Iraq Veteran Honored by the Friars Foundation

Iraq War veteran honored for bridging civil-military divide 
Sentinel Tribune
By DAVID DUPONT, Sentinel News Editor
November 29, 2014

Kayla Williams brought the war home with her.

The 1997 Bowling Green State University graduate served as a translator during the Iraq War. That's where she met her husband Brian McGough, a fellow soldier.

That's where McGough suffered a traumatic head injury in 2003.

Earlier this year, Williams brought the fallout of war home to readers in her second memoir "Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War." Williams will receive one of the inaugural Lincoln Awards, bestowed by the Friars Foundation, for her writing.

Her first book, "I Love My Rifle More Than You," was about her tour in Iraq and being a military woman.

Williams will receive the Friars' Artistic Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. The foundation's citation states: "Through her writing, Williams raises public awareness for the betterment of her fellow veterans and civilians alike, as she works to bridge the civil-military divide."

"It's a tremendous honor," Williams said in a recent telephone interview. "I hope it draws increased attention to the messages I'm trying to get out there both in the military and the civilian world."

Though they met in Iraq, a story chronicled in the opening chapter of her new book, Williams' and McGough's courtship didn't begin until after they were back in the United States, and Brian was starting his recovery.

The book covers the "very, very difficult years of recovery," Williams said.
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