Capturing WWII Stories, One Veteran at a Time
I recently visited with Millard Schwartz whom I interviewed several years ago and whose story is featured in my first book, WWII Legacies: Stories of Northeast IN Veterans. Millard is a sweet man who always has a gentle smile on his handsome face. He is a humble but brave man who fought gallantly for our... Continue Reading →
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 →
Many of you participated in our book launch party for They Did It for Honor: Stories of American WWII Veterans on Saturday, Nov 4, 2017, at the Allen County Public Library. I think it’s safe to say, as the photo below shows, it was a smashing success! Several hundred people are estimated to have attended to meet/... Continue Reading →
Another veteran from my book, They Did It for Honor: Stories of American WWII Veterans, who is planning to attend the book launch is Sam Hayward. This was a different type of interview for me as he was the first black veteran I had ever interviewed. I was thrilled that Sam allowed me to talk... Continue Reading →
Caption: Virgil Bixler served in the U.S. Army's 80th Division, 905th Artillery during WWII. He fought in Battle of the Bulge and others. ** My new book, They Did It for Honor: Stories of American WWII Veterans, contains 34 stories of men/women of every branch- Army, Navy, Army Air Corps, Marines, Merchant Marines, Coast Guard.... Continue Reading →
I had heard about the battle for Remagen Bridge from several World War II veterans during interviews, but it was entirely different being there in person. Our tour group left the Belgium Ardennes area and continued east through the Eifel Mountains. We followed the advance of the US 1st Army through to the Remagen Bridge... Continue Reading →
My husband and I just returned from a 2-week World War II tour of Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany! The photo of my husband and me is on the patio of the 'Eagle's Nest', Hitler's retreat center, above the village of Berchtesgaden, Germany. We went with a group of 29 Americans and 3 Australians and one... Continue Reading →
One of the strongest quotes I was ever given during an interview was by a World War II veteran was by Simeon Hain, Naval Aviator in the Pacific. “Fear has an odor,” he said. “It permeates your clothes and stinks. After getting back from a mission, I couldn’t wait to take a shower.” In honor... Continue Reading →
I read today about the death of another veteran from my book, World War II Legacies: Stories of Northeast Indiana Veterans. Arnold Keuneke served with the US Army in Africa and Europe. He was the first veteran I interviewed who had served in Africa and with radar. Here are excerpts from his story in my book:... Continue Reading →
“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.
Writing of Kayleen Reusser 