My Father’s War – Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers by author Charley Valera. iUniverse Publishing.
A remarkable testament to the Greatest Generation. The majority of the WWII heroes have passed, and their stories are escaping us every day. Charley’s interviews and stories from the veterans resound with valor, heroism, and stories that almost did not reach the press. I have empathy for Charley and his selection of heroes. Their era was not the in your face braggarts we see today from our military. These are men who did their job and came home to continue building a great nation. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.
Mr. Giovanni (Gene) Valera would be proud of his son’s accomplishments and especially this book. This book reaches back to capture more of the great stories and tales from World War II that almost got away from us.
I have empathy for Charley, I too had my father and uncle serve in World War II and came home but did not want to talk about it. When we see today’s, headlines plastered with Seal Team Six’s latest take down every other week It truly seems smug in comparison to how these men and women handled themselves after their war.
This book has awesome interviews and stories from Airmen, Marines, and Soldiers who trusted Charley with their stories and personal information to ensure their stories and those of their fellow warriors did not go untold. Their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids will be grateful that these strong personalities were captured properly and in a very professional way. As Charley walks us through these stories, we are reminded that some of their friends they served with did not come home. Is that their source of humility? Of course, It certainly is a huge part of it. That speaks volumes to their character and how they handled themselves over the years.
“Charley’s father spent four years fighting during World War II and came home to live the rest of his life, “Without telling his story”. Charley leveraged that fact, dug deep and worked to fill that void with stories that he hunted down, researched, and put to pen. Your father and family are proud of this book and all it means to you and the thousands of others that did not get to hear the Father’s stories!
Written in 2017, this book will continue to resonate over the years for a grateful nation. In today’s media landscape this book is like a light breeze of fresh air. If you have not read and talked to a member of the Greatest Generation, hurry, these living heroes and great men will not be here forever. Their time is slowly fading but their legends, stories, and history will be with us for the rest of our lives.
This book is available on Amazon.com (US) and iUniverse.
