Author James Diehl will make several local appearances in early December to promote his latest project, “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware.” Released on Veterans Day, the 234-page book profiles more than four dozen heroic men and women who came to the county’s defense in the 1940s.
“The stories contained in ‘World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware’ are very emotional, very personal and so very real,” says Diehl, a 1988 graduate of Laurel High School and a nearly lifelong resident of Sussex County. “I hope to introduce the stories of these brave men and women to as many people as possible over the next few months. These accounts deserve to be told and treasured for generations to come.”
Diehl kicks off his tour from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 3, with a brief lecture and book-signing event at the Laurel Public Library. Other events include an appearance at the Oak Orchard/Riverdale American Legion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5, and an all-day book signing event at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach beginning at 7 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 6.
Diehl returns to western Sussex County from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 16, where he will be a guest of the Nanticoke Senior Center in Seaford.
“I’m so excited to make these appearances and talk about this very important project,” says Diehl, who plans to begin working on “World War II Heroes of Coastal Delaware,” the second installment of the series, in January. “I invite everyone to come out and talk with me about the war and about the sacrifices these brave Americans made during a time unrivaled in the history of the world.”
The stories in the book are the personal encounters and firsthand accounts of a heroic group of Army soldiers, Navy seamen, United States Marines and others.
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.
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.
Copies of “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware” will be on sale at all of the events and are also available for purchase at ww2-heroes.com. Copies can also be purchased at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach Books, the Delaware Technical & Community College bookstore in Georgetown, Georgetown’s Nutter Marvel Carriage Museum and the Seaford Museum on High Street in downtown Seaford.
To learn more about the book, visit ww2-heroes.com or email thednbgroup@gmail.com.
|
