FREEDOM'S HEROES
This book was conceived by Liz Needham of RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program).
The idea for the book sprang from her
realization
that today's children have no conception
of the price that has been paid in
the past
by their own families to preserve the
precious
freedom they take for granted. Written
for
eight-year-olds to adults, the book
became
a tool for capturing the experiences
of veterans
for their children and grandchildren
and
includes stories from World War II,
Korea
and Vietnam.
On learning that Becky Chaney had coordinated and edited the WGOT book,
Candle in the Attic, Liz Needham contacted Becky, a co-facilitator
of the Children's Writers genre, to
ask if
she would coordinate and edit the project.
Becky agreed to do this with the support
of the WGOT Children's Writers. Gail Fleagle volunteered to do the computer layout of
the book. Gail and Jan Fleagle, Mary Ferryman, Bob
and Mary Webb made up the strong support team that made
it all possible. More than 1,000 hours
were
volunteered by WGOT members and logged
onto
the project. Members of the Children's
Writers
edited and proofed the final stories.
Fifty-nine Guilford County
veterans contributed stories to the
anthology,
ranging from funny incidents to day-to-day
living to heavy combat, and representing
all branches of the military -- the
U.S.
Army, Navy, Army Air Corps, Marines,
WACs
and WAVEs.
The Writers' Group of the Triad obtained
permission to use Bill Mauldin cartoons
in
the book, plus sketches by Greensboro
artist
Donna Price of Presidents Roosevelt
and Truman
and British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill,
as well as permission by the News &
Record
to use front page headlines of major
war
events. The most time-consuming work
(and
the most rewarding) was in interviewing
the
veterans, getting their stories onto
paper,
getting back to them for approval,
and obtaining
photos to accompany each story. Some
stories
were contributed at a Writers' Workshop
presented
by WGOT members in May, 2002 and others
were mailed
in. In many cases, researchers visited the
homes
of veterans to interview them for
the
book. Some of the veterans recalled
experiences
that even their families had not heard
before.
A number of books were provided free to Guilford
county school libraries, and the Veterans
bought up a large quantity of the books
as
gifts for their family and friends.
To read
"Freedom's Heroes," or to see if someone
you know has contributed a story in
the anthology,
contact your local Guilford library.
The
first printing sold out quickly. The
book
is now in a second edition. Cartoons by Bill Mauldin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning
Army Times cartoonist whose characters - two downtrodden World War II
GIs, Willie and Joe - are featured
in
the book.
To Order: The books are priced at $15 each, but there are only a few copies left. If you
wish to purchase one or more copies
of "Freedom's
Heroes" you will need to contact the Retired Senior Volunteer Program Director,
301 E. Washington Street, Greensboro,
NC
27401, or call (336) 373-4816 and ask for Cindy or e-mail your request to
rsvp@senior-resources-guilford.org.
to see if you can purchase a copy by coming to the RSVP office.
In Memoriam: Bill Mauldin, the World War II cartoonist,
died of respiratory failure in January
2003
in Newport Beach, Calif. Within three
months
of publication, two of the fifty-nine
authors
who contributed to the anthology have
passed
on. Weddie Huffman, a Naval executive
officer
on an LST, survived kamikaze attacks
and
a deadly typhoon, but died in a house
fire
on Dec. 6, 2002 during an ice storm
that
knocked out power to his Greensboro
home.
Rosemarie S. Dodd, a Wave during World
War
II, also died recently with cancer.
But
their stories live on inside the pages of Freedom's Heroes in Guilford County
public libraries and schools.
