Photo from Fielding Tucker's story 'Promise Made, Promise Kept'

Recommended reading:
My Father's Secret War by Lucinda Franks

In this fascinating and heart-rending memoir, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lucinda Franks recounts her quest to learn the secrets of her estranged father's role in World War II. After regarding her father for years as a difficult and destructive man, she reluctantly comes to his aid as he's being evicted from his apartment at age 80, and comes across clues that there's more to him than meets the eye... Read more 

Bob Dole's One Soldier's Story

In this fast-moving, engaging book, former Senator Bob Dole recounts growing up poor, becoming an Army lieutenant and then suffering a near-fatal wound in Italy in the waning days of the war. After victory was won, Dole’s battle was just beginning, with years of uncertain recovery ahead of him. Multiple surgeries and grueling therapy got him back on his feet and walking, but could not restore his arms. At times his frail condition took a turn for the worse and he hovered near death. Read more

I wanted to go off to war, and my mother wouldn't let me
In an excerpt from my book Texans Touched by World War II, William White tells of serving on PC-1127 as a sonar man. He saw action at Tarawa, Guam and Okinawa.

Book review:
The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II
Three stars. The Mediterranean Sea is not one of the better known theaters of operations from World War II. In fact many consider it to have been little more than a warm-up for the real thing. But historian Douglas Porch argues persuasively that the Mediterranean was the key to winning the whole conflict. In fact, he maintains that if the Allies had chosen not to fight there, the Axis likely would have won the war.

Book review:
D-Day: The Greatest Invasion - A
People's History
Four stars. This engrossing book brings to life the Normandy invasion on both the large and small scale, moving deftly back and forth between the overall strategy and the individual soldier’s view from the thick of combat. Richly illustrated with both photos and artwork, the book moves from the planning stages to the efforts to deceive the enemy as to where the attack would fall and on to the secretive training. The book neglects none of the major aspects of the invasion, covering Pegasus Bridge, Ste-M¨¨re-Eglise, the sea and air assaults, Utah and Omaha beaches, the Pointe du Hoc, Sword, Juno and Gold beaches and the breakout. One feature I particularly enjoyed was the way the book shows a historic photograph of combat operations on a beach or a street and then shows, right next to it, a photo of the exact same location as it is today. The book also does not fail to bring us the names, faces and words of the people who lived through these events. Author Dan van der Vat, also known for Pearl Harbor: The Day of Infamy – An Illustrated History, has put together a compelling account of the grandest military operation ever attempted. With an introduction by John S.D. Eisenhower, Dwight Eisenhower’s son. 

Seeking veterans of these units
I'm looking for certain combat veterans to interview for a future book. I need to find men who served in any of the following units between October 1944 and January 1945: the 4th, 8th, 9th, 28th, 275th and 353rd Infantry Divisions; 2nd, 3rd and 9th Armored Divisions; and the 2nd Ranger Battalion.  Please contact me if you or a family member fit this description. 

A thank-you to veterans
A heart-felt message from a site visitor. 

Navy WAVE featured in The Courage of Common Men passes away
I recently learned that Virginia Gibeson of San Antonio, who shared precious memories for my first book, died earlier this year. Here's her daughter's touching note. 11/25/02

More World War II veterans' stories