LEGACIES: Stories from the Second World War was chosen by The Veterans History Project as a featured selection at the 2012 National Book Festival in Washington D.C. This is an original collection of firsthand accounts of the war based on the award-winning radio show of the same name.
War is more than facts and figures. Each battle is a series of unique moments experienced by individuals and LEGACIES gives these men and women an opportunity to tell their own stories. What was George Doyle thinking when he landed on Utah Beach on D-Day? In his words, “There’s no way back and you couldn’t turn around and go any place because the ocean was behind you. It’s a long swim back to England.” During The Bataan Death March, Richard Francies realized he was just too sick to go on. “I got malaria and I felt an attack coming on and I was getting dizzy and I knew I had to step out of line. I had to get someplace where I could sit down. I was real reluctant to do it because when you fell out of line or you fell and couldn’t get up, your friends weren’t allowed to carry you and the Japs would either shoot you or bayonet you.” When no guards were near, he crawled into the bushes on the side of the road. A few minutes later, a Japanese medic found him and saved his life. These are the stories you seldom find in official accounts.
LEGACIES: Stories from the Second World War features personal stories, diaries and essays and includes never before published photos and rare graphics from veterans collections. LEGACIES is an anthology of compelling stories lived by ordinary people during an extraordinary time.
War is more than facts and figures. Each battle is a series of unique moments experienced by individuals and LEGACIES gives these men and women an opportunity to tell their own stories. What was George Doyle thinking when he landed on Utah Beach on D-Day? In his words, “There’s no way back and you couldn’t turn around and go any place because the ocean was behind you. It’s a long swim back to England.” During The Bataan Death March, Richard Francies realized he was just too sick to go on. “I got malaria and I felt an attack coming on and I was getting dizzy and I knew I had to step out of line. I had to get someplace where I could sit down. I was real reluctant to do it because when you fell out of line or you fell and couldn’t get up, your friends weren’t allowed to carry you and the Japs would either shoot you or bayonet you.” When no guards were near, he crawled into the bushes on the side of the road. A few minutes later, a Japanese medic found him and saved his life. These are the stories you seldom find in official accounts.
LEGACIES: Stories from the Second World War features personal stories, diaries and essays and includes never before published photos and rare graphics from veterans collections. LEGACIES is an anthology of compelling stories lived by ordinary people during an extraordinary time.
