Lt. Vernon J. Baker

The writing of this book has been a profoundly moving experience in getting to know these seven African American Medal of Honor winners from WWII. They were denied their recognition for more than four decades.

I am simply in awe of their achievements and who they were as human beings. I set out with a goal for Immortal Valor, I wanted the reader to get to know these men far beyond their Medal of Honor citations. It has taken a great deal of research and hard work behind the scenes, but so far, I can report "we" have been accomplishing that mission. There is a reason I use the word "we."

I am a spiritual person, and I fully believe these men who are all deceased are aware of the book. I feel their guiding hand when I am stuck trying to confirm a fact or search for the perfect personal anecdote to bring their personalities to life. 

Every obstacle I encounter seems to dissolve as I move through it. And quite often, I will come up with finds that are pure gold. One of those "finds" is Vernon Baker's interview with the Veteran's History Project sponsored by the Library of Congress. His poignant, sometimes heart-wrenching interview gives insight into the man beyond any dry research note. Below I share an excerpt from that interview.

New Book on Normandy, Normandy Ghosts

I also wanted to highlight a new book that caught my attention in the UK Edition of the Daily Mail, Normandy Ghosts by military historians Nigel Stewart and Sean Claxton. Their photographic ghosting technique is not new as it has been done extensively on American Civil War photographs, but that does not make it any less compelling.

In fact, the photos highlighted from the book show how little WWII landscapes have changed in 75 years. See the example below.

From "Normandy Ghosts" Allied forces on track vehicles and Ariel motorcycles move inland through Saint-Côme-de-Fresné. The town is located to the west of Gold Beach.

I encourage all to check out and purchase this new book which continues to keep the history alive. Because as we know, if we forget our history, we are doomed to repeat it.

For the full Daily Mail article click here.