Latest Ohio World War Two History Book Features Letters From G.I.'s

Online, November 7, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Clarksburg, Ohio: In time for Veteran's Day, a new Ohio military history book tells the unique story of an entire Ross County village's World War Two effort through the words of the combat veterans themselves.

From Somewhere In France: Letters to Ohio From a World at War, is a follow up to Victor Cleary's 2006 release, Clarksburg's Courageous: World War Two, and features nearly 200 personal letters mailed home to the village of Clarksburg by the area's WWII veterans. The book uniquely weaves the letters together into chronological and topical themes commonly discussed by the village's servicemen and women while immersed in training, combat and intense reflection following the war.

According to Cleary, "From Somewhere in France is a unique Ohio history book taking readers on a number of parallel journeys through the war, including descriptions of camp life in the states, bombing missions over Europe, battlefield operations from Normandy to Okinawa and even letters from POW camps and personal reactions to the Holocaust and the atomic destruction of Hiroshima. Unlike broad, narrative histories of large military operations, the piece provides a first person perspective of the war as it was fought and experienced collectively by the men and women from one small Ross County community."

The author also points out the significance of the title and the constant danger many of the men faced. "During the WWII, ambiguous letter headings such as 'Somewhere In France,' 'From Somewhere in Germany,' and 'Somewhere in the Pacific,' were commonly used by servicemen instructed to censor their location or risk their lives. Censorship was a serious business during the war and listing a location on a letter, or tipping off the location of your unit could spell serious disaster or even death for hundreds and maybe thousands of fighting men in one area," according to Cleary.

The book is available at Book World, 16 W. Water Street in Chillicothe, or can be printed-on-demand through the publisher, Lulu Press, by visiting www.lulu.com and typing "From Somewhere In France" in the site's search box, or by linking directly to the book at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/from-somewhere-in-france/11931727