Whispers from an Empty Coffin is the unbelievable life journey of Donald W Schuman, a South Dakota cowboy, and WWII POW.
Donald W. Schuman - a rather ordinary sounding name, but this is no ordinary man. Descendant of German immigrants and growing up in rural South Dakota, Donald is an all-American teen when he joins the fight against the tyranny of Nazi Germany in WWII.
First-hand experiences of the horrors of war, in the end, pale in comparison to the many trials and tribulations Donald would experience across an ominous and all-too-short lifetime ahead of him. How many times must he overcome his own death - once, twice, more?
Whispers from an Empty Coffin is a true-life tale of an ordinary man's extraordinary life, and the many family
friends, and foes that would steer the course of his well-lived life. An inspiring adventure that serves as an inspiration for generations to come, and truly exemplifies the adage, "It's always darkest before the dawn".
Professional Reviews
A tribute to an American WWII hero
This book is first a tribute to an American WWII hero. It then adruptly switches to an detective story as the author searches for the hero's grave. The author's description of the search is so real, unpretentious, and down to earth that you feel you are there and a member of the family. Kathleen Belfiore Schuman talks to the reader as if she were standing in the room with him.
The book is very well documented. She includes actual scans of the original documents including the terrible telegram telling the family of the loss of their son. There is so much in the way of scans and/or verbatim stranscripts that it would make a good reference book if only there were an index.
A family history is hard to write in such a way that it is interesting to outsiders but she pulled it off. Thank you Kathleen for letting us share this story.
P.A. Tillery www.kilroywashere.org
This book was life changing for me
I am by no means a book reader, most of the time it's a matter of nothing interests me. My wife gave me this book as a Christmas gift, and being a Vietnam vet myself, I decided I might like this book. Talk about LIFE CHANGING! I know first hand how importand one's family is when you are so far away fighting in war. This man gaveup so much for his country, then only to loose his most important link when ge got home. Although most of us Vietnam vets didn't get the recognition we deserved when we got home, I for one had my family. I could not imagine otherwise. This book has made me focus on what I have, not on what I missed out on. This book would make a great movie. Thanks Kathleen.
Bill (WI)
GI with similar experience
I was first attracted to Whispers from an Empty Coffin, as it is the story of a former prisoner of war, which is a subject that I have a professional interest in, yet I quickly became equally engrossed in the pre and post-war like of Donald Schuman. Movies assure us that war is hell and the common soldier wants to get back home to live in peace with his family. The War was clearly hell for Donald Schuman, experiencing particularly harsh treatment as well as the near starvation that was typical for many
prisoners of war captured in the final months of the conflict, yet if anything, his ordeal increased when
he returned home and endured throughout his life. It is a gripping story, lovingly told, and ultimately it is a remarkably touching account of Schuman's life and how, in his final years, all his hardships were finally
over. ~Mark Hickman (webmaster@extraplan.demon.co.uk) www.pegasusarchive.org
She never felt safe at home as a young girl, and didn't understand why when she finally escaped she wasn't safe in the big wide world either ...effectively jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!
