Two Association of the U.S. Army Book Program titles won 2022 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards in their respective categories.

The awards recognize “excellence in U.S. Army history writing,” and the book award winners receive a plaque and a cash award, according to an Army Historical Foundation news release. The 2022 awards honor works published in 2022.

Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology by Betsy Smoot won the award in the biography category. The book chronicles Hitt’s upbringing, careers, “ingenious mind” and “independent spirit,” according to its summary.

“His manual, cipher devices, and proactive mentorship of Army cryptology during World War I laid the groundwork for the modern American cryptologic system,” the book’s summary reads. “Though he considered himself an infantryman, Hitt is best known as the ‘father of American military cryptology.’ ”

Gavin at War: The World War II Diary of Lieutenant General James M. Gavin, edited and annotated by Lewis Sorley, won the award in the journals, memoirs and letters category.

Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II, kept his wartime diary a secret for decades. His family discovered it after his death.

“His diary includes observations on fellow military and political leaders such as General Dwight Eisenhower and the British Field Marshal Montgomery, army operations, and the general's personal life,” the book’s description reads. “Gavin was an officer who led by example: on four combat jumps—into Sicily, at Salerno, then Normandy and the Netherlands—he was the first man out the door.”

The AUSA Book Program “offers quality books about Army heritage, military theory and policy, and security in the modern world” and aims to “foster an understanding of the emerging security environment,” according to the AUSA website.

For more information on the AUSA Book Program, click here.