As the nation gathers this holiday to give thanks, it seems altogether fitting and proper to share what the AUSA Book Program is grateful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful for the authors who have worked so hard for so long to produce so many great titles for the program. As Carl Sagan noted, “writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other…. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” These humans have been the essential force behind the AUSA Book Program’s mission to share stories that foster an appreciation of the U.S. Army.

I am also thankful to other organizations who have helped our authors share their magic with the American people through lectures and webinars. Space limits the number we can spotlight here, so I will focus on a few recent events.

AUSA has close ties with the National Museum of the United States Army, and NMUSA recently featured Lt. Gen. (ret.) Robert F. Foley speaking about his book Standing Tall: Leadership Lessons in the Life of a Soldier as part of their symposium “The Vietnam War in History and Memory.”

Last month, the National World War II in New Orleans brought Robert K. Sutton down to the Big Easy to discuss Nazis on the Potomac: The Top-Secret Intelligence Operation that Helped Win World War II. A video of his conversation with Michael Bell, executive director of the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, is available here: https://vimeo.com/event/2431635

The Army Heritage Center Foundation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, regularly includes AUSA authors as part of their programming. This season has featured events with Betsy Rohaly Smoot, author of Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1r5ylSZGko) and Jon Mikolashek, author of Blood, Guts, and Grease: George S. Patton in World War I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DN2C7IB1is). There is still time to register for next week’s webinar with Kelly Eads and Daniel Morgan, where they will talk about their forthcoming book Black Hearts and Painted Guns: A Battalion’s Journey into Iraq’s Triangle of Death: (https://www.armyheritage.org/events/black-hearts-and-painted-guns-a-battalions-journey-into-iraqs-triangle-of-death/).

And, of course, I am thankful for our publishing partners. Amber Books, Casemate Publishers, Helion & Company, Naval Institute Press, Potomac Books, University of North Georgia Press, and University Press of Kentucky have all been instrumental in bringing AUSA Books to the world. We look forward to further fruitful collaborations with them (and with some other forthcoming friends).

Finally, I am thankful for your support of AUSA and the Book Program. To find your own AUSA titles to be thankful for, please visit www.ausa.org/books.