Clint VanWinkle

Clint VanWinkle
CLINT VAN WINKLE is the author of Soft Spots: A Marine's Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (click here to read an excerpt) and an Operation In Their Boots filmmaker (click here to watch his film, "The Guilt", which premiered Nov. 9, 2010 in Los Angeles. While in Iraq he served as an Amphibious Assault Vehicle section leader, attached to Lima Company 3rd BN 1st Marines, and commanded eighteen other Marines. After completing his enlistment, Van Winkle earned a BA in English from Arizona State University, then a MA in Creative and Media Writing from the University of Wales-Swansea, and began to publish pieces of this book in literary magazines. He currently in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Sara and teaches at Arizona State University’s West Campus. Visit his website for more information.
Focus On: Intel, WWI
Mother’s Day Takes Off In 1918, With The U.S. Armed Forces
By: Clint VanWinkle | May 12, 2012
Tags: ,

In May 1918, an estimated 1.4 million deployed troops wrote letters to their mothers. They were put on the fastest ships and sent to New York. All had “Mother’s Letter” written in place of a stamp.

The deluge of Mother’s Day letters that arrived was especially out of the ordinary in 1918.

Championed by Anna Jarvis, a pathological mourner who wanted to memorialize her dead mother, Jarvis’ version of Mother’s Day was first observed in 1908. Recognized as a U.S. National Holiday in 1914, Mother’s Day still hadn’t gained much traction outside of Protestant pulpits and Sunday schools by the time the troops started writing.

May 3, 1918, The Stars and Stripes began to promote the fledgling holiday on its front pages, which brought American moms to the forefront of everybody’s mind.

[More...]

Focus On: Armed Sources, WWII
A Brief History of the Real Red Tails
By: Clint VanWinkle | January 20, 2012
Tags: , ,

In an era when African-Americans were treated like sub-humans, a group of African-Americans were flying the most advanced technology the U.S. military had to offer.

These WWII-era pilots, along with support crew, are known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Although there were a number of Tuskegee units in the Army Air Corps, the units who flew red-tailed P-51 Mustangs are the best known.

They are also the subject of George Lucas’s new WWII extravaganza Red Tails, Starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard.

Visually, it's appealing. Action scenes? Great. Everything else?

[More...]

Focus On: Athletes
When Tonelli left for WWII, he weighed over 210 lbs. When he returned, he weighed less than 100 lbs. Photo Credit: National Archives, Bataan Death March.
Mario “Motts” Tonelli: NFL and the Bataan Death March
By: Clint VanWinkle | February 4, 2011
Tags:
Super Bowl Sunday’s patriotic displays rival those of the Fourth of July: flyovers, military color guards, and American flags are all mainstays at the NFL’s biggest event. So, as we enter the unofficial holiday weekend, it is important to remember what patriotism really means by honoring those veterans who have worn both uniforms.

While there are so many fascinating stories about NFL players serving our country, one man in particular stands out the most for me. He’s the reason I started this series. And it’s not because of his actions on the football field, but because of his character off of the field. [More...]
Focus On: Athletes
All-American and Medal of Honor Recipient Jack Lummus
The NFL and the Medal of Honor
By: Clint VanWinkle | February 2, 2011
Tags: ,
Nearly 28,000 people braved the rain to watch the New York Giants play the Detroit Lions at N.Y. Polo Grounds on a miserable November day in 1941.

The hometown crowd got their money’s worth watching the teams slug-it-out on the soggy field. Detroit's former equipment manager, Steve Belichick, whose son would eventually earn a few Super Bowl rings, even scored for Detroit, but the Giants rallied late in the game to win by 7-points. However, the real heroes of the game didn’t even get a mention in the papers.

While rookies Jack Lummus (N.Y.) and Maurice Britt (Detroit) didn’t stray far from the bench that game, they would gain glory on different fields and earn the distinction of being the only NFL players to earn the Medal of Honor.

Please check back Friday, as Command Posts continues the “Football and the U.S. Armed Forces” series. [More...]
Focus On: Intel, The Lists
Former All-American Capt. Walter R.
Football and the U.S. Armed Forces
By: Clint VanWinkle | January 31, 2011
Tags: ,
Each year, the National Football League (NFL) salutes and honors the U.S. Military during the Super Bowl. The attention lavished on the military is more than patriotism; it is also an acknowledgement of the NFL’s history. [More...]
On Point
Soft Spots
The Guilt
By: Clint VanWinkle | November 17, 2010
Tags: ,
Last month I completed a short documentary about survivor’s guilt and readjustment in combat veterans—"The Guilt." The film focuses on SSgt David Paxson. In 2003, Paxson and I fought at Nasiriyah together—one of the earliest and bloodiest battles of Iraq—and making the film forced us to relive those memories. Paxson and I were 25 when we went to Iraq. One week we were in combat, trying to survive insurgent attacks and the next week we were at home, trying to survive panic attacks. [More...]
Focus On: Intel
Soft Spots: A Marine’s Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
By: Clint VanWinkle | November 17, 2010
Tags: ,
"Nothing gets held back in Soft Spots, Clint Van Winkle's account of his two years of duty as a Marine sergeant in Iraq . . . lacerating honesty, the narrative is dreamlike and surreal." —The Washington Post [More...]
  4. Age
Submit