LAS CRUCES VETERAN & AUTHOR WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR SECOND VIETNAM BOOK
AUGUST 30, 2022
(LAS CRUCES, NM) Las Cruces resident, writer, and Army veteran Dr. Bob Worthington’s book “Fighting Viet Cong in the Rung Sat” has been awarded a silver medal from the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA). The second book of Dr. Worthington’s Vietnam military trilogy, the award was announced on August 27, 2022.
MWSA President Bob Doerr said that Dr. Worthington’s book earned the silver medal in the memoir/biography category after scoring “high enough in our rigorous evaluation process to win a medal recognizing (his) achievement.” Dr. Worthington’s “Fighting Viet Cong in the Rung Sat” was recognized for the writing, editing, and its publication. “(He) should be very proud of (his) accomplishment,” Doerr said. “We certainly are.”
Dr. Worthington describes his second tour in Vietnam as some of the fiercest fighting of the war and tells of his experiences training South Vietnamese commandos to conduct raids in the swamps south of Saigon.
“Fighting Viet Cong in the Rung Sat” is the follow up to Worthington’s previous book, “Under Fire with the ARVN Infantry,” which was awarded a national award for Excellence in Literature by the Military Writers Society of America. The author’s final book in the trilogy, “The Making of an Army Psychologist,” is scheduled for publication on September 26, 2022. All these books are published by McFarland & Company, Inc.
Worthington is a multiple award-winning writer with over 2,600 publications having featured his work. He is a member of the Las Cruces Writers Group and has another anthology of military tales titled “Untold Stories” available on Amazon.
As a retired U.S. Army officer with 15 years in the infantry and a decade as an Army clinical psychologist, Worthington was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, seven decorations for valor, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and several awards for meritorious service. He later went on to become a profession at the New Mexico State University Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Local Writer's Book Selected For National Literary Award
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
(LAS CRUCES, NM) The Military Writers Society of America announced the book, Under Fire with ARVN Infantry, by Bob Worthington has won a Gold Medal for Excellence in Literature in the memoir/biography category. The award was presented at the organization’s annual (virtual) awards banquet on September 19, 2020.
Dr Bob Worthington’s book describes his first tour in the Vietnam War as a combat advisor to Vietnamese infantry units. From 1945 to 1973 more than 100,000 military men served as advisors in Vietnam. Combat advisors lived and fought with South Vietnamese combat units, advising on tactics and weapons and liaising with local U.S. military support.
Worthington begins by recounting his training at the Army Special Warfare School in unconventional warfare, studying Vietnamese culture and customs and then Vietnamese language school. In-country he served as senior advisor to infantry defense forces and then an infantry mobile rapid reaction force.
He describes a helicopter night assault by a 320-man ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) battalion against a 1,200-man North Vietnamese regiment. Another night, the Viet Cong (VC)stopped the fighting so Worthington could arrange for a U.S. Marine helicopter to medevac a wounded VC baby.
The book is published by McFarland & Company. Publication of his next book on his second combat tour in Vietnam is due in 2021.
Dr Worthington is a retired Army officer with 15 years in the infantry and a decade as an Army clinical psychologist. His military awards include the Combat Infantryman Badge, seven decorations for valor, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and several awards for meritorious service.
A retired professor from the New Mexico State University Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, he has over 2,500 publications as a writer. He produced the 2019 documentary film, Combat Advisor in Vietnam. Worthington and his wife, Anita, live in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The Military Writers Society of America is a non-profit national association of over 800 authors, poets, and artists with a common bond of military service who publish on military subjects. Each year the Society hosts an awards ceremony to honor the best books in various categories.
Military Writers Society Of America - Awards
