February 24, 2024 Today would have been Frank’s 99th birthday. He would have been delighted to see that his memoir was published. I do not know what he would have thought of the upcoming election. He never spoke much about politics. I’m sure he would have been troubled over the state the World is in. He would frequently remark that he fought so my brother and I would not have to. The world seems to be edging ever closer to…..
February 24, 2021 Today would have been Frank’s 96th birthday. He would have been delighted to see that his memoir was published. I do not know what he would have thought of the pandemic or the election; but, when still a teenager, he decided to opt out of his officer’s commission and enlist to fight as part of the Great Generation. And I am certain he would admonish everyone to “Be Safe.”
One month ago, on June 18, 2020 marks the passing of Dame Vera Lynn who sang some of the songs cited in “To the Fires of Normandy and Beyond” such as The White Cliffs of Dover and We’ll Meet Again. She was 103. Here is the obituary: https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/vera-lynn-1917-2020-singer-known-for-wwii-hit-well-meet-again/
Midway between Memorial Day and Independence Day, I pause to reflect that my father, Frank Kozol, would have been comemorating our WW-2 victories in his own way. He would have flown the flag in the front yard and tidied up the front lawn in case the parade came by. When the parade did march on South Main Street, he woud put out lawn chairs for strangers who also watched and offer them a cold drink. He would practice acts of…..
My wife and I will be making a presentation at The Sharon Historical Society around November 11th, 2018 to coincide with Veteran’s Day. We have also been asked to make a presentation at The Sharon Public Library on January 16th, 2019. Current Reviews: Midwest Book Review: http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/aug_18.htm#rc Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35682538-to-the-fire-of-normandy-and-beyond Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/frank-kozol/fire-normandy-and-beyond/ Clarion Reviews: https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/to-the-fire-of-normandy-and-beyond/ Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Normandy-Beyond-Behind-During/dp/1480843032/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1535924301&sr=1-1&keywords=To+the+Fire+of+Normandy&dpID=41uEPMt3j4L&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch Neil and Patti Kozol
While repeatedly proofing the text of this book for typo’s and errors related to chronology, it seemed as if my father’s voice was coming through as if he was telling his story. It is expected that he has now been gone for just about ten years, that this would have a profound emotional and psychological impact on me. I was happy to hear that I was not alone. My wife and I got together with her cousins yesterday who also…..