I was very honored to share that The Mom’s Choice Awards® previously named The Mommy-Go-Round as among the best in family-friendly media, products and services. Having had some health issues this year, it was difficult to commit but not long ago I was able to be interviewed by their organization and I just found out that the interview was recently published! I hope you’ll get a chance to check it out! Very excited for The MoMmY-Go-RoUnD and this chance to be interviewed for this wonderful award!
Moms Choice interview
I've been told that the length of my book can be a bit intimidating but let's remember, it was a long war and my father and many others lived through it! Yesterday I had the pleasure of getting a call from someone that I know had just started to read The Heart of a Soldier. The first thing she shared with me was that she couldn't put it down and that she actually completed it in several days! She also couldn’t believe that my mom kept all the letters all those years. Not mentioning her name but I will share that she is 96 years young (❣️) and she reminisced some about living through World War II and how the book brought back lots of memories of what it was like during the war! Prior to her marriage, she said she dated a soldier who was wounded twice in Germany and received two purple hearts! She also said she loved the book which, of course, made my day!! Admittedly she also sounded a bit surprised that I wrote it! Lol! To be honest, being a non-historian at heart, writing, researching, and putting The Heart of a Soldier together was certainly a challenge! I have since done some contemplating myself about “the road I traveled” for about five years as The Heart of a Soldier came together. Initially as I read the letters, I wanted to share them and my parents’ story, but reading them also stirred my own interest to better understand what was occurring in the war as the letters were written. And from there, the desire to share some WWII history with others without forcing them to read a textbook! I also shared in the book, that I believe that the Lord watched over me in this undertaking, raising interest in my own husband, which gradually lead me to an individual in particular who became a helpful mentor to me as I worked to complete this heartfelt undertaking! Anyway, it meant so much to me for my friend to share her thoughts on The Heart of a Soldier and I loved that she couldn’t put the book down! See? It moves fast! LOL! Thanks for humoring me as I share these moments when someone shares with me how much they enjoyed The Heart of a Soldier.
If after reading this, you decide you want to check it out, it's available locally at the Whistlestop Bookshop and their online store at https://www.whistlestoppers.com as well as other online sources and it is also available as an eBook. And of course, I have copies available.
Couldn’t resist sharing my Dad’s medal’s. The Silver Star, Purple Heart and Bronze Medal. You can read more about the stories behind the medals in the book.
One of the fun things about getting feedback on The Heart of a Soldier is hearing how the book personally touched people’s lives. Recently a dear friend let me know that her Mom, who is almost 92 started reading my dad’s book. She said her mom was absolutely loving it! Her mom said it reminded her of her brothers who served during World War II and that she was learning so much about history during that time period! I’ve heard that before and was even told that someone felt the book transported them to that time in our history! JUST SIX DAYS LATER (!), her mom finished The Heart of a Soldier! My friend shared that her mom pretty much couldn’t put the book down! I absolutely loved that! She said she was only 9 or 10 during the war and she recalls hearing her dad talk about the war. She remembered letters coming from her brothers and that the government had censored some of the information in the letters. I know I saw at least one of those in Dad’s letters especially near D-Day! Her mom also remembered that her dad and her brothers (my friend’s uncles), had come up with codes so that the parents would have some idea where the boys were overseas, but that this was some of the information that the government didn’t want to get out. In a couple letters, and probably before the letters were being read and censored, my Dad also created a coded list of potential places (yes there were many places throughout the world that they might be sent!)! My Dad’s initial plan was to communicate his whereabouts using a code list tied to my Dad saying he played cards and lost money, with each dollar amount lost tied to the potential places where he might have been shipped. However, the government must have been on to that as Dad later wrote and said they couldn’t do that as it was a Court Martial Offense to share information of troop whereabouts. It was definitely a different world too when it came to communication and the restrictions that could be applied!
If you haven’t checked it out yet, I hope you’ll give it a whirl! There’s a nice excerpt on the publisher’s website available to download.
Excited to share that I've been getting some wonderful feedback from readers of The Heart of a Soldier, my book centered around my father’s letters sent home during World War II where he shared his heart and thoughts, as well as his training and combat experiences in the European Theater serving in General Patton’s “Super Sixth.” As I originally read the letters, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the war as they were written. In fact, I also found and included some of my uncle's letters as they served in the Pacific Theater, and it was interesting to learn their perspective on life in the South Pacific during wartime. It was definitely NOT a honeymoon resort at that time! Anyway, it was the love of the letters and at that time, my own lack of World War II knowledge that started me on my own lengthy quest for a better understanding of the history and issues of World War II as well as the war’s impact to life on the Homefront…where my own mom and so many others waited patiently. And anyone that has read any of my prior writing, or checked out the online sneak peak of the book, knows that nothing in my family is ever done without a little humor! Hope you’ll check it out too! And thank you again to those who have shared their thoughts with me after reading The Heart of a Soldier! (Available instore or online at the Whistlestop Bookshop and other options online including Kindle. Follow me @elalspaugh on both Instagram and Twitter.
At this busy time of year (Merry almost Christmas!), I have been so happy to get some feedback from readers in the process or having completed reading The Heart of a Soldier! Very hopeful that this continues! I gathered some comments from email and texts I’ve received as well as conversations I’ve had with readers that I know. It’s been interesting to hear about the readers’ own relatives who served during World War II and their sharing of their soldier’s war and post war experiences and memories. I’m sure that my father’s letters might be quite similar to other soldiers’ letters. However, over the course of writing The Heart of a Soldier and talking to people about it, so many people have told me that a family member had some letters but now the family no longer has them or only kept a few. Hope that The Heart of a Soldier can give all readers a glimpse into the life of the WWII soldier and their thoughts and feelings. I’m sure they all missed their homes and the good old USA so much particularly at this time in 1944 when they were about to enter The Battle of the Bulge!!
So here are some excerpts and descriptions from texts, emails and conversations regarding The Heart of a Soldier and thank you to all who shared these!!
“I just finished reading the book. All I can say is outstanding.”
“Great job”
I LOVE IT! I couldn’t put it down! Stayed up till 5 am one night reading and 2 am another night! I can’t believe all your research! I have learned so much! Everyone should read this! (Paraphrased as she excitedly shared with me but Love her train of thought! LOL!)
“Your book is amazing El! What an intro and forward! I am on the first chapter. I had no idea you did so much research on WWII”
“Phenomenal research!”
“If history books were written like this, I would have paid attention. This is awesome! Not liking it -- Loving it!”
“…succinctly, it was superb. I used one word to balance out your thousands.”
Finished reading it on Friday. There were times reading it I couldn’t put it down. Great book El. !!!
Remembering our country and the lives lost and changed forever, on the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. This headline is included in The Heart of a Soldier, courtesy of Williamstown American Legion Post 239. During the midst of writing this, I attended a dear friend's party being held at this Post. I walked in and was surrounded by historic newspaper headlines framed and hung all around the room. I felt like I had stepped back into the time period that I had been extensively researching. It was both deeply moving and somewhat surreal. I don't think many adults can think of this date and it's impact on this country, it's soldiers and citizens during World War II and not be moved. We were and are quite a country. Giving thanks for this country and those who stepped up to defend the USA and the Allied countries during WWII, and thankful for those who continue to defend this great country even today.
Remembering the Man With “The Heart of a Soldier”
October 9, 1944 will always be a date to remember in my Father’s life. This is the date my Dad, 1st Sgt. George Donald, was wounded during WWII. And certainly, had things gone differently, I might not have been here to write this or his book that I call "The Heart of a Soldier" which I have been working on for a number of years. His action, bravery and determination to save his fellow soldiers that day earned him the Silver Star as well the Purple Heart. After he recovered, he rejoined his unit, the 44th Armored Infantry Battalion, part of Gen. Patton’s Sixth Armored Division, in time to serve during the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his action and leadership in that battle.
Anyone that knew my Dad, knew him to be a quiet, sweet, fun-loving man, not the tallest man and probably not someone that you would ever suspect was considered a war hero. However, as the expression goes, he had the right stuff. In all the research I’ve done for "The Heart of the Soldier," I’m amazed at the challenges those serving faced and overcame. In my Dad’s case, as part of the Normandy invasion, they landed in July, 1944. There were many days of fighting but on October 9th, their platoon was ambushed in France and there were 20 casualties, including the platoon leader who was killed. My Dad told us that the tanks were behind them, unaware of the ambush since the area they were moving through was considered secure. My Father knew they needed to alert the tank unit of the need for support. With little to no cover, Dad had to dive behind the only thing available, a farmer's field of cabbage plants. In the process, he was shot 3 times, once through the nose and also through his shoulder and arm but this did not stop him. My Mom would then always tell us that the Germans were aiming for his head as they knew what he was trying to accomplish. The Silver Star citation said that under heavy enemy fire, he rallied the remainder of the platoon and led them forward and that he led a section of tank destroyers into his area to cover his men while they took up new positions. Although wounded, he continued to lead until he was eventually evacuated due to his injuries. "His aggressive leadership and gallantry are in keeping with the finest traditions of the United States Infantrymen."
I’m very happy to share on this anniversary of my Father’s wounding, that "The Heart of a Soldier" will be published in early 2022. "The Heart of a Soldier" centers around Dad's letters written home during the war, my parents' wartime love story, as well as the path and experiences of Patton’s Sixth Armored Division. To provide background to the letters Dad wrote, the book also includes excerpts and discussion of select World War II historical events from both the European Theater and the Pacific Theater where my uncles also bravely served. It is my hope to honor not only my father and mother, but also my uncles and others from that generation. "The Heart of a Soldier" also includes excerpts from some of my uncles’ letters and letters from a couple of my parents’ friends who also served. The book definitely provides some insight into the lives of the many soldiers and civilians so greatly impacted by WWII. With so many lives lost during that war, I know my Dad and our family were truly blessed during those war years, even those of us who were at the time still just a “twinkle in my parents’ eyes.” Stay tuned for more updates!!