On Saturday, November 22nd, Tom Simmons had a monumental book signing for Forgotten Heroes of World War II: Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers Land, Sea and Air. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the remaining three contributors, an infantryman, a fighter pilot and a sailor were there and signed every copy purchased.
Pictured: Thomas E. Simmons, Harry Bell, Jeanie Loiacono, Jerry O’Keefe, and Oscar Russell. This is a ‘must have’ book. Available everywhere books are sold.
Oscar Russell of “The Amphib Sailor,” story #7, was one of the very few who served in both the landings on D-day at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France and then in the Pacific for support of landings on Okinawa and anti-Kamikaze picket duty.
Harry Bell of “Present and Accounted For,” story #9, fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was taken prisoner by the Germans and marched sixty miles, without food, in freezing weather, to a rail junction. Men who fell out were shot. When liberated by U. S. troops, he weighed just ninety pounds, but had nursed his prison squad through the ordeal making sure meager rations were shared and blankets loaned to the sick. Too weak to walk, Harry crawled out to the U.S. tank commander who knocked down the prison gate, was helped to his feet, saluted, and proudly reported his entire prison squad, “All present and accounted for.”
Jeremiah J. O’Keefe of “A Long Way to Okinawa,” story #15, wanted to fly fighters. He enlisted in the Marines and was finally accepted for flight training, only to be assigned to transports. Risking a court martial, he used every trick in the book to finally get assigned to fighters, first to Wild Cats for training and then worked his way into a new Corsair squadron. He was sent to the Pacific in time to participate in the invasion of Okinawa. Nothing was easy on the long path to becoming a fighter pilot, but Jerry proved his worth in being a Marine Fighter Ace.
Thomas E. Simmons, author, entrepreneur, pilot, sailor, soldier, sales engineer, and world traveler said of the men whose stories are in this his fifth book, “It was an honor and a privilege to be in the presence of these men. You will understand that when you read their stories on the pages of Forgotten Heroes of World War II: Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers Land, Sea, and Air. I had to persuade them to tell their stories, stories they had never told even to their families. These men, quiet heroes every one, endured more than we can ever imagine for us who walk in the freedom they, and so many like them, secured for us. Victory by the Allies in World War II was a close thing. Freedom is not free. The men who fought for freedom against Axis tyranny paid a heavy price for the liberation of every foot of ground, every island, every ocean, every patch of sky. That is why America is called the land of the free and the home of the brave.
“Let’s each of us remember to thank all the men and women who have ever served and those who are protecting the world now who stood and today stand ready to defend you with their last full measure if necessary. God bless them and God bless America!”
Published by Taylor Trade Publishing www.rowman.com/TaylorTrade Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com Thomas E. Simmons www.thomasesimmons.net