Author publishes local WWII accounts in time for Veterans Day

Next week, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Americans will recognize and honor military veterans on Veterans Day – a holiday that marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice concluding World War I. Delaware has a rich history of those who fought for the nation through military service, and one local author is shining a little more light on those heroes with a new book.

“Growing up, I remember, vividly, sitting in the family room, listening to my grandfather’s stories about the war,” recalled James Diehl, a Seaford native, this week. “But when you’re a kid, they’re just stories, and it’s hard to understand what these people experienced.”

Diehl’s fascination grew as he matured and, in the fall of 2007, he profiled 50 residents of Sussex County – 48 men and two women – who served for the United States in World War II. The personal memoirs began as a special series in the Seaford and Laurel Star newspapers, with a new feature each week through the end of the summer of 2008, and gained statewide and regional praise when they placed first at the 2007 Maryland-Delaware-D.C. (MDDC) Press Association editorial competition.

“More and more people told me how much they enjoyed the articles,” Diehl said, “and before long, they were recommending I put them into a book.”

In May of this year, Diehl released his first book, “Remembering Sussex County, from Zwaanendael to King Chicken,” but that didn’t keep from also finishing his highly anticipated publication “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware,” set for its official release date on Nov. 11, in honor of Veterans Day.

The collection recounts the heroic tales of 50 Delawareans who defended their country through some of the nation’s most pivotal and heart-wrenching times.

“These are emotional stories,” said Diehl. “They are very real and very personal. They are stories that you are not always going to read about in a history book.”

Memories from one Delaware Marine date back to the 1945 attack on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, where he was one of 17 members of his company of originally more than 300 to survive. Another is told by a U.S. Navy machinist who stood on the deck of a ship only 300 yards away from the sinking U.S.S. Arizona on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese.

An Army soldier relives the uncovering of Adolph Hitler’s military compound in the Alps. A soldier from the Laurel area retells fighting on the second day of D-Day, on the blood-stained shores of Normandy, France, wading through dozens of bodies while avoiding enemy fire. Other men tell of their survival in the German concentration camps at Dachau.

A women trained in the dietician corps explains her crucial role and how she become part of the “Rosie the Riveter” movement. Still another veteran was part of the group that built Fort Miles, near Lewes.

“A lot of people from our generation don’t comprehend what happened in Europe and Asia 50 and 60 years ago,” Diehl said. “All of these people are heroes, and this book puts it into perspective. If I can introduce these stories to a wider audience through this book, then I’ve accomplished my goal.”

The focus of the Delaware veterans in Diehl’s newest book is on veterans who live in western Sussex County, but Diehl said he plans to begin work at the first of the year on his newest project, “World War II Heroes of Coastal Delaware.” As he noted, there is no time to lose in documenting these stories.

“The window to talk to these heroes is closing rapidly,” he said.

Since his interviews, five of the veterans have passed away and, for others, deteriorating memory has posed difficulties in assembling stories.

“Time is of the essence,” said Diehl. “Before long, the opportunities to talk to these people will be lost forever.”

He has collected verbal accounts, as well as photographs and memorabilia from some of the county’s most prominent military personnel from the 1940s. And keeping the book self-published has allowed Diehl to present the stories as he originally intended.

“This project is just as much about educating the public as it is about putting out a book,” he said. “The tales are just amazing, and I wanted to maintain the quality of these memories. I’m proud of the way it turned out, and the final product is exactly the way I wanted it to be.”

He has even started documenting his interviews on videotape, with hopes of re-creating these stories with a more personal connection to those who lived them.

For more information about the author or to order “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware” for $19.99, visit www.ww2-heroes.com online. Discounted copies can be pre-ordered before Nov. 11. The publication will also be available for purchase at Amazon.com and at several museums, historical societies and independent bookstores throughout Sussex County. Diehl noted that readers can expect “World War II Heroes of Coastal Delaware” to hit shelves by Veterans Day of 2010.