Capturing WWII Stories, One Veteran at a Time
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 →
Army vet Mike Blough greets Army vet Fritz Bultemeyer and Air Force vet Dr. Al Brothers. Mrs. Bultemeyer, also an Army vet, looks on. Whew! The book launch for Voices From Vietnam: Stories of War in my hometown of Bluffton Indiana is over! A great group of people showed up at the Wells County Public... 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 →
Willis Colburn's cap reflects his service in 3 wars: WWII, Korea, Vietnam. Willis Colburn was near 100 when I interviewed him, but his mind was sharp. What a story of service in three wars: WWII, Korea, Vietnam. His story is featured in my book, We Gave Our Best: American WWII Veterans Tell Their Stories. Colburn's... Continue Reading →
Welcome home Vietnam Veterans! On Sunday March 29, 2020, our nation observed Vietnam Veteran’s Day. I’ve interviewed several Vietnam veterans. This story of LeRoy Jesfield whom I met during a speaking event near his home is special to me. He was at the outdoor event carrying a big camera as he enjoyed taking photos, along... Continue Reading →
I usually post about World War II veterans but as today is National Vietnam War Veteran’s Day, I’m posting stories about a good friend, Ralph Garcia, who served in-country and continued to help veterans and his country for years afterward. Photo above is him in recent years standing in front of the Vietnam War Traveling Wall.... Continue Reading →
At this site I mostly post stories I’ve written from interviews with World War II vets. Many people think those are the only vets I interview. Due to my association with another military-related publication, I have interviewed dozens of vets of all eras/branches, including Korean War, Vietnam War, post-911 and everything in between. This publication... Continue Reading →
After 3 weeks of searching for family to claim Mr. Beavers’ body for burial, no one came forward.
The Allen County coroner finally gave up. Thankfully, a local funeral home offered to conduct a funeral for Mr. Beavers and invited the public to attend to show their respect for him and his service.
Estimates of possibly (I'd say probably) more than 1,000 people – many from out of state—were there.
Writing of Kayleen Reusser 