In the Event of a Water Landing Paperback - 2010

In June 2004, Walling's first book, Bloodstained Sea: The U.S. Coast Guard in the Battle of the Atlantic 1941-1944, was published by International Marine, a division of McGraw-Hill, and received critical acclaim by reviewers and veterans. The Naval Order of the United States honored him with its 2005 Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature. He appeared on the History Channel series Man, Moment, Machine episode about Andrew Higgins, the designer and builder of the vital landing craft used in World War II, and, as a script consultant for the episode, reviewed the material for accuracy. On the lighter side, Walling published, in conjunction with Flat Hammock Press, a new edition of "Sinbad of the Coast Guard," the adventurous, true story of the USCGC Campbell's mascot whose exploits during World War II became legend. Appropriately, Sinbad's story was told by a fellow member of the Coast Guard, Chief George F. Foley, Jr., while the fine pictures were drawn by the outstanding Coast Guard Reserve artist, George Gray. In November 2008, his first novel Choke Points was published by Cutter Publishing. The plot centers on the real threats to US Maritime and Port Security. After graduating from Montclair State College, Walling served in the U.S. Coast Guard for six years as a commissioned officer and a senior petty officer. His assignments included buoy tending, search and rescue missions, drug law enforcement, and oceanographic operations in the Arctic. As part of the Boarding Party and Prize Crew teams on two cutters, he participated in the seizures of a Panamanian drug-runner and a Cuban fishing boat. Walling has spent more than 45 years collecting stories from hundreds of World War II veterans. He and his wife, Mary, live in Hudson, Massachusetts and Mike be contacted through his web site: www.mikewalling.com