Capturing WWII Stories, One Veteran at a Time
September 18 was the Air Force’s 75th birthday. It was officially formed in 1947, two years after WWII ended. During World War II, the aviation branch of the military was an arm of the Army. It was called at different times the Army Air Corps and Army Air Force. As a proud supporter of our... Continue Reading →
Hugh Wallis poses with his nephew, dressed similarly, in paratrooper garb. In honor of National Airborne Day celebrated on August 16th annually, I’m posting a story about Hugh Wallis from my book 'They Did It for Honor: Stories of American WWII Veterans.' I’ve visited him several times and am always blessed by his kind support... Continue Reading →
Bill Current served aboard an LST in the Pacific. Today’s story is taken from Book 3 in my World War II Legacies series: We Gave Our Best: American WWII Veterans Tell Their Stories. Note: The books do not have to be read in order. Each of the four books in the series are filled with... Continue Reading →
I met Francis, or ‘Link’ as he preferred to be called, Holmes in his nursing home around 2012. This was early in my interviews with 260 World War II veterans so I don't recall who told me about him. He was happy to tell about his years as a sailor in World War II. I... Continue Reading →
I met Robert Kreider, World War II veteran with the Army Air Corps, through a mutual friend. Chris Jones had known him since she had been a child as the two families spent much time together. He lived an hour away so we visited a couple of times when I was in the area. He... Continue Reading →
Today I was reminded of the recent birthday of a veteran from one of my books. Harold Bradley was a farmer from Elmore City, Oklahoma, when he was drafted into the Army. He fought with the 740th Tank Battalion in the Ardennes Forest during the Battle of the Bulge. Bradley survived the war and years... Continue Reading →
For this week’s World War II veteran highlight I’m going back to my first book, We Fought to Win: American WWII Veterans Share Their Stories. It is available in print and Kindle. I met Roger Myers at the Fort Wayne Airport in 2013. We had made an appointment for his interview at the airport. At... Continue Reading →
Photo taken inside the IN War Memorial Museum in Indianapolis. As we celebrate the anniversary of our nation’s freedoms, I reflect on the World War II stories I’ve heard and written about in the past decade. Dean Reckard of Huntington, Indiana, was part of the D-Day invasion in June 1944. Stories of pilots and soldiers... Continue Reading →
Clairus Dew served with the 5th Air Force in WWII. I met Clairus Dew 10 years ago through another veteran I had interviewed. I liked when that occurred because it helped introduce me to World War II veterans who didn't know me. Clairus was very elderly but sharp about his military service. His photo of... Continue Reading →
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 →
Writing of Kayleen Reusser 