Voices of Winchester World War II Veterans, American Chronicles

Name: Voices of Winchester World War II Veterans, American Chronicles
Author: Adrian J. O'Connor

Stories of the Greatest Generation come alive in the hands of longtime local journalist Adrian O'Connor What made the D-Day attack on Omaha Beach so remarkable was that it was carried out largely out by National Guardsman - men of the 29th Infantry Division who had never before seen combat. One of the companies that was part of this historic day hailed from the environs of Winchester, Virginia. Winchester's martial gallantry was hardly restricted to the beaches of Normandy, though. A future city councilor came ashore at Anzio, Italy. A future school principal fought in what may have been the Pacific's toughest battle, Iwo Jima. Local men held the line at the climactic Battle of the Bulge, flew over Europe and the oil fields of Ploesti and even escaped a German prisoner-of-war camp.

Adrian J. O'Connor

A native of Jersey City, New Jersey, Adrian O'Connor belatedly followed the advice of his dear mother--"Go to newspapers, young man"--and ended up spending forty years in the inky-wretch(ed) industry. First, though, there was extended pursuits of the history muse, as witnessed by his two degrees--BA, Randolph-Macon College (1976), and MA, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (1979)--in that discipline. Over those forty years, his ports of journalistic call included Petersburg, Emporia, South Boston, Danville and Winchester, all in Virginia. This book is O'Connor's second compilation of writings for The History Press.