Call For Submissions: “Voices from the Shadows:” Army Special Operations

Call for Submissions:  “Voices from the Shadows:” Army Special Operations
deadline:  1 October 2020
submission email:  havokjournal@havokmedia.com

The Second Mission Foundation, in conjunction with The Havok Journal, is seeking submissions for a new book project highlighting the US Army’s Special Operations Forces.  The project, tentatively titled “Voices from the Shadows: The Untold Stories of America’s Unseen Warriors (Army Special Operations),” is scheduled for a first-quarter 2021 release.

What We’re Doing, and Why
The purpose of this project is to educate the American public, to aid veterans in the healing and transition process, and to make a record of the sacrifices, successes, and struggles of the men and women of the Special Operations community for future generations.  It is time for their stories to be heard.

We seek first person accounts, photos, poetry, humorous anecdotes, sketches, and similar submissions from a wide range of individuals with Special Operations experience, including those with operational career fields, support career fields, family members, fiancées, and close friends of those who served in US Army Special Operations Forces (SOF).

As former members of the Army SOF community ourselves, keeping faith with our nation and our brothers and sisters in arms is paramount. With that in mind, and in the spirit of the “Quiet Professional,” the entire manuscript will be submitted for pre-publication clearance through the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and will not be published until official approval is granted. 100% of the proceeds from this book will go to veteran-related charitable causes.

What We’re Looking For
We are looking to publish unclassified, first-person accounts related to some aspect of Army SOF (ARSOF). This can be any topic related to any ARSOF unit, from any time period.  We are especially interested in stories from before 2004 and after 2015, and ones from SOF support personnel and family members from any era.  When it comes to story length, a good target is 2500 words, but longer or shorter stories will also be considered.  There is no word limit on poetry, and no size limit on sketches or photos.  Every contributing author will receive a copy of the finished book, and each author retains the copyright to his or her own original content.  Previously-published stories are OK, as long as the source of the original publication is OK with the story’s re-use in this project.

We will not publish, and do not wish to receive, any stories involving participation in egregious violations of US state or federal laws, the Law of Land Warfare, or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Similarly, we will not publish, and do not wish to receive, any submissions that violate OPSEC, compromise classified information, violate non-disclosure agreements, engage in overt character assassination, or reflect the US or allied militaries in an extremely unfavorable light.

In an effort to weed out posers, exaggerators, and fabricators, we will undertake vetting of everything submitted for publication and will not publish any stories that do not pass a due diligence screening, no matter how “good” they are.

While we guarantee anonymity for authors who are operational or who otherwise must protect their identity, we greatly prefer writers publish under their real names.

For examples of the kinds of content we are looking for, please see “The Things I Carried:  A Special Forces Officer Reflects,” “Case Study Ramadi:  A Ranger Looks Back,” and “From A Support Spouse” on www.havokjournal.com.

How to Submit Your Story
There is no specific word limit, but most stories should be from 1000 to 7,000 words, written in first person, past tense. Again, the target is 2,500 words or less and there is no word limit on poetry, and no size limit on sketches or photos.  To submit your story or to request additional information, send an email to Mike Warnock or Charles Faint at havokjournal@havokmedia.com.

We will also accept audio submissions of ARSOF stories, which we will transcribe for publication.

The deadline for submissions is 1 October, 2020, and the tentative publication date is in January of 2021.

Thank you for your time, and for helping America understands the triumphs and struggles of its most capable warriors, and their families and friends.