"Freedom's Servants" collects the still vivid memories of WWII Veterans as they recount their experiences in that war; experiences that were to influence their life paths over the seven-plus decades since the war. Though mostly teens, their service ranged from one momentous day of active duty to eighteen months of confinement in a German POW camp; where in every case, they served with honor and patriotic pride. No bitterness was part of their stories, regardless of any ongoing physical impact the war had on their lives. For them, duty and honor reigned, and reigns still. Humor was one of their survival weapons, even in the bleakest of times. That humor quickly bubbled up as they retold their stories and, has been delightfully captured in the accounts. The stories were largely extracted during personal interviews and their words were embedded in the stories. The stories are very much in their spirit, and often in their voices. Mostly Midwesterners, they frequently came from rural backgrounds; but, thanks to the GI Bill, they became entrepreneurs, engineers, physicians and artists of national renown. Stories cut across all book genres, as we read of a passionate romance interrupted for 45 years by the war. The story of a 19-year old assigned to the top secret planning of the D-Day invasion of Normandy conveys the humility that such enormous responsibility instilled. A GI, who became a nationally recognized artist, described in vivid colors and emotions, a non-denominational communion service led by a Chaplain before a battle. Tongue in cheek, another relates his emotional attachment to a massive military weapon. The deprivations of three-months in a foxhole become vivid in another story. The wartime service of women in uniforms, and in training, give important insights into the vital roles women played in the great conflict, and how those experiences moved them toward their careers in peacetime. Stateside memories touch on the children left at home and the teachers who taught the children with absent parents. One voice is that of a woman describing her rescue after four years of confinement in a forced-labor camp in Germany. This is not a dry history, but a personal glimpse of the WWII-era service of very young men and women, who, coming out of the Depression, had to put their lives on hold. This book is a perfect introduction to the WWII era for readers of all ages as it's focused on personal stories. Young people will be inspired to see how those, who were mostly teens, like themselves, responded in a time of great national peril and risk. War, the ultimate school of hard knocks rapidly instilled character and skill into the teenage draftees and, coupled with their dependable work-ethic, shaped them for a future they could not have foreseen when they were in high school. The story of Freedom's Servants will make all readers want to be even better citizens.
About the Author: Doug Mattox took degrees at Rutgers University. Upon graduating he began a 25-year career in research and management at the Westinghouse R&D Center in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1989, he became Chair of Ceramic Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, where he taught for 14 years. "Giving back," he taught high school chemistry for two years, followed by adjunct teaching at two local universities before devoting himself fully to technical consulting and serving as an expert witness, roles in which he continues to be active. Always passionate about writing and speaking, both about the sciences and non-sciences, he served, by invitation, as a regular newspaper columnist on subjects close to his heart. Those writings sowed seeds that grew into this book which served as a means of honoring those, like his relatives, who served in WWII. Maggy Ruhe-Spencer, having degrees from Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis has had management roles at Kraft Foods and Angelica Uniforms. Subsequently she spent 12 years as an end-of-life counselor in funeral services. For the last 15 years she has been with Lutheran Senior Services, currently serving as Director of Stewardship. Maggy is a proud first-generation American of immigrant parents, survivors of Nazi Germany during WWII. This is the inspiration for her appreciation of American Veterans.