In 2018, his third novel, Before the Snow Flies, was awarded third place in the fiction/romance genre of the Colorado Independent Publishers' Association annual EVVY Awards.
ONEKAMA, MI, October 01, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- John Wemlinger has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
In 1995, Colonel Wemlinger retired after 27 years of service in positions of ever-increasing responsibility around the world, much of it in Asia. He is a senior Army Aviator with over 1000 hours of rotary wing flight time, most of which were in the Republic of South Vietnam. His military awards include, the Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC's); the Army Meritorious Service Medal with 3 OLC's; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with 1 OLC; the Bronze Star; the Legion of Merit; and the Defense Superior Service Award.
Colonel Wemlinger holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (1968); a Master of Science in Education from St. John's University in New York City, New York (1983); and a Master of Arts in National Security Strategy and Leadership from the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island (1993). He is also a graduate of The Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia (1984), The U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Corresponding Studies) in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (1983) and The Logistics Executive Development Course, Fort Lee, Virginia (1988).
Immediately after retirement, Colonel Wemlinger was the Director of Logistics for Walt Disney Projects Asia/Pacific and coordinated the movement of Disneyfest, which was, at the time, the world's largest traveling Disney show. In 1999, he came to Battle Creek, Michigan where he worked as an administrator at Davenport College and then at the Michigan Youth Challenge Academy and Calhoun Community High School. These latter two programs provided alternative education opportunities to at-risk youth. His experiences at these two schools inspired him beyond measure. He says, "I was very lucky in my growing-up-years to have two loving parents who looked after me and taught me. These kids, for the most part, were missing that. It was my opportunity to give back."
In his continuing effort to give back, in 2012, Colonel Wemlinger began writing his first novel, Winter's Bloom. The book was published in 2016. It tells the poignant story of a Vietnam vet who suffers from PTSD and the unlikely path that leads to his salvation. The book was an immediate success achieving best-seller status in the paperback fiction category in northwest Michigan. Colonel Wemlinger notes, "It took four years to get it right, but I found the right publisher and the right editors. I'm very proud of this book and the story it tells. In 2017, he followed his first novel up with Operation Light Switch, a military thriller in the same vein as Tom Clancy's original works. That book was a finalist in The Foreword Reviews' 2017 Book of the Year Competition. In 2018, his third novel, Before the Snow Flies, was awarded third place in the fiction/romance genre of the Colorado Independent Publishers' Association annual EVVY Awards. Much like Winter's Bloom, it features a badly wounded veteran as its hero. Major David Keller lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan near the end of his 6th tour of duty there. Angry, frustrated and vowing not to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair, he buys a gun intending to take his own life after mending a few fences first with his brother and his father. However, once back home in Onekama, Michigan, a small town perched on the edge of Lake Michigan in northwestern Michigan, his family, his community and a woman by the name of Maggie McCall make him believe that life might be good again, if he will only let it…and, if murder doesn't get in the way. Colonel Wemlinger says, "I have immense pride in our military and our veterans. Their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their families are significant and I will continue to tell their stories in a way that is both true to life and compelling.
Colonel Wemlinger found the love of his life, Diane, shortly after arriving in Michigan. They are about to complete 20 years of marriage. They have a border collie, Sydney, of whom Wemlinger says, "she's the greatest dog in the world!" They live in Onekama, Michigan. In his spare time Colonel Wemlinger enjoys talking to service clubs, churches, book clubs, etc. about his writing, playing golf and crafting original pieces of art from pieces of driftwood, rocks and beach glass that he collects during long walks along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
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