Capturing WWII Stories, One Veteran at a Time
Charlie Conrad served aboard the USS Farquhar during WWII. I met World War II Navy veteran Charlie Conrad several years ago at a patriotic picnic gathering near my home. He had a ball cap with a Navy design on it and so I approached him (as I have done with many veterans) to ask if... Continue Reading →
This is Day 3 of Military Appreciation Week. Today I’m featuring an excerpt of a story of Ed Dager who served in the Army Air Corps. If you’ve just dropped in, be sure to go back and read the earlier stories of other veterans. This blog is dedicated to telling about our amazing veterans to... Continue Reading →
We're into Day 2 of Military Appreciation Week. Each day this week I’m featuring an excerpt of a story I've written from my 10 WWII vet books. Today is Francis Bushong who served in the Navy. After you've read his story, check out other posts on this blog -- it's full of stories of other... Continue Reading →
Joseph Wojciechowski sits atop a gun on a ship in WWII. April is designated as ‘The Month of the Military Child’. This is an important recognition for me, not because I’m a military child, but because it is one of the reasons I began writing World War II stories. When working as a reporter for... Continue Reading →
Indiana vet Sammy Davis is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam. He is wearing it around his neck. On Friday, March 25, our nation celebrated National Medal of Honor Day. This date was established by Congress in 1990 to “foster public appreciation and recognition of Medal of Honor recipients.”... Continue Reading →
We don't want to end the month without mentioning Black History Month I had the opportunity to interview two African Americans who served in World War II. Vaughan Whitworth served as a Montford Point Marine in World War II. Vaughan Whitworth was a Montford Point Marine who later served in the Pacific. If you don't... Continue Reading →
Paul Bandelier served as a corpsman aboard the USS Relief. In 2022 I’m introducing more World War II veterans to readers with a weekly series of excerpted stories from my books. Let me know what you think about these men and women who served our country from 1941-1945. Did you know them or people like... Continue Reading →
The USS Arizona burns after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. National Archives. Some 'Behind the Scenes' Info: My interview with Dick Girocco was unique among my 260 talks with veterans from World War II. Ordinarily, I sat in front of a veteran while he/she told their stories about military service. I... Continue Reading →
Japanese Zero fighters fly a mission of destruction to Nanzheng, China, 26 May 1941 (public domain via Wikipedia) The Military Build-Up to December 7, 1941 — What happened in the last days of peace before the collision between the United States and Japan? In July 1941 the Japanese leadership made the fateful decision to go... Continue Reading →
Jim Wiegman witnessed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS New Mexico. On September 2, 1945, 19-year-old James Charles Wiegman was one of the few American sailors who had a bird’s eye view of the most important military events in world history. Wiegman of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was at sea aboard the battleship, USS New Mexico,... Continue Reading →
Writing of Kayleen Reusser 