This collection of short stories exemplifies the courage and patriotism of ordinary people in the extraordinary time of World War II.
Young love is a powerful gift that comes in unexpected places and times. The stories in this collection give glimpses into the lives of young men and women who came of age during World War II. Their lives and the lives of their families were turned upside down. It was a time of sacrifice for people who joined the military and people who did their part as civilians. Many of them lost everything, and some of them found new joys. They had in common a love of life and a deep patriotism. Perhaps you had a family member who lived and loved in that era. The author, who has a personal connection to each story, invites you to read the stories as a salute to the courage and commitment of the people whose lives were changed by World War II.
Excerpt
Timothy Wade Jennings walked into Marvin’s Diner and straddled a stool.
He took off his sailor cap and put it beside him on the counter. He was a 21-year-old who really did have a girl in all the ports he’d been in since he joined the Navy two years before Pearl Harbor. He had dark wavy hair, dark blue eyes, and a build no girl could ignore.
Barbara Jean Dickinson turned from the coffee pot. “What’ll you have, Sailor?”
Timothy looked her up and down, or as much as he could see of her behind the counter. “Cheeseburger and fries. And a coke,” he said, with a really nice crooked smile.
She walked over to the cook’s window and passed on the order. He watched.
She had a waist so small that any sailor could put his hands around it. And, she would give Betty Grable a run for her money in the legs department. She would probably look pretty good in a tight sweater, too.
She drew back the handle on the soda fountain and filled a glass with Coca Cola. She smiled when she put it in front of him. Her light brown eyes and short carrot-red hair completed a pretty nice package.
“Thanks,” he said, returning the smile. He walked over to the Jukebox and chose “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
When he sat down again, she asked, “Have you seen much action?”
His smile faded. “Yeah, I’ve seen my share.”
“Any big battles?” she prodded.
He squirmed on the stool. “More than I want to talk about,” he answered.
She slid the burger and fries in front of him. “What brings you stateside?” she asked.
He looked up with such a painful expression on those gorgeous blue eyes that she was sorry she had asked.
“My mother’s funeral. I’m just here on emergency leave,” he said.
“Sorry to hear it,” she said. “My father was in the Navy. Died in Pearl Harbor on the Arizona.” She moved to the other end of the counter and wiped it down. “My older brother Bobby is in the Pacific. At least he was the last time we heard. My mother worries about Bobby every minute. Of course, I worry about him, too,” she said.
He finished his lunch, looked at the check, and included a generous tip for the pretty waitress. She wasn’t exactly a babe, but she was pretty and friendly.
“See you around,” he said.
“Yeah. Maybe so. How long will you be in town?”
“For several more days. I’m helping my sister clear out my mother’s things, and helping her move into a new place. With my mom gone, she can’t afford the house anymore. She’s a sales girl downtown at Sears, but they don’t pay much. Her husband died in a foxhole in the Pacific last year. Well, got to go now.”
He pushed open the diner door. She noticed that he looked back when he passed the front window. He was one good-looking sailor boy, and he was also kind of sweet.
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