Where History and Heroes Meet
INDIANAPOLIS WORLD WAR II ROUNDTABLE - ERNIE PYLE CHAPTER
"A Time to Honor: Stories of Service, Duty and Sacrifice"
The Indiana Vietnam Veterans Gift (VetsGift.com) is an ongoing collaborative effort by the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) and Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans (WHVV) to find and thank the estimated 130,00 Vietnam Veterans living in Indiana. The free gift includes a hardcover book, "A Time to Honor: Stories of Service, Duty and Sacrifice," a DVD documentary, "The Journey Home," and an interactive eBook with hundreds of additional pages of Indiana stories of Vietnam Veterans. Two of our WWII Roundtable members, Paul "Pony Tail" Cauley and Jill Fewell had major parts in the creation of the gift website and books productions. (More in the April 2021 Newsletter, pages 5 & 6.)
Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts
Month-long, all-virtual festivals featuring well-known authors, award-winning films and performing arts events. Go to this link for more information: https://jccindy.org/community/festival-books-arts/?
History
Documentary
Based on newly available information, the son of famed U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers presents the facts and dispels misinformation in a Graphic Novel format about the Cold War espionage program that turned his father into a Cold War icon...
For more information and purchase details, please click this link.
"A Blessing Not a Burden:
My Parents' Remarkable Holocaust Story and My Fight to Keep Their Legacy Alive"
by Dr. Alex Kor and Graham Honaker
Dr. Kor's parents, Eva and Mickey Kor, survived the Holocaust, settled in Indiana, and went on to lead lives that served as an inspiration to thousands. The co-authors will detail the Kors' remarkable and harrowing journeys and touch on Eva Kor's public forgiveness of the Nazis, a controversial yet courageous stand.
A Graphic Novel
X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II, by Leah Garrett
Interviewed by Kathryn W. Lerch, historian and educator
You might think this book is a page-turning novel, but it is thoroughly researched and excellently written history. June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill forms an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley crew of intellectuals, artists and athletes, most from Germany and Austria who became elite shock troops, dealing devastating blows against the Nazis. This is their astonishing story. (Go to this link to purchase a copy of her book.)
Japanese-American Internment in World War II
"After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. government declared that immigrant Jap-anese—Issei—were “enemy aliens” and many Issei men were detained by the FBI. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the U.S. Army to remove Issei and American-born Japanese who were citizens—called Nisei—from the West Coast."
World War II Roundtable Authors
Book Suggestions from our WWII RT authors are now posted on our website, here, under "Resources/Recommended Reading." Please refer here for book information. Feel free to contact any of these authors if you have questions about which book might be the perfect one:
1. Ronald P. May 317-435-7636
2. Richard Osborne (Ozzie) 317-849-3680
3. Kathryn Lerch (for Park Tudor’s Legacy Project) 317-251--8661
4. Kayleen Reusser 260-273-9264
5. John Shively 765-491-7010
"Japanese Eyes—American Heart: Personal Reflections of Hawaii’s World War II Nisei Soldiers"
Please click on this image link to access this WWII Roundtable Jan 2024 Newsletter article on page 4: "Recommended Books to Start the New Year."
Richard Osborne (Phone: 317-849-3680, Email c/o: josieroquenovo@att.net)
(Top photo:)Andrew Bowman wearing a Civil War uniform and carrying the flag bearing the name of the regiment his grandfather, Andrew Jackson Smith, belonged to. Photo source: Arthur M. Glick JCC Indianapolis, JCCindy.org
(Left photo:) Andrew Jackson Smith, Civil War soldier, Medal of Honor Recipient
"As the Imperial Japanese Army swept across China and South Asia at World War II's outset, closing all of China's seaports, more than 200,000 Chinese laborers embarked on a seemingly impossible task: to cut a 700-mile overland route -- the Burma Road -- from the southwest Chinese city of Kunming to Lashio, Burma. But when Burma fell in 1942, the Burma Road was severed. As the first step of the Allied offensive toward Japan, American general Joseph Stilwell reopened it, while, at the same time, keeping China supplied by air-lift from India and simultaneously driving the Japanese out of Burma.
"From the breathtaking adventures of the American "Hump" pilots who flew hair-raising missions over the Himalayas to make food-drops in China to the true story of the mission that inspired the famous film The Bridge on the River Kwai, to the grueling jungle operations of Merrill's Marauders and the British Chindit Brigades, The Burma Road vividly re-creates the sprawling, sometimes hilarious, often harrowing, and still largely unknown stories of one of the greatest chapters of World War II.
“'Time Runs Out in CBI' Carrying the narrative from General Wedemeyer's assumption of command to the end of the war, this volume concludes with Americans still working to improve the Chinese Army while attempting to fly in sufficient sup-plies from India and Burma. This is available as a Kindle book on Amazon. Twentieth Air Force is available through Abe Books online."
(Source: November 2021 WWIIRT Newsletter, Page 4.)
March 27, 2023
Announcing Ronald P. May's newest book
"World War II Indiana Landmarks" published by The History Press. It will be available on or before May 1, 2023. This book explores Indiana’s great contribution to the war by highlighting many of the military bases, memorials, monuments, and museums throughout the state as well as sharing the stories of those who served in combat theaters and at home.
The book includes chapters on the Indiana War Memorial, World War II Memorial, National Medal of Honor Memorial, and USS Indianapolis Memorial, all in downtown Indianapolis.
Books can be acquired directly from the author Ronald P. May by contacting him at: ron@ronaldpmay.com) or from The History Press by contacting Hali Lawrence at: hlawrence@arcadiapublishing.com.
View the brief YouTube video link for an overview of the book. https://youtu.be/e94ueVnRK_I.
"For more information on Dr. Kometani and his family’s history in Japan and Hawaii, go to this link: https://www.100thbattalion.org/history/veterans/officers/katsumi-doc-kometani/
"There is an important connection between the Nisei soldiers and Gen. Mark Clark. Please check out the link to the famous 442nd Combat Regiment and also watch the two-minute video clip about an event in July 1944: https://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675072897_Japanese-American-soldiers_Italian-Campaign_General-Mark-Clark_34th-Infantry-Division Clark’s words of praise were also seconded by President Harry Truman: “You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice — and you won.”
"For more information on the 442nd, go to: ‘Go For Broke’ (442nd RCT): http://www.goforbroke.org/learn/history/military_units/442nd.php
Further reading and more online resources:
WWII Roundtable August 2021 Newsletter, pages 4-6
Kathryn W. Lerch, editor:
"After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. government declared that immigrant Japanese — Issei — were “enemy aliens” and many Issei men were detained by the FBI. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the U.S. Army to remove Issei and American-born Japanese who were citizens —called Nisei — from the West Coast."
Reading Suggestions: (Source: December 2021 WWIIRT Newsletter, Page 5.)
1. The Daughters of Yalta - The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrismans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz.
The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference’s fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. - This is a book club choice for the Indianapolis English Speaking Union in February 2022, timed of course to coincide with the anniversary of the Yalta Conference in 1945.
2. The Splendid and the Vile - A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance during the Blitz by Erik Larson.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis. - It was also a book club choice for the Indianapolis English Speaking Union in 2021. This is the perfect book if you wish to know more about Churchill and his understanding of the Third Reich. A gripping book, one which you will not want to put down either!
Ronald P. May
The preferred way to order "Our Service Our Stories, Vols. 1 & 2" is to do so directly from my website: www.ronaldpmay.com/shop/
Since I personally ship out the books ordered from my website, I can ensure that books are signed and even personalized. Each of my two books is $24.95 plus tax (where applicable) and shipping. For those who live close enough to meet me locally on the North side of Indianapolis, I can also sell them my books directly from my mobile book store (ie, my trunk). They can save on shipping costs, but tax will still be applicable. Phone: 317-435-7636
Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts
Month-long, all-virtual festivals featuring well-known authors, award-winning films and performing arts events.
Go to this link for more information: https://jccindy.org/community/festival-books-arts/?
China - Burma - India Theater. Read the "stories of daring pilots who “flew the hump” of the mighty Himalayas, freewheeling guerrilla fighters known as Merrill’s Marauders, and other stories." Click on this link: Search results for China Burma India Theater, Available Online, Veterans History Project, Web Page, News from the Library of Congress | Library of Congress (loc.gov). It takes you to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress for more stories.
For now, only #1, #4, and #7 are downloadable from this list.
More coming soon.
1. The World War II TIMES Jan 1989 Vol 4 No 1 32pp
2. The World War II TIMES Mar 1989 Vol 4 No 2 32pp
3. The World War II TIMES Apr 1989 Special Issue Vol 4 No 3 37pp
4. The World War II TIMES Jul 1989 Vol 4 No 4 32pp
5. The World War II TIMES Aug-Sep 1990 Vol 5 No 5 36pp
6. The World War II TIMES Nov 1989 Vol 4 No 6 33pp
7. The World War II TIMES Farewell 1985-1999 Vol 14 No 4 12pp
This excellent documentary has two parts and is posted on Ivy Tech's "LIBRARY GUIDES" web page/Asian Pacific American Heritage/Documentaries & Cultural Links.
Link to Part 1 and Part 2 (navigate down on left column, "Cultural Links," almost at bottom of page):
https://library.ivytech.edu/c.php?g=1110440&p=8559004.
(Source and credit: Link was made possible by IvyTech Library. Photo copied from documentary.)
Leah Garrett, Author
A compilation of 18 stories from male veterans from Northeast Indiana, Michigan, and Alabama.
Photo source, the author's website: World War II Indiana Landmarks | Ronald P. May - Author (ronaldpmay.com)
Dick "Ozzie" Osborne's WWII Trivia for August 2021: "Japanese-Americans Interned During WWII"
(Source: August 2021 Newsletter, page 2.)
Online Resources and WWII Roundtable July 2020 Newsletter, pages 4-7, Kathryn W. Lerch, editor: "Here is a link to fifteen suggestions for books about Japanese-American internment during WWII:
https://www.oregonlive.com/books/2017/02/15_books_for_learning_about_ja.html
In particular, we recommend two outstanding ones: "Farewell to Manzanar and Snow Falling on Cedars." There were “exceptions” to internment, in particular Japanese American students who went to college and Nisei from Hawaii who joined the famous 442 Infantry—the most decorated of any American unit in WWII. See Allan W. Austin’s “From Concentration Camp to Campus: Japanese American Students and World War II."
Silent Sacrifices: Stories of Japanese-American Incarceration