France’s Duty is “To Trust”
While doing research for the book, I found this article. After reading the first few lines, all I could do was let out a big, long sigh.READ MORE
This nostalgia-filled letter tugged at my heartstrings. You can feel the connection this soldier is yearning for as he asks about old friends and recalls carefree moments before the war. READ MORE
What’s the first thing that caught my eye about this postcard from September, 1943? The unusual emerald green ink, of course!READ MORE
On June 6, 1944, the mother of Lou B.—who at the time was in military training in Massachusetts—wrote this letter capturing her reaction to the D-Day invasion.READ MORE
Second to Marcel Heuzé’s letters, this postcard has been the most incredible find.READ MORE
Two weeks ago, I received a phone call extending an invitation for my Uncle Allen to be a guest of honor at a special event at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum.READ MORE
This postcard was written August 12, 1944 by a man named Marcel.READ MORE
I presume this postcard was written by a Dutch laborer; clues include the date, the censor marks, the fact she was in Berlin. READ MORE
Earlier this year, my 91-year-old uncle, Allen Porter, was invited to be part of a panel of veterans at a WWII lecture at Fort Snelling. The topic was the liberation of the concentration camps. READ MORE
It might seem strange to say, but since finding Marcel’s letters, it feels as though other letters have found me. This is one such letter, which I recently had translated into English.READ MORE
During the last couple of weeks, I’ve been double-checking sources cited in the manuscript. READ MORE
December 25, 1944
France
No. 42
My darling wife,
It is Xmas day, and as far as the Army is concerned everything has been done possible to make it pleasantREAD MORE
Dearest Mary,
This evening I felt an occasion to be spent at something other than work, so for the first time in a week I am here in my Nissen Hut before “lights out.”READ MORE
By the summer of 1942, large numbers of working-age German men had been transferred to the eastern or western fronts to fight. This resulted in increased vacancies at factories and mines at the very point in time when more laborers were needed to support the German war industry.
A note from Carolyn: Louise Dillery was one of two individuals who translated Marcel’s letters into English. When I asked what she would say to people in her beloved Paris following last week’s attack, she wrote the following, and wanted me to help get her message out:READ MORE
Last Thursday evening, I had the honor of sharing Marcel’s story to 90 people at the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society annual meeting. READ MORE
Last week, I attended one of a long-running series of World War II lectures at Fort Snelling. Each gathering, an author or expert gives a presentation, followed by a panel of WWII vets who provide first-person testimony related to the evening’s topic.
Yesterday, a small cardboard box arrived, and as I walked up the driveway, I tried to puzzle out who it was from. When I opened it, I was delighted to see a hard-cover book from a Kickstarter campaign I backed months earlier, and had nearly forgotten about.