Just Doing My Job
Stories of Service from World War II
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Preserving the personal histories of civilians and soldiers who united to defend America during the Second World War, this unique oral history tells the stories of ordinary citizens who left jobs and families behind to contribute to the war effort.
Chronicling the sacrifices made by otherwise average people, this keepsake features profiles of and interviews with the men and women who responded to the call to action by putting their lives on hold to fight for their country at home and abroad.
From soldiers and spies to factory workers and nurses, the heroes profiled in this history include Dick Hamada, a Japanese American who became a spy for the Office of Strategic Services; Edith McClure, an Army nurse stationed in England; Bobby Hite, one of the famed Doolittle Raiders, who was captured by the Japanese and endured years of torture and solitary confinement; and pilot Bob Hoover, who was shot down over enemy territory and imprisoned but managed to escape by stealing a German plane.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this revealing oral history, author Hoppes (Calculated Risk) gathers personal accounts of ordinary citizens who contributed to the 1940s war effort. The granddaughter of Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, who led America's first strike against Japan during World War II, she records the detailed stories of, among others, German Jew Rose Beal, who was 11 when Hitler came into power; Bonnie Gwaltney, a young woman who left North Carolina to work the assembly line at California's Douglas Aircraft; Carmelita Pope, a Chicago performer who traveled with the USO; and Navy corpsman Jack Hammett, who recalls the chaos and bloodshed of the attack on Pearl Harbor: "Everywhere I looked I saw broken bodies: the dead, the dying, some just barely hanging on, others merely stunned, all mixed together in a jumble." Particularly fascinating is the account of Dick Hamada, a Japanese-American soldier from Hawaii who worked for the newly formed Office of Strategic Services, the first U.S. intelligence agency. Their significant sacrifices and vivid memory make for engrossing narratives of perseverance and faith.
