Death slaps your face, how hard depends on circumstances. A
W.W. II veteran raised me, a quiet man with strong moral values and work ethic
who demanded excellence, not just of himself but of me. To put my upbringing in
a Reader’s Digest format, let’s say my father did raise me up. Writing his war
story helped me understand the man’s hardened approach to life and why he cut
very few any slack.
Above and Beyond: radio silence unfolds from a young
man’s perspective. A boy loses his mother to consumption during the Depression.
His hardened father shows little sympathy while struggling with his own demons
and burdened with raising five children. When the war comes, many of my
father’s generation had very little to lose, except their lives.
Our book is about the inner battle in a time of outrageous
world events and conflict. Written as a work of creative nonfiction, we paged
through flight records, war memorabilia, reflected on verbal anecdotes shared
by the veteran in his later years, and did vast amounts of research. Our
research focused on life near the bases where he served as well as the events
of war. We immersed ourselves as best we could in the story. There were
emotional times during the writing, times of guilt and shame for not appreciating
more fully the experiences endured by a boy as he develops into a man. A man
who struggled to turn me into a man while protecting me from the abuse he
endured and never sharing his stories of deprivation. We must remember,
cherish, and understand the Greatest Generation. What made these men and women?
Why did they view the world so differently? Our book shares not just the
threats and violence of war, but the hearts of those living under the
circumstances.
Our mission in writing this story is to honor all veterans
who served in the history of our nation, whether in war or peace. We support
veterans’ organizations; we didn’t write this work to cash in on the suffering
and sacrifice of others. My editor/spouse is a 9-year veteran of the U.S.A.F.
We give away copies and have donated our total proceeds to organizations such
as the Veterans Breakfast Club, where we took part in book signings. Above and Beyond: radio silence is now available at the library of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Colonel Mark C Vlahos (U.S.A.F.-Ret.) and
author of Leading the Way to Victory gave the book advanced praise. Your
support will help veterans.
#aboveandbeyond #williamwright #jeffbailey
Welcome to my World
