Photo By Sgt. Mahlet Tesfaye | Capt. Frank Wacholtz, Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, U.S. Army...... read more read more
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FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - “I have been writing since fourth grade.”
Capt. Frank Wacholtz, Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, U.S. Army South, has more than 25 years of writing experience and is currently working on his fourth novel.
Wacholtz has published three science fiction/fantasy novels and wrote the first of his science fiction trilogy book ‘Rise of Innocents’ before he joined the Army in 2008. His second ‘Test of Innocents’ and third ‘End of Innocents’ books were written and published after joining the military.
“I usually get a very positive response from people who read my book,” said Wacholtz. “I get to see the smiles on people’s faces when they tell me, ‘Hey, I really like the section where such and such happened.’ That always puts a smile on my face and I think, ‘Good I got that piece right’.”
Spc. Sean Conner, a medic with Army South, is one of Wacholtz’ Soldiers who read his book and said he appreciates the style and content of the book.
Conner found out about Wacholtz’ book when talking with a fellow Soldier and after reading ‘Rise of Innocents’ he found the book to have a sense of humor and said a story anyone can follow.
“Capt. Wacholtz’ book is different. A lot of authors [when you start reading their book] you kind of predict where you are going with the story,” said Conner. “You can’t do that with his book which is nice. It will keep you guessing and in suspense.”
Wacholtz has been in the Army more than six years and has enjoyed his time serving.
“I enjoy being in the Army. It gives me a sense of meaning and a sense of duty,” said Wacholtz.
Although Wacholtz is currently serving as a company commander, he makes time each week to work on his books which he claims are his retirement plan.
“When other people get up on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and do other things, I get up and write for an hour and work towards my retirement,” said Wacholtz.
As a science fiction/fantasy fan, Conner had conversations with Wacholtz about his book and his thought process on how he writes his books.
Wacholtz admits that being in the military has influenced some aspects of his characters and scenes in his books, especially his experiences from his deployment to Afghanistan, which are reflected on his third book.
“I took some of the imagery like the way the walls were during the time I spent in the Afghanistan villages and brought it to the book,” said Wacholtz. “The military also helps me understand the physics of how battles work, the way firearms function and how people react to combat.”
Wacholtz admits there are difficulties of being a full time Soldier and raising a family while trying to write a book. That’s why he depends on the constant support of his family to publish his novel.
“My wife helps me publish my books. She helps me by making sure everything looks right from the art work on the cover, to getting the book ready for publishing,” said Wacholtz.
During one of their conversations about books, Conner said he was glad to give Wacholtz his advice about medical facts for his next novel.
Wacholtz is currently working on his fourth book based on a short story he wrote when in college. The story is about humans landing on a strange planet and the planet copying people. The book raises the question, “What would the government sacrifice in the name of security?”
“My intent is to make people think, ‘What is your security worth? What are you willing to give up for security? Where do you draw the line?’” Wacholtz asked.
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2015 10:49 |
| Story ID: | 155908 |
| Location: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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