Genre: Biography, WWII
Source: Purchased a copy
Art is
extremely knowledgeable about the Vietnam War and the World Wars. Through a
friend he had the opportunity to meet Noel Dye, who was one of Darby’s
Rangers. I had heard of Darby’s Rangers.
I had watched the movie. I did not know
who Noel Dye was. Art has skillfully
taken this man’s story and told it in a way that you feel like you are sitting
in on the interviews. For me that is
important. I have limited knowledge of
wars. When some part or some person in a
war peaks my interest then I dig deeper and learn more. This book has once again set me on that path
and made it easier for me because it included a bibliography. With all of the facts I was afraid it would
read like a list of battle facts. This
is so far from the truth. I was very
impressed with not only the story, but the writing of the story.
Noel is a
very down to earth person. One thing
that was obvious as he was telling the story to the author was how vivid his
memories were. My mother and I were
discussing this. Her father fought in WWI.
She said the one thing that haunted him was sitting in a fox hole with
his buddy having a conversation. When his buddy didn’t answer he looked over
and saw his head had been blown off. She
remarked that he had said it just so matter-of-fact. This is how Noel talks of his injuries and
losing his buddies. These are memories
that never leave you. Hopefully the
soldier finds a way to deal with them so they no longer haunt them.
Two other things
I loved about this book. There are a
collection of letters that Noel’s family had saved for him. In this way we see
what was going through his mind, and how little he was able to relay to his
family. The other thing was the pictures
he graciously allowed the author to put into the book. I am very pleased I overheard
his conversation mentioning his book.
The funny thing in all of this is that you would think that with such a
love of history that Art would teach that subject. He teaches English. In my book this makes his students extremely
lucky. When he has to find extra reading
materials, be it books, essays, letters, etc. to go with his lesson, he is
in a position to do so. He has a wealth of knowledge in his hands. Any parent
would be lucky to have him for a teacher. He is currently working on another
book. I look forward to reading it when he has it finished.
About the Author
Art Durshimer
is a high-school English and journalism teacher in Bradenton, FL. He is married
and the father of three children. Durshimer, 56, spent 25 years in various
newsrooms as a reporter and editor. He began teaching 11 years ago, fulfilling
a longtime goal of working with young people. His wife, Meg, also is a former
journalist who now teaches elementary school. Durshimer is a lifelong history
buff, a habit he indulges through historical re-enactments and presentations of
World War II and the Vietnam War era. He, his wife and children all are Florida
natives; his sons Ben, 18, and Jake, 20, are the fourth generation of his
family born in the state. Durshimer’s daughter, Amy, and his three
grandchildren live near Athens, Ga. His hobbies include historical
re-enactments, reading (favorite author is Pat Conroy), writing and
beachcombing with his wife on Florida’s gulf and Atlantic beaches.
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