I enjoy challenges in every way, and task completion is in my blood. Nearing the end of a project, I find immense satisfaction in holding a print proof in my hands, realizing that very shortly, with the editors’ help, final changes will be incorporated, and a book will be published. It’s about accomplishment.
We have submitted the final print-proof changes for Berkshire Heroes in WWII- With Courage and Honor and anticipate publishing it in August. I am planning my next project, Civil War in the Berkshires, from 1861 to 1865.
But first, more about Berkshire Heroes in WWII-With Courage and Honor.
The book chronicles the harrowing stories of twenty-eight men and women who departed from the idyllic rolling hills of Berkshire County to participate in the world’s most lethal and cataclysmic War. Most, who seldom traveled more than fifty miles from home, were now engaged in battles from Africa to Sicily, over the Himalayas, and across vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean.
They found themselves in some of the War’s most violent battles, including Normandy, the Bulge, Okinawa, and Peleliu. These heroes, many highly decorated, represent a breadth of military expertise: readers will meet the PT boat radioman who trained the future President Kennedy, a paratrooper who was wounded and became a POW, a combat nurse,
bombardiers, artillerymen, and a tail gunner, to mention just a few.
With tremendous support from relatives and friends, I was able to include never-before-seen documents, family correspondence, and 140 vintage pictures. Most memorable was spending time with surviving Army veteran Cheeso Massaconi, who spellbound me with tales of the battle for Iwo Jima.
All through the writing process, I felt honored to record the sacrifices of these silent heroes, now mostly gone, who once lived among us in the Berkshires. Their stories are a testimony to the uncommon valor of ordinary men and women responding to their country’s call with courage and honor.
Berkshire Heroes in WWII-With Courage and Honor will be available during book events in the Berkshires during the week of October 7th. Final dates and times are being arranged with Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown libraries and local American Legions.
The next challenge-
I have begun writing about the Civil War and Berkshire County. After creating a planning document outlining the book’s chapters, I began conducting research, working with local historical societies, and reading period books.
My fifth book will focus on men and women from the Berkshires who participated in the most devastating War on American soil.