Today would have been my dad's one-hundredth birthday. In his honor, later this month I will launch his book: Dear Folks—Letters Home 1943-1946, World War II.
Dad was a pilot in the US Army Air Corps, and he was a prolific and talented writer. My grandmother saved all of the letters he wrote home. After the war, she gave them back to him. Fifty years later he transcribed them. Twenty-five years after that I added some photos and illustrations, and my publisher is now finalizing the manuscript.
Growing up, I never heard Dad say much about his experiences during the war. As I assembled the book, I marveled at his adventures and his breadth of experience. After training, he shipped out to Europe on the Queen Mary, which the US military had refitted as a troop transport. His descriptions of the places he visited, the bases where he was stationed, and the aircraft he flew enthralled me. After the war, he even spent a day observing the Nuremberg Trials.
No less interesting were his vivid descriptions of the day-to-day life of a young serviceman. Reading through the letters, I pictured his barracks, the food, the chores, and I got to know his friends. He never shied away from criticizing the movies he saw, so now I know what to watch (and what not to) when I'm in the mood for a historical film. He listened to the big bands and famous singers of the day. He told of girlfriends, pet dogs, and pranks his buddies played on him. What a "slice of life" read this will be for anyone curious about that era.
Watch this space for the big announcement!
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