Capturing Military Stories One Veteran at a Time
A recent post by Joan Stewart, a book marketing expert who titles herself ‘Publicity Hound’ because she also loves dogs and includes a vid about them in her newsletters, prompted this post about the topic of mental illness. Caption: Bombed-out homes confronted civilians everywhere in Europe during WWII. Photo by WWII vet Keith McComb. A... Continue Reading →
Exciting news! My new book, It Was Our War Too: Youth in the Shadows of World War II, is out! This 150+-page book available on Amazon contains stories from 18 men and women whom I interviewed (with the exception of one) involved with World War II as children and teens. They grew up in the... Continue Reading →
Readers ask about how I decide what goes on the covers of my books. As I feel the veterans who I write about should be showcased, I’ve chosen to place their photos on front back covers. At the top of the front cover of D-Day: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Tell about Normandy, you see two... Continue Reading →
I collect stories as some people collect rare books or stamps. Stories fascinate me. As a newspaper reporter and magazine writer, I had the (paid) opportunity to listen to people tell stories. I’ve literally heard 1,000s of oral histories, often from people who didn't believe they were interesting enough to have a story. I believe... Continue Reading →
As Christmas approaches, I have pulled memories related to me by vets and included in my books. During World War II, troops stationed overseas were often unable to observe Christmas celebrations. In fact, in December 1944 troops were engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the war -- Battle of the Bulge. George Buhler... Continue Reading →
“Spectacular!” That’s how Lucille Clarke, 98-year-old Navy WAC (pictured above) who served as a secretary during World War II, described her experience at my book launch on Nov 3 at Allen County Public Library which hosted the event. Lucille is one of 34 World War II veterans whose stories are told in my book, We... Continue Reading →
This week we honored May 8 – Victory in Europe or VE Day – celebrated all over the world in 1945. Can you imagine what this news meant to people who had been at war for many years? This is a photo of the actual room in Reims France where the Germany General Jodl signed... Continue Reading →
I recently visited with Millard Schwartz whom I interviewed several years ago and whose story is featured in my first book, WWII Legacies: Stories of Northeast IN Veterans. Millard is a sweet man who always has a gentle smile on his handsome face. He is a humble but brave man who fought gallantly for our... Continue Reading →
Caption: Virgil Bixler served in the U.S. Army's 80th Division, 905th Artillery during WWII. He fought in Battle of the Bulge and others. ** My new book, They Did It for Honor: Stories of American WWII Veterans, contains 34 stories of men/women of every branch- Army, Navy, Army Air Corps, Marines, Merchant Marines, Coast Guard.... Continue Reading →
I had heard about the battle for Remagen Bridge from several World War II veterans during interviews, but it was entirely different being there in person. Our tour group left the Belgium Ardennes area and continued east through the Eifel Mountains. We followed the advance of the US 1st Army through to the Remagen Bridge... Continue Reading →
