A heart-warming collection of easy-to-read true stories as told by a WWII veteran that took place during and after the war. Each story is a true look at the war and life through the eyes of a soldier. A father was willing to pass his experiences on to his son, and now they can be passed on to everyone.
Wesley Johnston's Dad survived WWII but died when Wesley was only 8. Wesley had a few fragments of stories, a scrapbook and some WWII souvenirs but little notion of what his Dad had seen and done. After seeing Quentin Aanenson's autobiographical "A Fighter Pilot's Story", Wesley wondered what documentary his Dad would have made if he had lived. And so he resolved to find out. He soon realized that what we was learning about how to do this research could help others and began the Dad's War web site and workshops. Health forced him to stop the workshops, but the workshop book and web site continue to help others seeking to find and tell their own father's WWII story.
Son, a Soldier's Work Is Never Done By Kathy Barnes, Ph.D. and Smith McGarr Helps children and parents talk about feelings when a military dad or mom goes to war. "Sealing feelings harms, not helps" War is scary. It can swallow up soldiers like monsters in books or bad dreams do. Seven-year-old Jackie knows because he heard it on the news. "The U.S. Military has lost 2,050 men in Iraq and the number is rising daily." This worries him because his dad is fighting in the Third Brigade in Iraq. When he and his dad hug good-bye at the army base, each promises to be brave and carry out his duty. Jackie's duty is to help his mom at home for ten long months. He finds this hard when taking care of his two younger sisters. "I've broken Dad's rules. I've called Sarah 'stupid' when she won't leave me alone. I've pinched little Allie when she chewed Samson's bone." He also shares his triumphs. "...I've worked pretty hard. I've washed the car and raked the yard." Jackie shares that he feels sad a lot. He hesitates telling his mom, because he doesn't want to be a coward. When he finally tells her, she says it is okay to feel sad. She does too. Our readers will quickly finish the book to see if Jackie's dad comes home. They will re-read it again and again because it's their story too. Praise for Son, a Soldier's Work Is Never Done. "This book is a great tool for helping children understand war. Whether they are military or not, all kids hear about war on the news, radio, television, and from neighborhood and school friends. War scares them and they need to talk about it." - Maria Edwards, executive vice president of the military writer's Society of America
This story depicts a woman and two children whose husband and father is fighting in combat. The son, who is a fifth grader in elementary school, finds it very hard to accept the fact that his dad is away from home and fighting in a war. He is very upset. The absence of his father has affected his schooling and his relationship with his mother, his little sister, and his peers. His teacher observes the sudden change in both his behavior and his academics and summons his mother to a conference. The teacher and the administration were shocked to find out that the boy's father was fighting in combat. A survey of the student body at the school disclosed the fact that more than fifty students had parents or close relatives fighting in combat. The outcome of the conference caused the creation of a student support team. The students were able to meet twice a week, sharing their feelings about the absence of their family members who are fighting in the war. The fifth grader soon realizes how noble his dad is and why he went to war. He writes to his dad and tells him that he is proud of him and that he should be careful. He also made it known to his dad that he, too, wants to be a soldier when he grows up. This is a thrilling story dedicated to children all over the world, whose parents or close relatives are fighting in combat, or protecting people who are living in war-torn countries. Dr. Pauline Wright
In 2003, as an older father, O'Brien resolved to give his young sons what he wished his own father had given to him: a few scraps of paper signed "Love, Dad." Maybe a word of advice. Maybe a sentence or two about some long-ago Christmas Eve. Maybe some scattered glimpses of their aging father, a man they might never really know. In this book, O'Brien moves from soccer games to warfare to risqué lullabies, from alcoholism to magic shows to history lessons to bittersweet bedtime stories, but always returning to a father's soul-saving love for his sons. -- adapted from jacket
Al Murray's (AKA The Pub Landlord) musing on his childhood where his fascination with history and all things war began. Have you ever watched a film with someone who, at the most dramatic scene, argues that the plane on screen hasn't been invented yet? Or that the tank rumbling towards the hero at the end of the film is the wrong tank altogether? Al Murray is that someone. Try as he might, he can’t help himself. Growing up in the 1970s, Al, with the help of his dad, became fascinated with the history of World War Two. They didn’t go to football; they went to battlefields. Because like so many of his generation whose childhood was all about Airfix, Action Man and Where Eagles Dare, he grew up in the cultural wake of the Second World War. Part memoir, part life obsession, this is Al Murray musing on what he knows best. And he’s sure to tell you things about history that you were never taught at school.
A guide to learning more about your relatives’ experience serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. In this fully revised edition of Finding Your Father’s War, military historian Jonathan Gawne has written an easily accessible handbook for anyone seeking greater knowledge of their relatives’ experience in World War II, or indeed anyone seeking a better understanding of the U.S. Army during World War II. With over 470 photographs, charts, and an engaging narrative with many rare insights into wartime service, this book is an invaluable tool for understanding our “citizen soldiers,” who once rose as a generation to fight the greatest war in American history. “Jonathan's Gawne’s book is a 5-star blueprint, well-written and beautifully illustrated, to deciphering a loved one’s WW2 U.S. Army service.” —The Commander’s Voice “A great read not only for genealogists wishing to research an ancestor, but also for those who simply have an interest in the United States Army during World War II . . . written so that anyone, even those with no military background, can understand, yet also includes more advanced information . . . detail is phenomenal . . . a must read reference book for any professional genealogist or military historian.” —APG Quarterly
Compelling and moving real-life accounts of the impact on family life of the return of the troops at the end of the Second World War. Summer 1945. Britain was in jubilant mood. At last, the war was over. Soon the men would be coming home. Then everything would be fine: life would get back to normal. Or would it? Six long years of war had profoundly changed family life. For years, Dad had been a khaki figure in a photograph on the wall, a crumpled letter from overseas, an occasional visitor on weekend leave. Now he was here to stay, a stranger in a group that had learned to live without him - and was not always prepared to have him back. Most homecomings were joyful, never-to-be-forgotten moments of humour and hope. Others were hard. And there was no one to deal with the tears and the trauma. It would take hope and courage for families to live and love together again.
More than a tribute by the author to his late "Greatest Generation" father, it tells of more than one soldier's experience in WWII, and includes the bigger picture of U.S involvement and strategy in the War, especially in Italy--the so-called "Forgotten Front." Copiously illustrated with photographs--many the subject himself brought home from overseas--colorized by the author using AI, and available for the first time. Includes the dramatic story of the death of Mussolini, the brutal end of Italian Fascism, and how secret negotiations and a sweeping Allied "Blitzkrieg" resulted in the first front of the War to fall.