Capturing WWII Stories, One Veteran at a Time
Soldiers were not the only ones who encountered the war in Europe. Fort Wayne resident Gabriel Delobbe remembers the day his home country of Belgium was invaded by the German Army on May 10, 1940. "I was 14 years old," he said. "The Belgian Army was small so all we could do was watch the... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year! Cheers for a mild winter so far and a bright outlook for 2023! Here are my goals: Read more. My Google spreadsheet lists nearly 100 books I read/ listened to while walking in 2022 (I use my library's Libby app). Raising the bar is ambitious but exciting. 2. Take more time for... Continue Reading →
During the early 1940s, Ivan Detwiler attended North Side High School in Fort Wayne. His family, like many, had little money. In September 1943, Detwiler quit school to enlist in the Navy. He was 16 years old. While stationed in Japan in December 1945, Detwiler wired a 50-foot fir tree for lights. “It was the... Continue Reading →
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 →
Writing of Kayleen Reusser 