There was a copy of “Up Front!” in my grandparents’ house, and I couldn’t tell you how many times I read it growing up. I think my oldest brother has it now, along with the other books from that period that were there, like “Dave Dawson With the RAF”, a series chronicling the adventures of an American pilot serving in the RAF with his British friend Freddie.
Me too, JC. My copy even has doodles in it from me as a kid that I wish I could take back. Oh, well. And Mauldin's narrative parts in the book were actually helpful for me much later doing novel research, to get at what it was like on the line for a normal guy. I didn't know about "Dave Dawson with the RAF"! I'll have to check it out, thanks.
Willie and Joe. I have a Willie and Joe book that my dad had and loved. Was Army, D-Day, Battle of Bulge 6 battle stars. 2 Purple Hearts and Bronze Star. Then Korea. 9 years in service and came home to create a middle class family and life. Never talked about what happened or what he did. Except that is what you do for your country.
I'll bet we have the same book, Roger. Wow, that's an impressive service record. Thanks for sharing this. I always wish we knew more about what they experienced but I can understand why they wouldn't talk about certain things. They got the job done for all of us.
Steve, great piece on Mauldin’s characters and their view of the War! In one way or another most Americans “served” in WWII, from soldiers and support personnel overseas to everyone who kept the country (and the manufacturing plants) running back home. But few soldiers wanted to recount what they’d seen and done. My dad, oldest of five, was U.S. Army and in Britain. Although he, my mom, and all Dad’s siblings served I never heard one story of their experiences.
Thank you! And for your thoughts on this. Say what we will about a draft, it definitely mixed all of society together for a common cause, especially when the threat to us all was so clear and basic. My dad was kept stateside as a medical orderly because of his eyesight, yet he didn't talk about it much either. Many he went to boot camp with were sent to North Africa and many didn't survive, so he considered himself lucky.
My father was a WWII veteran (North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Italy) and he loved Mauldin, unsurprisingly. So I was exposed to Willie and Joe early on. My dad would explain some of the more obscure references to me and occasionally throw in a few stories of his own. He didn’t really talk much about his war experience though. There was still some stigma attached to “battle fatigue” as they called PTSD back then. So it was a pretty rare occurrence when he would open up. I hung on every word. It brought the war down to a human level, something I never heard in school or popular culture. So whenever I see Willie and Joe, in my mind they’re some guys he served with.
Thanks for sharing this, Lee. Great to hear from someone who knows about Mauldin! It sounds like your father went through some tough moments, but it's good to hear he opened up once in a while. By the way, I'm reading a biography of director Samuel Fuller titled A Third Face — Fuller has intense stories about serving on the front lines in those same locations as your father. Check it out if you get a chance.
My Dad was the same way. When I asked about his WWII service as a paratrooper, all he would tell me was that “well, we chased Rommel around the desert for a while and then got transferred to Europe.”
There was a copy of “Up Front!” in my grandparents’ house, and I couldn’t tell you how many times I read it growing up. I think my oldest brother has it now, along with the other books from that period that were there, like “Dave Dawson With the RAF”, a series chronicling the adventures of an American pilot serving in the RAF with his British friend Freddie.
Me too, JC. My copy even has doodles in it from me as a kid that I wish I could take back. Oh, well. And Mauldin's narrative parts in the book were actually helpful for me much later doing novel research, to get at what it was like on the line for a normal guy. I didn't know about "Dave Dawson with the RAF"! I'll have to check it out, thanks.
“What is that expression you Americans use?” Freddie frowned in thought before his expression brightened. “Ah! Ten pennies for twelve!”
Dave clapped a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter. “You mean a dime a dozen,” he said once he got control over himself.
(Paraphrase of the one passage I sort of remember. 😄)
Nice one!
Willie and Joe. I have a Willie and Joe book that my dad had and loved. Was Army, D-Day, Battle of Bulge 6 battle stars. 2 Purple Hearts and Bronze Star. Then Korea. 9 years in service and came home to create a middle class family and life. Never talked about what happened or what he did. Except that is what you do for your country.
I'll bet we have the same book, Roger. Wow, that's an impressive service record. Thanks for sharing this. I always wish we knew more about what they experienced but I can understand why they wouldn't talk about certain things. They got the job done for all of us.
Steve, great piece on Mauldin’s characters and their view of the War! In one way or another most Americans “served” in WWII, from soldiers and support personnel overseas to everyone who kept the country (and the manufacturing plants) running back home. But few soldiers wanted to recount what they’d seen and done. My dad, oldest of five, was U.S. Army and in Britain. Although he, my mom, and all Dad’s siblings served I never heard one story of their experiences.
Thank you! And for your thoughts on this. Say what we will about a draft, it definitely mixed all of society together for a common cause, especially when the threat to us all was so clear and basic. My dad was kept stateside as a medical orderly because of his eyesight, yet he didn't talk about it much either. Many he went to boot camp with were sent to North Africa and many didn't survive, so he considered himself lucky.
My father was a WWII veteran (North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Italy) and he loved Mauldin, unsurprisingly. So I was exposed to Willie and Joe early on. My dad would explain some of the more obscure references to me and occasionally throw in a few stories of his own. He didn’t really talk much about his war experience though. There was still some stigma attached to “battle fatigue” as they called PTSD back then. So it was a pretty rare occurrence when he would open up. I hung on every word. It brought the war down to a human level, something I never heard in school or popular culture. So whenever I see Willie and Joe, in my mind they’re some guys he served with.
Thanks for sharing this, Lee. Great to hear from someone who knows about Mauldin! It sounds like your father went through some tough moments, but it's good to hear he opened up once in a while. By the way, I'm reading a biography of director Samuel Fuller titled A Third Face — Fuller has intense stories about serving on the front lines in those same locations as your father. Check it out if you get a chance.
My Dad was the same way. When I asked about his WWII service as a paratrooper, all he would tell me was that “well, we chased Rommel around the desert for a while and then got transferred to Europe.”