Blog
My Uncle John served with the U.S. Army’s 349th Infantry. He fought in the Rome-Arno, No. Apennines, and Po Valley campaigns, and was awarded three bronze stars. Of the four Flynn brothers, John was always acknowledged to be “the quiet one.” Perhaps it’s inevitable to become a boy of few words with two garrulous older…
I never would have guessed—book lover that I’ve always been—that I would one day discover via podcast insights that had eluded me in all my reading. Over the past few years Twitter has connect me with a quirky little community whose interests align with mine: reading, writing, the environment, travel, history, art, food. And above…
from writer to author
It wasn’t until I finished writing a book that I discovered the big challenge was not—as I had assumed—the planning, the research, and the writing. No. The biggest barrier to becoming a published author was finding a publisher. I had been getting paid for writing all my adult life. But always, the writing was on…
“There are a million stories out there.”
I always knew I was a writer. That I would spend my life writing. I started with the nonsensical curlicues that precede writing (and reading)–filling line after line in the kind of small bound notebook the could easily be had for a few pennies at “the Five and Ten.” By the time I was in…
Those of us born in the years immediately after World War II grew up surrounded by Veterans. There was a framed photograph of many a “Dad” in uniform quietly on display in many a living room. More often, though, photos, and medals, service ribbons, and dog tags were tucked away in a desk or dresser…
Why did we think that we would escape the kind of historic cataclysms that have upended the lives of every generation? Think of our parents. And grandparents. I think of my grandmother. First cataclysm: Flu epidemic of 1918. Mary and Phil Flynn lived in the first floor apartment of a brand new triple-decker on Morton…
Recently, we marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. But in fact, for most of those who had done the fighting, the War did not end on September 2, 1945, because they were still in uniform and very far from home. Veteran’s Day, November 11, 1945, found more than eight million…
Utah. Omaha. We see, in our collective mind’s eye, brave U.S. soldiers storming off landing craft in full battle gear, courageously wading—sometimes swimming—to shore, through a monsoon of bullets and exploding artillery shells. What we do not see—are the “Seabees” of the U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalions (CBs), working at breakneck speed, just beyond the view…
My Uncle Joe joined the US Navy for a six-year hitch in August of 1940. He served on USS Wichita, a heavy cruiser, USS Redwood, a ship that installed and serviced anti-torpedo nets, before applying to become a lighter-than-air sailor. He was accepted into the program and assigned to Blimp Hedron #1, Lakehurst (NJ) Air…
Writing “The Battalion Artist” – What was Nat Thinking?
On June 21, 2012, Nat Bellantoni, age 91, told his daughter Nancy he wanted to write a book. “Well, you better hurry up!” Nancy said. Even now, even as he neared death, it was possible to joke with Nat. But he was serious. “I want a book about my paintings.” The eyes of father and…