This is the preface of my book. It is not only fun to read, but it gives a little bit of background and insight into my book.
A note to the reader,
There have been many books written about WWII. Most of them recount tales of courage, sacrifice, and dedication. This book, like the others, tells the same story. Though similar to the messages in other books about WWII, this book is set up differently. This book was not written by me in a literal sense. I did not sit down and construct a third person novel based on what veterans have told me. This book is written in the first person. It is written from interviews that I held with the veterans. With the exception of spelling changes and changes by the veterans themselves, these interviews are word for word. I believe that this makes my book unique, in the sense that it reads as if the veteran were talking directly to you.
I began this book as a sophomore in high school on February 27, 2010. A few months prior, I had received a digital recorder for Christmas, with the intent of interviewing a handful of veterans for fun. WWII has always been my favorite subject, and I wanted to talk to a few people who were there to witness it. Little did I know I would end up with a full on book. My interest in the war began in elementary school, sometime around fifth grade. My Dad and I watched the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers for the very first time, and from then on my interest in WWII only grew greater. The simple act of watching the series was an eye opener. The men in the series that jumped out of airplanes to fight the enemy became my heroes. Any mention of WWII brought about visions of the series in my mind. To me, Band of Brothers was WWII.
For a while, all I really knew about the war was based on what I had seen in Band of Brothers and the occasional History Channel documentary. I didn’t know why the war started, how the war was won, and when the war even took place. The entire war was very distant to me, and it seemed as if it were hundreds of years ago. As I grew older, I realized that this wasn’t true. WWII veterans were all around me, and I decided it was time to talk to them. I wanted to talk to veterans just for the fun of it. I knew from the start that it would be a good learning experience. Going into my first interview, I had no clue what to ask or how to introduce my project idea. The only knowledge I was armed with was that from Band of Brothers. I had enough common sense not to ask, “Did you kill anybody?” or “What was it like to be in battle?” My first interview lasted for 14 minutes, and was the beginning of my two-year WWII interview crusade. I began to get word out that I wanted to talk to veterans, and was working at a rate of about one interview every month. It was slow work, and from the start, it seemed like there weren’t many veterans left. Over time however, people that I interviewed started giving me leads on other veterans. My interviews began to pick up speed, and I was talking to veterans at least once every couple of weeks.
As the interviews began to stack up, I decided to do more. Why would I keep all of these great stories that I had heard to myself? People needed to hear what the veterans had to say, and I decided that it was my job to get the word out. During the two years that I have worked on this project, I have interviewed 30 veterans. All of them have had amazing stories. I have literally talked to veterans from nearly every area of the war. I have interviewed soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. I have been privileged to talk with paratroopers, infantryman, pilots, a ranger, aerial gunners, a Morse code operator, marines, Navy WAVES, artillerymen, an anti-aircraft gunner on a destroyer, and many more. Each of them reminded me of my heroes from the Band of Brothers miniseries on TV. The only difference was, they were not actors. They were actual veterans of the largest war in world history.
I saw a statistic once that said only 10% of all U.S. WWII veterans are still living. Though nearly 16,000,000 people served in the U.S. forces, it is hard to believe that since the war ended in 1945, 90% of all veterans have passed away. This statistic was given in early 2012, and the percentage is slowly decreasing every day. This is why this book is so important. WWII veterans are dying at a rapid rate, and their stories need to be heard before all of them are gone. This book is more than just a bunch of interviews; it is a legacy for those that fought. Each veteran I interviewed was given a copy of this book. This is not just for themselves, but for their families as well. I have often times talked with veterans, and they have said to me, “I haven’t told anybody this except for you.” There have been occasions when the spouses or children of the veteran have said to me “You found out more about their WWII experience in one hour than I ever did in my entire lifetime.” This is why this book is important. The families of the veterans often times don’t hear about the war and it is important that their stories are passed down through the generations. If it weren’t for this book, many of their stories would be lost forever.
I did not write this book for personal recognition. The real authors of this book are the veterans that I interviewed. I am merely the messenger of their stories. It is important to keep in mind while reading this that nothing is made up. All of the stories happened to real veterans. Because of this, there may be areas of the book that will be hard to read because of the sensitive material. This is a sign of the brutalities of war. WWII is often referred to as the “bloodiest war in history.” This is very true, seeing as nearly 70,000,000 people died worldwide. Out of those that served in the U.S. military, an estimated 405,000 men and women died during the war. Even this number is an estimate because it will never be known for sure just how many people died during the war. Because of this, this book may not always be a happy one. There will be times when the stories are hard to believe, merely because of the subject matter. Even still, the book has a happy ending. All of the veterans survived the war and went on to do great things in their lifetimes.
I want you to keep an important thought in mind while you read this book. Each of these stories is a first hand account of what happened during the war. The book is set up to try to put the reader in the mindset of the veteran. I believe it is easier to understand the war by reading a first hand account as opposed to an author’s rendition of the war. Because of this, I hope that the book is easier to read than most history books, and is enjoyable for the reader. What you are about to read will cover almost all genres in literature; action, suspense, love, and horror. There will be parts where you will be on the edge of your seat, and others that will leave you thinking. Even those that don’t understand the war, and find history boring, will be able to read this book with ease. Even though I am a history enthusiast, I sometimes find it difficult to read straight out of a textbook. Textbooks are boring, and are meant for those that only want to scratch the surface of history. As a junior in high school, I once looked over the chapter on WWII in my U.S. History textbook. I was shocked to find how little the book included, and was pained to see that the information given was so dry, it could put anyone to sleep in minutes. My goal in writing this book was to make a history book that is interesting and exciting to read. In it you won’t find any dry commentary on the war, and won’t see any vague descriptions of battles. This book dives right into the war, and will put you in the place of the veterans.
I would like to leave you with one last thought before you continue to read. WWII was fought for the freedom and security of people around the world, and as a result, there was a lot of bloodshed. Many of those who fought died on foreign soil, and there are still those that are missing in action. The ones that survived remain today to tell the stories that those who perished cannot. The veterans I interviewed saw the war as it played out, and because of this, they were witnesses to the struggles that it caused. No war is good, and no war comes without a price. The human element of war is perhaps the most complex. It involves emotion and skill. Keep in mind that all veterans of any war past and present share one thing in common. They fought for the protection of the United States of America. They fought through the good and the bad, and put their lives on the line for the protection of something greater than themselves. This being said, I encourage you to thank a veteran, and tell them how much you appreciate their service. Believe me, nothing makes a veteran happier than hearing that what they did is appreciated. I witnessed this every time I interviewed a WWII veteran. I hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. It really is a fantastic testimony to those that fought, and I believe it is a great read for anyone who is interested in WWII. Thank you for your support.
Nick Reed
May 8th, 2012
There have been many books written about WWII. Most of them recount tales of courage, sacrifice, and dedication. This book, like the others, tells the same story. Though similar to the messages in other books about WWII, this book is set up differently. This book was not written by me in a literal sense. I did not sit down and construct a third person novel based on what veterans have told me. This book is written in the first person. It is written from interviews that I held with the veterans. With the exception of spelling changes and changes by the veterans themselves, these interviews are word for word. I believe that this makes my book unique, in the sense that it reads as if the veteran were talking directly to you.
I began this book as a sophomore in high school on February 27, 2010. A few months prior, I had received a digital recorder for Christmas, with the intent of interviewing a handful of veterans for fun. WWII has always been my favorite subject, and I wanted to talk to a few people who were there to witness it. Little did I know I would end up with a full on book. My interest in the war began in elementary school, sometime around fifth grade. My Dad and I watched the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers for the very first time, and from then on my interest in WWII only grew greater. The simple act of watching the series was an eye opener. The men in the series that jumped out of airplanes to fight the enemy became my heroes. Any mention of WWII brought about visions of the series in my mind. To me, Band of Brothers was WWII.
For a while, all I really knew about the war was based on what I had seen in Band of Brothers and the occasional History Channel documentary. I didn’t know why the war started, how the war was won, and when the war even took place. The entire war was very distant to me, and it seemed as if it were hundreds of years ago. As I grew older, I realized that this wasn’t true. WWII veterans were all around me, and I decided it was time to talk to them. I wanted to talk to veterans just for the fun of it. I knew from the start that it would be a good learning experience. Going into my first interview, I had no clue what to ask or how to introduce my project idea. The only knowledge I was armed with was that from Band of Brothers. I had enough common sense not to ask, “Did you kill anybody?” or “What was it like to be in battle?” My first interview lasted for 14 minutes, and was the beginning of my two-year WWII interview crusade. I began to get word out that I wanted to talk to veterans, and was working at a rate of about one interview every month. It was slow work, and from the start, it seemed like there weren’t many veterans left. Over time however, people that I interviewed started giving me leads on other veterans. My interviews began to pick up speed, and I was talking to veterans at least once every couple of weeks.
As the interviews began to stack up, I decided to do more. Why would I keep all of these great stories that I had heard to myself? People needed to hear what the veterans had to say, and I decided that it was my job to get the word out. During the two years that I have worked on this project, I have interviewed 30 veterans. All of them have had amazing stories. I have literally talked to veterans from nearly every area of the war. I have interviewed soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. I have been privileged to talk with paratroopers, infantryman, pilots, a ranger, aerial gunners, a Morse code operator, marines, Navy WAVES, artillerymen, an anti-aircraft gunner on a destroyer, and many more. Each of them reminded me of my heroes from the Band of Brothers miniseries on TV. The only difference was, they were not actors. They were actual veterans of the largest war in world history.
I saw a statistic once that said only 10% of all U.S. WWII veterans are still living. Though nearly 16,000,000 people served in the U.S. forces, it is hard to believe that since the war ended in 1945, 90% of all veterans have passed away. This statistic was given in early 2012, and the percentage is slowly decreasing every day. This is why this book is so important. WWII veterans are dying at a rapid rate, and their stories need to be heard before all of them are gone. This book is more than just a bunch of interviews; it is a legacy for those that fought. Each veteran I interviewed was given a copy of this book. This is not just for themselves, but for their families as well. I have often times talked with veterans, and they have said to me, “I haven’t told anybody this except for you.” There have been occasions when the spouses or children of the veteran have said to me “You found out more about their WWII experience in one hour than I ever did in my entire lifetime.” This is why this book is important. The families of the veterans often times don’t hear about the war and it is important that their stories are passed down through the generations. If it weren’t for this book, many of their stories would be lost forever.
I did not write this book for personal recognition. The real authors of this book are the veterans that I interviewed. I am merely the messenger of their stories. It is important to keep in mind while reading this that nothing is made up. All of the stories happened to real veterans. Because of this, there may be areas of the book that will be hard to read because of the sensitive material. This is a sign of the brutalities of war. WWII is often referred to as the “bloodiest war in history.” This is very true, seeing as nearly 70,000,000 people died worldwide. Out of those that served in the U.S. military, an estimated 405,000 men and women died during the war. Even this number is an estimate because it will never be known for sure just how many people died during the war. Because of this, this book may not always be a happy one. There will be times when the stories are hard to believe, merely because of the subject matter. Even still, the book has a happy ending. All of the veterans survived the war and went on to do great things in their lifetimes.
I want you to keep an important thought in mind while you read this book. Each of these stories is a first hand account of what happened during the war. The book is set up to try to put the reader in the mindset of the veteran. I believe it is easier to understand the war by reading a first hand account as opposed to an author’s rendition of the war. Because of this, I hope that the book is easier to read than most history books, and is enjoyable for the reader. What you are about to read will cover almost all genres in literature; action, suspense, love, and horror. There will be parts where you will be on the edge of your seat, and others that will leave you thinking. Even those that don’t understand the war, and find history boring, will be able to read this book with ease. Even though I am a history enthusiast, I sometimes find it difficult to read straight out of a textbook. Textbooks are boring, and are meant for those that only want to scratch the surface of history. As a junior in high school, I once looked over the chapter on WWII in my U.S. History textbook. I was shocked to find how little the book included, and was pained to see that the information given was so dry, it could put anyone to sleep in minutes. My goal in writing this book was to make a history book that is interesting and exciting to read. In it you won’t find any dry commentary on the war, and won’t see any vague descriptions of battles. This book dives right into the war, and will put you in the place of the veterans.
I would like to leave you with one last thought before you continue to read. WWII was fought for the freedom and security of people around the world, and as a result, there was a lot of bloodshed. Many of those who fought died on foreign soil, and there are still those that are missing in action. The ones that survived remain today to tell the stories that those who perished cannot. The veterans I interviewed saw the war as it played out, and because of this, they were witnesses to the struggles that it caused. No war is good, and no war comes without a price. The human element of war is perhaps the most complex. It involves emotion and skill. Keep in mind that all veterans of any war past and present share one thing in common. They fought for the protection of the United States of America. They fought through the good and the bad, and put their lives on the line for the protection of something greater than themselves. This being said, I encourage you to thank a veteran, and tell them how much you appreciate their service. Believe me, nothing makes a veteran happier than hearing that what they did is appreciated. I witnessed this every time I interviewed a WWII veteran. I hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. It really is a fantastic testimony to those that fought, and I believe it is a great read for anyone who is interested in WWII. Thank you for your support.
Nick Reed
May 8th, 2012