Dad as Sergeant (Odrowski Collection).

There were many rewarding things about writing the book, The Battle of Buffalo Wallow. In particular, was my opportunity to connect with sons and daughters of other veterans that served with my father in World War II. A truly serendipitous connection occurred when I came across a blog post in January of 2014. The keywords of “44th General Hospital” brought me to the story told by Colleen Janes about her father Richard.

Our Fathers Shared the Same Story

I was on the edge of my seat as I read the post describing her father’s World War II story. I realized that I had heard my Dad tell this story too. Although, at that time, I hadn’t “connected the dots” to its historical context. Finally, many of the “dots” were connecting. For example, my Dad’s story of Japanese paratroopers, tense days and nights under attack, and the Japanese officer’s sword that he brought home. Additionally, as a result of following that thread, I was able to connect with other veteran’s accounts. Likewise I was able to find references to the historical context of my father’s World War II story. This was due to the fact that I now had a place, a date, and a description of the unique events that he and his unit shared.

Passing On Your Father’s World War II Story

Thanks to Colleen and her sister, Tudie Rose, for posting their father’s World War II story. Subsequently we’ve shared additional information through some great online meetings. As a result, this has broadened our knowledge and appreciation of our family member’s war experience. Tudie graciously provided a review of my book on her blog site. As Tudie so eloquently describes, we owe it to our future generations to record the stories of their ancestors. Otherwise, the rich lives and experiences of the people who came before us (and gave so much) will be lost. For this reason, I’ve provided some helpful tips for researching your own family member’s experience in World War II.