner in Massachusetts, Garry stays busy as a member of several nonprofit boards supporting children, the Vista (CA) Planning Commission, and North Coast Church. He is married with three children and one grandson.

Glen Foss

Glen Foss served as a junior naval officer from 1966—70 during the Vietnam conflict. His duty assignments in the western Pacific included a diesel-electric submarine and a mobile inshore undersea warfare (MIUWS) unit. After retiring from his civilian career as seagoing operations superintendent for the scientific Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program, he taught oceanography and geology courses in the local community colleges. He currently does some freelance editing and writes mostly fiction—for entertainment and “mental calisthenics.”

Gail Chatfield

Gail Chatfield’s father was a Marine on Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima; a favorite cousin was a Marine in Viet Nam. Her father never talked about the war to his daughter; the cousin wrote her lengthy, detailed letters. The two men fought different wars but shared the same Marine esprit de corps. Curious about what her father would have experienced in those island battles, Gail began attending the Iwo Jima veterans’ annual reunions at Camp Pendleton. Listening to the veterans’ stories of selfless heroism, unspeakable horror, battlefield humor and life-long Marine Corps values inspired her to preserve their personal narratives. Gail is a native of Southern California and received her Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University courtesy of the G.I. Bill.

A degree in Anthropology, the study of man and the role that culture exerts on individuals or groups, thoroughly prepared her for working in the exotic, fertile fields of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Positions at AFTRA, the William Morris Agency and for nearly a decade the personal assistant to Farrah Fawcett, confirmed the theory that nothing beats reality for a good story.

Currently living in San Diego with her husband, Chatfield is a freelance writer and editorial columnist for the North County Times. She is an member of the Military Writers Society of America, American Historical Association and associate member of the Third Marine Division Association.

Jim McDonough JR.

Jim McDonough is a New York City native who attended Boston College, obtaining a BA in English in 1970. Afterwards, he served three years on active duty in the US Coast Guard, half of it in sea duty as a deck watch officer, and half as a Rescue Coordination Center Controller based in Governor’s Island, New York. He worked for four decades in corporate IT, mostly as an independent consultant specializing in life insurance software. He lived in Texas for 37 years, finally retiring and moving to the San Diego area.

Joe O'Loughlin

Joeseph O’Loughlin’s debut novel, Gallagher’s Prize: An Historical Adventure Novel in the Age of Sail, has captivated readers, earning a 4.3 out of 5-star rating from 625 Amazon reviews and garnering 307 ratings on Goodreads. Set against the backdrop of the early 19th century, the book follows Irish protagonist Jack Gallagher through a thrilling journey across the Royal Navy, French frigates, and the American Navy. His second novel, Gallagher’s Pride: Another Adventure in the Age of Sail, continues the saga with equal acclaim, securing a 4.0 out of 5-star rating from 316 Amazon reviews and 307 Goodreads ratings. A master storyteller, O’Loughlin blends historical accuracy with compelling narratives, appealing to fans of adventure, history, and the open sea. When not writing, he enjoys literature, movies, and the outdoors, ever connected to the ocean that fuels his imagination.

Mike Vopatek

Mike Vopatek received a Presidential appointment to West Point, rated one of top ten leaders in his graduating class, in the top third academically, while making the varsity teams in football, basketball, and baseball.

After earning his Ranger tab and his paratrooper wings, he was an Advisor to the Vietnamese Army during the war in 1967 and 1968. After other Army assignments in Germany, Texas, North Carolina, and Kentucky, he earned a Masters’ degree in business at Northwestern University.

Mike established his own company which specialized in adult learning in topics such as leadership development, strategic planning, project planning, consultative selling skills, customer service skills, decision-making, and stress management.

After a long career as a financial advisor, Mike and his wife, Bobbe, moved to the Hacienda retirement community in Oceanside, near his mother’s hometown of San Diego. During his early childhood, Mike and his mother waited for his father’s return from World War II as a US Navy pilot in the Battle of Midway and Gibraltar area, searching and sinking German U-boats.

Mike is an active member of the Hacienda community, busy with Bible Studies, organizes Scrabble games, and is available to help all.

Armen Kurdin

After graduating from Wichita East High School in Wichita, Kansas in May 1988, Armen Kurdian attended the University of Kansas from September 1988 to May 1993 and earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering, along with his commission as an Ensign in the US Navy.

CAPT (Ret.) Kurdian attended flight school in NAS Pensacola, Florida and NAS Norfolk, Virginia, earning his wings of gold as an E-2C Naval Flight Officer (NFO) in March 1996. During his 25+ year career, he served in two deployments plus counter-narcotics operations, became a member of the Aviation Engineering Duty Officer Community, and spent eleven years performing Defense Acquisition, Test, and Evaluation activities for the E-2C Hawkeye and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye unmanned system, GPS user equipment, and engineering/product support for Naval Aviation and Surface Warfare.

He earned a Masters of Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a dual Masters of Business Administration through Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. He has a Certificate of Public Leadership from the Brookings Institute, and has multiple other professional certifications including Certified Systems Engineering Professional and Project Management Professional. Currently CAPT (ret) Kurdian is a Lead Associate and Senior Systems Engineer with Booz Allen Hamilton in San Diego, California, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Veterans Writing Group. He also serves as a board member of the San Diego County Palomar Airport Advisory Committee and is the Chair of the Policy Roundtable for the Lincoln Business Leage of San Diego County. He makes regular appearances on many local and national news outlets speaking on a variety of topics including politics, foreign policy, defense, and engineering.

His contributions to this book are of a more light-hearted and humorous nature, with anecdotes that while fun to read, also include little life lessons from which we can all learn.

Bob Bechill

Bob Bechill is a retired Navy Supply Corps Captain, who enlisted in the Navy in 1978 as an Intelligence Specialist, with his first duty station at CINCLANTFLT in Norfolk, Virginia. Shortly after advancing to Petty Officer Third Class, he was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS). After completing OCS, he attended the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, Georgia, before joining his first ship, the USS Roanoke (AOR-7) out of Alameda, California, as the Assistant Supply Officer.

Captain Bechill served fourteen years on active duty. In addition to his time aboard the USS Roanoke, he also served as the Supply Officer (SUPPO) on the USS St. Louis (LKA-116) and the USS San Jacinto (CG-56). His shore assignments included the Navy Supply Corps School, the Naval Postgraduate School, and SACLANT/CINCLANT/CINCLANTFLT. In 1993, he transferred to the Navy Reserves, specializing in Supply and Logistics Operations with the Defense Logistics Agency and the Military Sealift Command. Captain Bechill retired from the Navy Reserves in 2006.

He is married and has one son. In civilian life, he has held senior-level positions at four colleges and universities. Currently, he provides employment and career advising services to veterans through the VA Chapter 31 Vocational Readiness and Employment program (VR&E). Captain Bechill also serves as the Commander of the Ocean Hills Village Veterans Club, which has 230 members.

Robert A. Gans

A Stanford Graduate from the School of Business with an MBA, Robert A. Gans’ career started in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Captain, where he received a Bronze Star with Combat “V” and three Purple Hearts.

He later went on to become the Founder of the Intermountain Park and Recreation, which proved immensely successful and very popular. Starting with a basketball league, Robert then added soccer, baseball, and junior theater, while focusing on building character and sportsmanship, rather than on just winning games.

Robert was also the Founder, CEO, and President of three sister companies with his brother Peter; Gans Investment Corporation, Gans Management Corporation, and Gans Securities Corporation. A success in his own right, he made millions for his family and their investors through purchasing older apartment buildings, then rehabilitating, managing, and finally selling them, reinvesting the proceeds in the next apartment building investment.

Robert retired in 2017 upon the acquisition of his biotech company by a larger firm. He now spends time with family, golfs once or twice a week, enjoys jigsaw puzzles, works out at the gym three days a week and walks the other four days, read books, loves to cook, is learning to play the piano again, and is studying Spanish.

Dante M. Pucetti

Dante’ Puccetti enlisted in the Army and became an Artillery Surveyor. He was stationed in Vietnam at the HHB, 4th Division Artillery at Camp Enary, Pleiku, from June 1968 – March 1969. He received a BA in psychology in 1986, and then worked as a counselor, data manager, and research and statistical analyst in the Alcohol Treatment Unit at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Loma Linda, California. With Dr. Michael Chang and Dr Paul Yamaguchi, Dante’ co-authored a paper published in The Journal of Alcohol Studies titled “Split Level Validity of Treatment Compliance in an Alcohol Treatment Program.” Dante’ was a recent staff member at SO. CAL. (SCCA) NEWS. Part of his memoir was published in Exiting Vietnam, authored by Michael Eggleston. Dante’ is a member of Eggleston’s writing review staff.

Vern Smith

Frank Sutton

Frank served in the U. S. Army in Europe during World War II. Following his discharge, he attended medical school and was a physician in private practice in Pasadena, California for over 37 years. He was a strong supporter of the Veterans’ Writing Group and is greatly missed.

Joe Ashby

Joseph Ashby is a native Coloradoan. The military has been a part of his life since he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 during the Korean War. In the 12 years that followed, he served as an aircrew "twigit" (aviation electronics) radio/radar/ecm member, was recalled during the Berlin Crisis, and then went to Officer Candidate School. After time off for "good behavior," Joe tried the Air Force through the Air National Guard as an operations tech and rose to 1st Sergeant, Chief Master Sergeant, and Command Chief. He retired with nearly 30 years of service. Since then, he has been actively involved in veterans’ services. He has also had careers in communications marketing, product management, firefighting, and over 20 years in training management with FEMA. A father of three daughters, Joe resides in Oceanside, California, where he still pursues military interests.

Vernita Black

Vernita Black retired after serving 21 years in the United States Navy. Dr. Black served in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm. During her time in the military, Dr. Black earned her doctorate in Education Counseling. Her experience in education led her to become an author. Dr. Black is not only a dedicated author but also a poet at heart. In her collection of poems, An Inspiration of Life, Dr. Black offers her perspective on faith and life’s beauty. The poems reflect Dr. Black’s personal and professional ups and downs--both good and bad. She has published two books: Parents’ Perceptions of Their Adolescents’ Attitudes Towards Substance Use by Ethnic Difference, and Life’s Reflections: A Collection of Poems -- Serenity, Peace and Faith. She currently lives in southern California and hopes to become an inspirational writer helping with pain, stress and medical disabilities.

Thomas Calabrese

Tom Calabrese is a Marine Corps veteran who saw combat in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. He is a prolific screenwriter and action/adventure fiction writer. His novel Some of the Best is available on Amazon. His short stories can be read at thevistapress.com.

Terry Severhill

Terry Severhill was a dedicated poet whose work appeared in various journals including Damnfino, A Quiet Courage, and Soul-Lit. In 2016, he received the "Art Young’s Good Morning Memorial Award for Poetry" from Garbanzo Literary Journal. Born in the north woods of Upper Michigan, Terry was part Chippewa, part Scot, part Marine, and fully American. After serving in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, Terry settled in Vista, CA, where he continued to write, read at open mics, and volunteer. He passed away in December 2017, leaving behind a legacy of powerful, heartfelt poetry.

Ron Pickett

Captain Ron Pickett is a retired naval aviator with over 250 combat missions and 500 carrier landings. He was the commanding officer of a squadron and a Human Resource Management Center. His 90-plus articles have appeared in numerous publications. Ron’s areas of specialization are Leadership and Management development and customer relations, among others. He enjoys writing fiction and has published five books: Perfect Crimes – I Got Away with It, Discovering Roots, Getting Published, EMPATHS, and Sixty Odd Short Stories.

Douglas Schanzenbach

Stacey Thompson

Stacey Thompson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17. She volunteered for her first overseas duty station to Okinawa, Japan in 1999. Shortly after her arrival to Okinawa, Stacey experienced sexual harassment in her workplace. In December 1999, she was raped by her superior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). As a result of reporting the rape, she was retaliated against and separated from the Marines with an Other Than Honorable discharge. Over a decade later Stacey became a public advocate for survivors of military sexual assault. Although a disabled veteran herself, Stacey is also her husband’s full-time caregiver. In 2013, Stacey joined Senator Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles where she shared her story publicly for the first time. Her powerful speech led her to be invited by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2014 to speak in Washington, DC, in support of the Military Justice Improvement Act. Stacey graduated with honors and has a Master of Science Degree from the California University of Pennsylvania. She was featured in Veterans Coming Home, a documentary in conjunction with PBS of short films which depict the struggles disabled veterans face after coming home and reintegrating back into society. In January 2016, after four years of litigation, Stacey received a discharge upgrade from the Department of Defense which finally acknowledged her honorable military service and she is now receiving her veteran benefits. Her tenacity and perseverance is apparent in not only her character but, in her advocacy work as well. Stacey can gracefully articulate her experiences with MST and PTSD offering a unique understanding from both the veteran and caregiver perspective. Her success and commitment to advocacy thus far is certainly an indication of things to come.

Michael Wood

Mike Wood, "The Worst Writer in the World," was born in Colorado, grew up in Louisiana, enlisted in the Marine Corps from Texas, and is currently raising his two boys in California.

Bob Yonan

Maria Ysela Galvan-Dupree

Maria Galvan-Dupree was born in San Mateo, CA and raised in Southern CA. She is the daughter of Atanacio and Carolina Galvan. Her father passed when she was 13 years old and the oldest of 5 siblings. Her single parent was instrumental in parenting her children to grow up educated, independent, and hard-working, productive individuals.

Maria Enlisted into the Active Army serving three years with 127 th Signal Bn at Fort Ord 7 th ID in Monterey CA. In 1992 she joined C Co 240 th SIgnal BN in the CA National Guard. With prior service, Maria eventually was commissioned into the Medical Field. She completed her command time on active duty with E Co Med 540 MSB at The National Training Center at Fort Irwin CA 2005. Maria spent the rest of her military service with the MED Det then with HHC 40th ID Los Alamitos California. Maria graduated with a degree in Counseling Psychology and worked with San Diego County for 13 years as a Mental Health Clinician. She is retired as a Major from service in 2012. Maria worked with combat Veterans for five years at a Vet Center before retiring from her civilian job. She is a 40 th ID Alumni. Her love of helping her fellow Veterans has led her to write her experiences.

Shara French

Shara French served 20 years in the Marine Corps, retiring as a Gunnery Sergeant. Ammunition Technician trained, she also was a Leadership Program Coordinator, facilitating Dr. Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” workshops, prior to retiring in 2001. After retirement, Shara pursued higher education, culminating in an MA in Literature and Writing Studies from California State University San Marcos in 2017. Her published works include the poems “Growing Meaning like Bean Seeds,” included in the university chapbook of May 2010, and “Molly Ann,” included in the university chapbook of May 2017.Her latest published work is her Master’s thesis, titled “Worlds Apart: An Evolving Woman, One Female Marine’s Assimilation into Patriarchal Spaces, and the Grief Coda, including Critical Introduction.” Shara is a member of the Woman Marine Association, as well as a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Alexa Kingaard

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