Our Soldiers’ Stories: Kern County Goes to War-From the Beaches of Normandy to the Deserts of Iraq

This is a special book. It is a special book because anyone who reads this anthology of soldiers stories across three generations of war will be profoundly moved by the courage, compassion, and selflessness of our men and women in uniform. As the title indicates, the stories in this volume span three generations of war of Kern County, California, veterans; yet their stories are universal, even timeless. They fought Hitler's Wehrmacht in France and Germany; shot down kamikazes off Okinawa in the Pacific theater; survived arctic cold and overwhelming odds at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea; served bravely in the the rice paddies and jungles of Vietnam (and as nurses in military hospitals); and, in more recent years, fought bitterly against the barbarism of al Qaeda terrorists in an inhospitable and alien Iraq. Anyone interested in the human face of war-the suffering, the sacrifice, the unwavering sense of duty-will find this book a most rewarding read.

""Passing on stories of military service is as old as the Bible and Homer. Craig Luther, an experienced and respected military historian, continues this tradition with this collection of two dozen stories told by Kern County, California veterans. All share a common thread of service that binds all veterans, yet each narrative is unique as the people telling them. The reader will be touched, saddened, and at times amused, but will put the volume down with a sense of profound respect, and gratitude. This book is a valuable addition to local history, as well as to military history in general. I highly recommend it." Jonathan P. Roth, Professor of History, San Jose State University.