The Marine Corps birthday has been commemorated on November 10 since 1775, the year the Continental Marines were established. To show honor to our Marines – and to celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11 – I’m offering an excerpt of a story of a vet I’ve interviewed. Carl Scott’s full story of fighting in the Pacific... Continue Reading →
Happy Birthday to the Air Force!
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 →
Sailor Served Aboard LST in the Pacific
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 →
Sailor Fought at Okinawa in World War II
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 →
WWII Vet Recalls Sinking of WWII’s Last German Sub
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 →
Daughter Grieves for Father Lost From WWII
Seaman Joseph Wojciechowski sits atop a military vehicle while at sea in S. Pacific. He wouldn't survive his mission. In tribute to the day on which we honor the sacrifices of 645,000 American men and women who have lost their lives in service to their country, I’m posting a story from my book, It Was... Continue Reading →
Army Air Corps Crew Chief Ed Dager Served in Pacific
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 →
World War II Corpsman Served on Hospital Ship
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 →
Father’s Day — Tribute to WWII Vet Fathers
Happy Father’s Day! Is it any wonder I love horses with this photo of me and Dad? It’s great to live in a country that honors its fathers. Here is one of my favorite photos of me with my dad as a little girl. I have always loved horses and I’m sure it was Dad’s... Continue Reading →
World War II Seaman Faced Death Three Times in the Pacific
Upon being drafted into the U.S. Navy on August 5, 1943, Gareth Wiedekehr of Berne, Indiana, attended boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois. He received training for Morse code at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated as a Radioman 3rd class, equivalent to a sergeant in the Army. At Naval Station... Continue Reading →