Veterans Retell the Stories of Their Wars in Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved by William R. Graser
By KATHLEEN D. BAILEY
Special to the New Hamshire Union Leader
LONDONDERRY — Bill Graser likes to retell a story first related to him by Sam Masessa, a Korean war veteran and fellow resident of The Nevins senior complex in Londonderry.
“China had come into the war on the side of North Korea,” Graser recalled. “They were in position, waiting to attack, and our own tanks opened fire. It was so loud that Sam lost his hearing. After the sun came up, there were dead Chinese soldiers everywhere, stacked like firewood. Sam and his comrades had to borrow some flame-throwers, so they could burn the bodies.”
You do what you have to do, and it’s never more true than in wartime. Graser, a.k.a. retired Sgt. 1st Class William R. Graser, has made it his mission to collect veterans’ stories and share them, both verbally and in his book, “Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved.”
Stories to tell
Graser began recognizing other veterans for their service with an annual Veterans Day ceremony at The Nevins, a large senior living complex off Route 102 in Londonderry. He was determined that his neighbors’ stories not be lost or forgotten. He started directing the ceremony in 2006, honoring 20 veterans. That project grew and gave him the idea for collecting their stories.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said in The Nevins media room in the clubhouse.
He began interviewing vets and collecting photographs. He started with his own community, going one-on-one with veterans. Because Nevins is a senior complex, many of the people he interviewed were veterans of World War II, the Korean War and, occasionally, Vietnam. Because of the times, there were also fewer women vets.
“But one woman just moved in, an Army veteran who also spent four years in the Air Force,” he said.
Graser put out his first edition of “Veterans’ Reflections” in December 2015. He revised the self-published book for April 2016, and continues to update it when he meets a new vet or one of his regulars comes up with a new story.
“It was a learning experience, right out of the gate,” he said. “I had to ask a lot of questions.”
But he had 50 stories before he sat down to write, and ended up with 60 by the time the book was published.
Graser’s aim is to share the stories, in the vet’s own words whenever possible, to give context and to educate. He begins the book just after World War I, explaining the situations in Italy, Japan and especially a devastated Germany.
“Germany was broke … and that set the stage for Hitler,’” he said.
World War II
Graser’s first interviewee appears in the World War II section. Clement Hutchins, a lieutenant junior grade in the Merchant Marine, was on a ship ferrying supplies to the Allies. It was so cold in the North Atlantic that the ice slowed the boat, giving the German subs free access.
“They decided to reroute the ships through the South Atlantic,” Graser said.
Hutchins left the service after the war and “went on with his life,” Graser said. “He’s still with us. He’s 90 and as sharp as a tack.”
Though Graser focuses on the Nevins veterans, he doesn’t mind ranging farther afield for a good story.
“I was looking for something on the ‘Doolittle Raid,’ the bombing of Tokyo, and I was able to speak with the son of one of the pilots. The man, Todd Joyce, was the son of Lt. Richard Joyce. Graser paraphrases Joyce’s story: “He was the pilot of Plane 10, in a group of B-52 bombers. His son asked him, ‘What was your scariest moment?’”
The senior Joyce responded it was when his plane was hit and badly damaged. He was the last one out of the plane, and went to the door to jump. “The velocity,” Graser said, “whipped his pistol out of its holster. He had nothing with which to defend himself.”
Richard Joyce told his son he could hear his plane spinning out of control above him, and he wondered, “What if the plane falls on me?”
Korea
Graser had no problem garnering stories from veterans of the Korean War, with two fellow residents, Jerry Page and Masessa, particularly helpful. A Korean winter was 35 degrees below zero, and the men spoke of frostbite, frozen rations, icy terrain and jammed weapons.
“But in the summer it got to 100 or 110,” said Graser, who also spent time in Korea.
Page was part of a small observation team overlooking the No Man’s Land between North and South Korea in May 1953. with fighting forces on both sides. Their observation equipment was destroyed, but their bunker was not hit, Page told Graser, adding laconically, “Boy, that was a surprise.”
The ‘hot’ Cold War
Graser’s book moves into the 1950s and 1960s, with the so-called “Cold War” between the United States and the Soviet Union. He identifies two “hot wars” that took place during this time: Korea and Vietnam. He’s talked with several Vietnam veterans, including a former Marine who was wounded in Vietnam and lives in his community; a retired Air Force colonel who led 168 bombing missions; and the adviser to an Army infantry unit.
He also features the story of a young sailor, Seaman Charles Hamplett, who was serving on the USS Fiske at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Hamplett was in Jacksonville, Fla., on shore leave when his crew was rounded up.
“Nobody knew where they were going,” Graser said. “After two weeks at sea, the captain finally told them.”
Graser’s own service came out of that period. He was planning to enlist in the Army as a combat engineer in 1965, but got recruited and rerouted into Army Intelligence, serving in Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany and Arlington, Va.
Keeping it alive
Graser continues to coordinate the Veterans Day services at The Nevins. He regularly does book signings and speaking engagements.
“We are losing 500 World War II vets a day,” he said. “The VA has estimated that by 2036, none will remain. It’s important to me to collect these stories. I wish I had even more.”
Each era he’s explored has a different attitude toward service, he said. In World War II it was, “My country needs me, so I went.” That patriotism was still alive in Korea, even though at the end of the conflict nothing had changed. “They were proud,” he said, “that South Korea still existed.
For Vietnam, Graser said, veterans’ commitment “was not so much patriotism, but toward each other. As the war continued with no plan, patriotism started to wane.”
In the final three years of that war, it was no longer about patriotism, but about survival, Graser said.
“Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved” is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble’s website, Barnes & Noble in Salem, N.H. and Burlington, Mass., Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, the Stars and Stripes Gift Shop in Windham, NH and through iUniverse.com. The paperback retails at $21.95. It is also available in digital form. A copy is available at the Leach Library in Londonderry.
Army Veteran’s Book Captures Tales and Memories of Veterans
New Hampshire Union Leader Derry/Londonderry, Thursday, July 20, 2017.
Saving History: Book captures tales and memories of veterans.
Londonderry man lets fellow veterans retell the stories of their wars. Retired Sgt. 1st Class William R. Graser, has made it his mission to collect veterans’ stories and share them, both verbally and in his book, “Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved.”
Book captures tales and memories of veterans. Article can be read in newpaper print, http://www.unionleader.com/section/news18 or unionleader.com/section/news. Tag: Veterans
Preserving the Dignity, Service and History of Veterans
Of my parent’s seven children four chose to serve our country in the military. My oldest brother Bob, served in the US Navy; my younger brother Howard served in the US Army, and my oldest sister Doris served in the US Navy and I was recruited by the US Army Security Agency in 1965 and served my country in Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, occupied West Berlin, and the US Army Security Agency’s headquarters at Arlington Hall Station, Arlington, Virginia.
My family has experienced firsthand the sacrifices and commitments that come with being in the military.
In 2007 I commenced collecting firsthand accounts and personal stories of veterans who served during World War II, the Cold War, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, the Korean Demilitarized Zone Conflict, Operation Desert Storm: and to the Middle East.
The outcome of collecting all of these stories is a book called “Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved.” I wrote Veterans’ Reflections to preserve a part of American military history. The book focuses on military service as seen through the eyes of 60 veterans set against historical context that encompasses a period that spans more than 75 years. These veterans served during all of our major conflicts from 1941 to 2004.
Writing the book was difficult at times, especially when I was listening to firsthand accounts of combat. A Korean War combat veteran called me at home after his story has been written and said, “When reading my own story, those days in Korea rushed back like it was yesterday.” I listened as he wrestled with his emotions. Months later, he told me how much he appreciated his story being recorded for future generations, especially his grandchildren.
In truth, many veterans expressed their gratitude for the interest shown in their service. For some it was the first time anyone had taken the time to thank them for their service.
As part of the recording process I asked each of the interviewed veterans to provide a copy of his DD214 form—that is, his certificate of release or discharge from active duty. The DD214 is the official document which shows service branch, service dates, rank, awards, and decorations. I soon discovered that many veterans had not received recognition to which they were entitled and so began the process of obtaining the missing medals, badges, and service ribbons earned by these veterans.
Since I retired from the service I have been a volunteer on a regular basis at many different Veteran groups within my community and state. Ultimately, I hope the stories in Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved promote a further understanding and appreciation of veterans and their sacrifices.
William R. Graser
Author of “Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved”
Londonderry Resident Publishes Stories of Local Veterans
Vietnam veteran and self-published author Bill Graser has written a new collection of war stories told by local veterans.
“Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved” tells the stories of 60 veterans, many of them living in Londonderry and Derry, starting with World War II and continuing through Afghanistan.
“I took their stories and weaved them into the historical overview of whatever conflict or war they were involved in,” he said.
“Anyone can tell the facts behind a story, but those who have lived it can share insights no secondhand history can match,” John E. Roper wrote in his review of the book for The U.S. Review of Books. “With this in mind, the author has taken the firsthand accounts and personal stories of 60 veterans and incorporated them into a cohesive collection of memories that covers half a dozen wars or periods of conflict. From the horrors of World War II to the end of the Cold War, Graser offers an illuminating chronicle of what a soldier’s life is really like.”
The idea to write a collection of stories was born from Graser’s efforts to honor veterans at the Nevins’ annual Memorial Day ceremony.
“As I collected the stories in the beginning, I thought there’s a larger story here to honor the veterans,” said Graser, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Nevins, a 55-plus community. “I believe the book is written in layman’s terms. Anyone can read it and be able to grasp the stories and history behind it. It gives the reader a better understanding and appreciation for what the sacrifices and commitments were to serve. People look at a vet differently once they understand what they had to deal with, what they have seen.”
While many of the stories in Graser’s book highlight the sacrifices and challenges veterans faced while serving their country, not every story in the book is about war.
“Some stories are funny. One is a love story,” he said.
And in addition to bringing history to life for the reader, Graser’s book preserves the stories of war veterans. Since he published the book, 10 veterans who are featured in it have died.
At the Nevins’ next Memorial Day ceremony, Graser plans to present family members of the veterans who have died with copies of the book with their loved ones’ stories.
Graser has also donated a copy of his book to the Londonderry Leach Library.
Source: http://londonderrytimes.net/2016/05/londonderry-resident-publishes-stories-local-veterans/
What is the authors Website address?
Author website: Veterans’ Reflections: History Preserved (July 20, 2106) below:
What was the last global war of the twentieth century?
World War II was the last global war of the twentieth century. The United States-Soviet alliance of 1941-1945 was marked by a great degree of cooperation and was essential to securing the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Without the remarkable efforts of the Soviet Union on the eastern front, the United States and Great Britain would have been hard-pressed to score a decisive military victory over Hitler’s Germany. In the Pacific War, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, India, and China comprised the Allied forces.
In the Philippines Islands, large numbers of guerrilla forces fought the Japanese throughout the war. The defeat of Japan contributed to the combined efforts of the Allied forces.
What is the most critical piece of advice to new authors?
Keep rewriting until its perfect and employ an editor, any editor. Everyone makes typos and grammatical errors. I am no exception; it’s not a lack of skill or knowledge that’s to blame, just a tunnel vision that means glaring mistakes slip by. Always carry a note-book and keep a pencil near your favorite seat. You never know when a new line or a great idea will present itself. Commit it to paper immediately, or it will be lost forever.
Be passionate about your subject and it will show, and that is a good thing!
What was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)?
Before World War II, intelligence activities in the United States was carried out primarily by the Department of State, Office of Naval Intelligence, and the War Department’s Military Intelligence Division. On July 11, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed William J. Donovan to head a new office, the coordinator of information (COI), attached to the White House. After the United States entered the war, Donovan proposed that the COI’s responsibility be expanded. As a result, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created on June 13, 1942, and charged with gathering intelligence information about practically every country in existence with the exception of the Pacific Theater. When World War II ended, the OSS was disbanded by Executive Order 9621 on September 20, 1945. However with the raise of communism, US leaders realized the importance of intelligence on the international level. The National Security Act of 1947 mandated a major reorganization of US foreign policy. The act also established the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which grew out of the World War II era OSS and small post-war intelligence organizations. On September 18, 1947, the CIA was created and continues to serve as the primary civilian intelligence-gathering organization.
What is Equestrian Therapy?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – A Personal Story
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); military personnel suffer a greater number of tragic or life threatening events that cause reactions such as flash backs, upsetting memories of the event, increased jumpiness, or trouble sleeping.
I found a solution to help me 20 years ago and that is horseback riding. Initially, I did not recognize horseback riding as a form of therapy for PTSD. I soon learned that my personal wellbeing was directly affected.
I have found that interaction with “Tommy,” a quarter horse, helps me feel more relaxed. When connecting with Tommy, he is all I focus on and my problems seem to go away.
Over the years I have found riding to be relaxing and if not riding, just grooming him changes my focus. Each time I return home, my wife notices that I am calmer and even humorous at times.
William R. Graser, Author Veterans’ Reflections
The information below is a great source on how the Veterans Administration is helping Veterans with PTSD.
Reining in PTSD with Equestrian Therapy
See more at: http://www.va.gov/health/newsfeatures/2014/September/Reining-In-PTSD-With-Equestrian-Therapy.asp#sthash.zIlRaqah.dpuf
Link to blog post:
https://veteransreflections.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/june-is-ptsd-awareness-month/
Veterans' Reflections 