“Diehl put his heart into this assignment, and his reports represent some of the best journalistic efforts I have read in my 37 years of newspaper involvement,” said Bryant Richardson, publisher of the Seaford and Laurel Star newspapers, which ran the accounts in 2007-08. “We know readers of today and tomorrow will enjoy learning more about this tumultuous time.”

A first-place award winner in the 2007 Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association’s editorial competition, the series recounts stories from battlefields in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as accounts from those who stayed stateside in support of the war effort.

“The Allies’ success in World War II took a concerted effort from many people in the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and elsewhere,” said Diehl, who has worked for several media outlets on the Delmarva Peninsula for nearly 15 years. “With this book, I wanted to tell the stories of these American heroes from a personal perspective. These are their stories, and they should be read and treasured by future generations of Americans.”

“World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware” tells the stories of 50 men and women with ties to southern Delaware, but they are not about the nation’s First State. They are about the war zones, the personal encounters and the firsthand accounts of a heroic group of Army soldiers, Navy seamen, U.S. Marines and others.

There are accounts from Iwo Jima, from the invasion of Normandy on D-Day and from Pearl Harbor. They are told with emotion and filled with pride for the United States of America.

“Through this project, I became intrigued by these heroic men and women and to their stories of bravery and dedication during a time when the future of the entire world was at stake,” said Diehl.