Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr.

Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. (born July 13, 1949) is an American freelance writer, editor and historian. He has published over 150 articles and three books. A former historian with the U.S. Army, his specialization is military history, Holocaust studies and events that transcend single states, regions and cultures.

Early life
Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr., was born and raised in Avonmore, Pennsylvania, USA, a small town near Pittsburgh. Zapotoczny's interest in World War II history began as a child after he discovered what his parents did during World War II. His father had served with General George Patton and visited several Nazi concentration camps during World War II. His mother wrote letters to service members who had no family. The young Zapotoczny watched every World War II movie on television and read as many books on the subject as he could get his hands on.

After high school and several jobs, he joined the Army National Guard and served for eight years. Zapotoczny worked for the Carter for President Campaign and then a management-consulting firm, starting his own consulting company in 1985. He re-enlisted in the Army National Guard and went on active duty in 1993. Rising through the ranks, Zapotoczny achieved the rank of Sergeant Major. He never lost his love of history and developed an interest in creative writing while attending the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. His last duty assignment, before retiring in 2009, was the Command Historian of the 28th Infantry Division.

After leaving the U.S. Army, he moved to Baja California and worked as the managing editor of a regional magazine and creative writing instructor. He continues to write articles for World War II magazines, encyclopedias and articles for the web, while working on his next book. Zapotoczny is a member of the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

Books

 * For the Fatherland (BookSurge, 2009): an historical novel that follows a youth through his experiences in Nazi Germany, from his beginnings as a normal child to a hardened member of the Einsatzgruppen and finally to his old age and post-Nazi regrets The novel received complementary reviews by Kirkus . and by the Military Writers Society of America..


 * Chronicles of the 28th Infantry Division: Peacekeeping through the Global War on Terrorism, 1996-2008 (BookSurge, 2009): written while Zapotoczny served as the Historian of the 28th Infantry Division. It is an anthology of the official reports, personal accounts, news releases and stories of the Division deployments to the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.


 * Eastcapers Tenth Anniversary Anthology (CreateSpace, 2011, with JoAnn Hyslop): a collection of stories appearing in the East Capers Magazine over ten years. The anthology gives the reader first-hand accounts of life in Baja California.

Playing Cards
In 2011, Zapotoczny developed playing cards for U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Each deck consists of 54 cards containing text and illustrations dealing with Special Forces history, events, training and equipment.


 * Army Special Ops Card Deck


 * Marine Corps Special Ops Card Deck

Education

 * Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in world military history from American Public University.


 * Master of Arts degree with honors in global history from American Public University.

Awards

 * Military Writers Society of America Bronze Medal for best historical fiction novel of 2010.
 * Army Aviation Association of America Order of Saint Michael for significant contribution to Army aviation.