Alachua County Today Writer Earns Second VFW Writing Award

GAINESVILLE — Michael P. Mauer, a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Alachua County Post 2811 and employee of the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, has earned national recognition for his journalism.

Mauer received the Silver Award for Best Feature Article in the 2024 VFW National Publications Contest for his article titled “Alachua VFW Post 2811 Auxiliary President honors son with service.” The story was published in the May 30, 2024, edition of the Alachua County Today newspaper and placed second in the national competition after review by two professional journalists unaffiliated with the VFW.

This marks the second straight Silver Award for Alachua County Today and Mauer’s sixth national VFW writing award in the past decade. Over the years, his work has earned two Grand Awards, three Silver Awards, and one Bronze.

A veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Mauer has written extensively about the VFW and military veterans for more than 30 years. His articles have appeared in local, regional, and statewide publications, reflecting his enduring commitment to telling veterans’ stories.

Mauer has been a life member of the VFW since 1995 and currently serves as Post 2811’s adjutant. His service to the organization has also been recognized with citations from the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives. In 2006, he was appointed a VFW National Aide-De-Camp.

A native of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Mauer’s name is engraved on the community’s Veterans Memorial near the borough’s municipal building. He is a graduate of Bethel Park Senior High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from Point Park University in 1984.

Mauer is also a graduate of the U.S. military’s Defense Information School and the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1991, he was awarded the U.S. Army’s top journalism honor, the Keith L. Ware Award, and received the Joint Service Commendation Medal from Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf for his work as a military reporter during Desert Storm.

In 2010, he was inducted into the Southwestern Pennsylvania Veterans Hall of Fame.

Mauer has worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since 2014 and lives in Gainesville with his wife of 39 years, Marsey. The couple has two daughters, Sarah and Rae.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com