Bøger af Dennis Whitehead

Love and Sacrifice is the never-before-told story of a father and son killed in World War II. The book follows the Reed family through the first half of the 20th century as they travel the country and globe in military service. Their stories are told through letters, diaries, and the vivid recollections of wife and mother, Mildred Reed. The text is illustrated with over 300 images interwoven to illuminate their stories.Mildred Boddy and Ollie Reed were born on the windblown prairies of northwestern Kansas. High school sweethearts, Ollie could have attended West Point but decided to stay near Mildred. Attending Kansas State University in the approach to WWI, Ollie joined ROTC. As war drew closer, he left school for the infantry, beginning a lifelong military career.Mildred and Ollie married but army duty often kept the couple apart. Mildred joined Ollie when possible, always aware that each station could be the last before he left for war.Ollie was not called overseas but traveled from his post on Long Island to Connecticut in January 1919 for the birth of their son, Ollie W. Reed, Jr.Lt. Reed was called to Europe to serve in the Army of Occupation in the Rhineland with Mildred and Buddy joining him.Back in the US, a second son was born, Ted. Ollie remained in the Army through the inter-war years. Captain Reed led military science programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia and Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was an honor, and Ollie hoped his eldest son would follow in his footsteps.Graduating from Wentworth, Buddy was accepted to West Point. The rigors of the academy proved daunting.Ollie was assigned to the Philippines. Mildred wrote with great flourish of the new and strange world around her. Japan threatened and American families were evacuated. Ted left first while Mildred refused to go. She left in time with Ollie not far behind as he fell ill with malaria. He was recuperating in San Francisco when Pearl Harbor was attacked.Buddy graduated West Point in 1942, the first class to graduate into WWII. He broke the heart of a girl back in Lexington when he married Laura immediately after graduation. A brief honeymoon led straight to Ft. Banning for training and then assignment to the 91st Division in Oregon. There, Laura became pregnant. Lt. Reed left his young wife and infant son for the European war.Ollie was also called overseas, first to the UK for D-Day prep and then command the 175th Regiment in France. The war of the hedgerows raged and men died, Ollie wrote to ease Mildred's mind, simply asking for her prayers.At this same time, Buddy landed in Italy as a platoon leader in the 363rd Regiment. Then, the unthinkable happened.The book harkens to a simpler time in America with a mother leading a family through frequent relocations, raising two sons, and then holding the family together with strength derived from a firm belief in God and the goodness of humanity.Adult and young adult readers will enjoy the book, veterans and military families, as well as those interested in military history, American history, and genealogy. U.S. Senator Robert Dole wrote this: "Love and Sacrifice is an essential story in the history of World War Two and the entire era. Indeed, this is a story from the heart of America of a proud Kansas family. The sacrifices the Reed family made for their country and for freedom are still being made today by our military families, and the message of hope arising from adversity rings as true now as it did then."Goodreads review, Susan posted: "There is an incredible amount of historical information in this book, all connected by the journeys of this one family, whom we get to know almost as intimately as our own. Following them through the triumphs and travails that seem so familiar to our own lives, it's hard not to feel a deep nostalgia for times gone by. I loved the family, loved the history, and loved the book."2017 revision, in B&W.

THIS BOOK AS BEEN REVISED IN 2019 AS AN EBOOK. PLEASE SEARCH UNDER THE SAME TITLE, PLUS "80 YEARS LATER," TO FIND THE EBOOK. The Day Before the War recounts the little-known events along the German-Polish border on August 31, 1939 that ignited the Second World War in Europe. Germany contrived a series of false flag attacks on German facilities along the frontier using specially-trained SS men dressed as Polish insurgents and soldiers to carry out the attacks.The highlight of these was the German radio station in Gleiwitz (today, Gliwice, Poland) where the rebels would broadcast their message to the world, providing clear evidence of Polish aggression against Germany.The Day Before the War is an ideal length for a quick reading of the origins of World War II in Europe. It is ideal as supplementary reading for high school and college history courses covering World War II and its causes.

The true story of twin sisters, Dorothea and Gladys Cromwell, born into New York's Gilded Age, living lives of wealth and privilege. Amid the fervor of America's entry into the First World War, the sisters volunteered for service with the American Red Cross in France, a country they knew and loved. To French soldiers seeking refreshment and solace in the Red Cross canteen, the identical twins were known as anges jumeaux, the twin angels. Witnessing the non-stop horrors in the worst fighting in the war, the sisters were utterly exhaustion, both mentally and physically, when they boarded the SS La Lorraine for the return journey home. They had wished to continue their service to the people of France after the fighting stopped but were convinced to return to New York by their brother. A tragedy unfolded drawing a nation's attention to the heroic deeds women performed in wartime France and the trauma the war wrought upon their souls.What happened on that ship, on that frigid January 1919 evening, one-hundred years ago, is one of the great untold stories of World War I, and the impact that modern warfare had upon not just the men in the trenches, but upon its women and other non-combatants, as well as civilians, that remained unrecognized until the Vietnam War.Shell Shock is available in print and two versions of e-book - one compatible with Kindle Paperwhite devices and another suitable for graphics-capable devices.