"Unwavering": Military Authors Discuss New Book & Return of Vietnam War POWs

Military nonfiction authors Taylor Baldwin Kiland (Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton) and Judy Silverstein Gray will discuss their new book Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man Is Left Behind with journalist Dean Nelson. This event will take place at the Coronado Performing Arts Center at Coronado High School at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18.

This program is in partnership with the Coronado Historical Association, which this year is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam POWs' release and homecoming, and the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission. 

When some of America’s military men were captured or went missing during the Vietnam War, a small group of military wives become their champions. Never had families taken on diplomatic roles during wartime, nor had the fate of our POWs and missing men been a nationwide concern. In cinematic detail, authors Taylor Baldwin Kiland and Judy Silverstein Gray plunge readers directly into the political maneuvering the women navigated, onto the international stage they shared with world leaders, and through the landmark legacy they created.

Mrs. Pat Mearns, whose story is featured in the book, will be joining the authors to share her memories. You can learn more about Mrs. Mearns by reading the Time Magazine article 50 Years Later: A Wife’s War at Home by Bill Syken.  

This is a free event, but special reserved seating is available by pre-ordering your signed copy of the book. To reserve your seat and pre-order your book, Register Now. 

About the authors: 

Taylor Baldwin Kiland has written, coauthored, ghostwritten, or edited 21 books, including two about our nation’s POWs: Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teams and Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later.

A former naval officer, the third generation in her family to serve in the Navy, Taylor was raised in Coronado, California, and Virginia, where she grew up with many of the Vietnam POW and MIA families. She lives with her husband and daughter in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

Judy Silverstein Gray has written numerous military profiles and feature articles about women leaders for news outlets including The Tampa Tribune, published six books for young readers -- five on military topics -- and her work appears in two literary anthologies. She has served as a public information officer in both the private and non-profit sectors, and currently teaches public-health communication to graduate students. The third generation of her family to serve in the military, Judy is a retired Coast Guard chief petty officer who has had a front row seat to historic events through her public affairs work. She lives with her husband in Tampa, Florida.

About the facilitator: 

Dean Nelson writes occasionally for The New York Times, the Boston Globe, San Diego Magazine, Christianity Today, Sojourners, and several other national publications. He has won several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his reporting and has written or co-written 14 books. Dean is a frequent speaker at writing workshops and retreats. He has traveled throughout the world covering stories of human interest, including the slums of Bombay; Kosovo victims of terrorism; members of the Black Panther Party who live in exile in Tanzania; religious persecution in Tibet; poverty and contaminated water in Central America; Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans; the 2010 earthquake in Haiti; the literary scene in Iceland; and the Canonization of Mother Teresa in Rome, where he wrote about the Canonization of Mother Teresa.