Have you struggled with being forced to stay at home, had your food supply limited, been forced to conduct your life much differently than the past? Then you'll know in a small way how POW's felt during WWII. August 20 was celebrated as POW/ MIA Day. Those military acronyms stand for “Prisoner of War” and “Missing... Continue Reading →
Virtual Honor Flight – Cool Way to Thank Vets
2nd Lt. Jack Humbrecht 1944 The myriad of ways people find to show support to our military are impressive. Recently I had the honor and privilege to meet a World War II veteran who participated in a ‘virtual’ Honor Flight of Northeast Indiana. During the war, Jack Humbrecht was flying a B-17 over occupied Poland... Continue Reading →
WWII Vets Enjoy Book Launch
“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 →
Saying Good-bye to 2 Special Vets
It’s part of the nature of my project of interviewing some of our nation’s eldest military veterans so I should expect it. With many of them well into their 90s, I have to face the fact that they will all someday be deceased. Still, it is hard to receive that kind of news. Recently, I... Continue Reading →
Vets Describe D-Day
D-Day. June 6, 1944. Possibly only a handful of dates in our nation’s military history are more well- known other than Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). D-Day was a top secret event that had been planned for months. Every branch was involved in storming the beaches of Normandy France to overcome Hitler's forces. Here are a few... Continue Reading →
B-29 Gunner Flew 33 Missions; Met FDR
“For more than a year it was a steady routine of dropping bombs and encountering enemy fighters and heavy accurate flak,” he said. His longest mission to Nagoya lasted 18 hours. During the war, Bates flew 33 missions over Japan in B29s.