Trauma of War | World War II Research and Writing Center

August 9, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Book Review – The In Between

Erin Faith Allen has released a new book, The In Between. The book documents her journey through Eastern Europe, concentration camps, and the recovery of Latvian soldiers still missing since World War II.

This book is unlike any other I’ve read. It is part art book, trip diary, personal journal, and transformational guidance. I love how raw Erin is in her words and emotions. She tells us what she is experiencing and how it feels. Most of us might write about a journey we took and hit the highlights. Few of us would go as deep as Erin did in describing how each moment affected us or helped us release the past. It is incredible.

It is not a book that I feel can be read in one sitting. It is something to be read in pieces. Savored. Considered. With time to process what we have read and seen in her artwork, and what is in our own lives and experiences. It took me several days to move through this book. At each stop point, I had reached a personal point in which I needed to think about what Erin had said and expressed in her photos and art.

Erin asks tough questions and explores tough themes in her book. These revolve around Nazis, Germany in World War II, the Holocaust, the missing and dead from all countries, civilians under German or Soviet occupation. She also delves into deeper, darker topics like aggression of soldiers, rape of women, and treatment of mankind. I applaud her for exploring these themes in her work.

Erin’s words and art pose many questions which I feel readers should consider. There may be some people who would not consider this a suitable book club book, but I disagree. Here are some questions to consider as you read through this incredible book.

Erin’s raw words explain how this trip changed her life and helped her move through a break-up. How has travel changed your life, particularly when you were moving through a tough time?
Erin opens the long closed can of worms regarding Nazis, occupation, rape, treatment of people. Should we be talking more about these topics in relation to what our ancestor’s experiences were and how they affect us today or should we still be keeping secrets?
Related to that, women are still experiencing rape and mistreatment in society. More are speaking out, we see marches and movements taking place in the last couple of years. How do these topics from the past or today affect your family? Are you exploring this, talking about it, and healing the past and present? Or is there still a lot of shame, guilt, and other negative emotion surrounding these topics that we still cannot talk of them?
How does art – in any medium – change us? Help us transform? Help us release the past and heal? Do you create to process your emotions?
What do you think of how history was written after the war and even today? Consider what was said, what was left out, and how the “truth” of what was can sometimes be hidden under the rug.
Finally, how did this book change you?

Personally, this book changed me on many levels. I research World War II, but not in the same way Erin does. Her work has taken her into the darker areas of the war’s history. A place I have barely dipped my toes into. I am not ready to really go there. I applaud Erin for having the courage to go there AND to tell the stories. Her book inspired me to take another look at a book I have been writing about part of my own life. I’m more willing to finish my book and be raw and vulnerable now that I have read Erin’s book. It is truly inspiring.

Read more about the WWII experience and how some people process the information or experience in my article, Are You Exploring the Entire Combat Experience?

August 1, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Book Review – Architects of Death

I was sent an Advanced Reader Copy of the book, Architects of Death. The Family Who Engineered the Death Camps, by Karen Bartlett. The book is due to be released in August 2018.

Overall the book was very interesting. Being an empath and medium, I did set a barrier around my house and myself before I began reading it and honestly, read most of it outside where the energy could ground into the earth. This is not an easy book to read, although it does NOT get graphic in the description of what happened to the victims of the death camps/concentration camps, except in a couple instances. For that I was grateful. I just finished reading a book about Japanese POWs and their treatment so a reprieve from such graphic descriptions was good.

For families homeschooling their children, this book would be appropriate for junior or senior level students and give you a lot to discuss.

The book focused more on the history of the Topf family, their often unstable personalities, their business, and what led them to work with the SS to create the ovens and other “necessary” items for the cremation and gassing systems of many camps. Throughout the book the Topf family and others high up in the company who were responsible for these items wrote their documents in such a way, even during interrogations later, about their innocence in it all and how it was just standard operating procedure to supply the necessary items to dispose of so many remains which died of disease. All the while knowing what they were doing and why. The author did give enough background to each of the main characters for readers to understand what might have led them to the choices they made. This included the description of many who served in World War I and after that saw no value in human life. Their struggle to survive in whatever fashion that meant and reach their goals was all that was important.

By 3/4 of the way through the book I was a bit tired of it. The author presented a lot of snippets of documents and statistics throughout the whole book, which at first were fine, but by later in the book I started skimming so I could get to the end where the descendant explained his interest in the Topf family business and the Memorial they created to acknowledge the role the family played and the impact it had. The descendant made it clear that he still struggles with the sins of the fathers and how he views his father and other family members.

The author did end the book prior to her Conclusion chapter, with a question. How would we act today?

Did you notice that didn’t say, What would I have done? Which is usually the question people ask and then we go into judgment of everything and everyone without knowing what led them to make those choices.

The book brought up a lot of questions for me and a lot of themes I feel family and military historians should look at when we explore our own family’s role in World War II or any war.

1. How would we act today?

2. The shock one may go into when discovering a family member or a family business was responsible for some horrible event in history (define that as you need to.)

3. The questions that rise when we discover said act(s) or choices and no one is left to ask. Then what do we do? In this case, Hartmut Topf set out to learn the history of his family’s involvement in the creation of the ovens and all that was attached to that. Then to create a Memorial in Erfurt, Germany to remind people of what happened there and give them pause to think on the effects so this doesn’t happen again.

Having traveled through parts of western Germany and western Europe, it did not go unnoticed that the Germans do not memorialize what took place for WWI or WWII as is done in the rest of Europe. From what I observed and was told, memorials to soldiers are attached to churches for the most part. Or sometimes I have seen them as a small almost “invisible” monument somewhere in town. It is known that most every country rewrites their history so the bad parts are wiped away. This is documented. We know what was and was not taught in schools after World War II and we see how even in our own country today, parts of history are being wiped away. The Topf business histories even ignore their role in the war or leave those years out altogether. How are we serving the past, present, and future by ignoring what happened? What would change if we understood and could not stand in judgment of it all?

4. Traveling as much as I do, this book brought up another question – how much of the past do we never know about as we travel because there are no memorials or reminders? The thoughts in #3 above speak to this somewhat, but as I read this book and thought – ok a friend was just in these cities mentioned and said nothing about knowing the history of the war there. These aren’t things tourism sites or cities usually advertise on their websites or travel brochures. So how do we discover these deeper and darker parts of history, whether WWII or some other war? I think it requires us to look into the histories of the places we choose to visit. Again, as an empath and medium, sometimes I feel things or am aware of things but can’t always put my finger on exactly what/when/where/who it was – I had not considered until I read this book that there are pieces of history that are never discussed.

5. Believing what took place. One Topf family descendant, Udo, saw photographs of the camps, the corpses, the ovens. Read the history. Even visited the camps, yet still could not wrap his mind around the fact his family participated in the creation of it all. Udo had a long career with the company after the war and being loyal to family (whatever that specifically meant to him), he had trouble seeing his family was culpable in this. He talked of blame and what the family should or should not have done.

This is where we get into those grey areas of judgment, conclusion, questioning what we would have done. We weren’t there so in my point of view that question isn’t possible to answer. My point of view is to learn, observe, ask questions about what happened, who was involved, and try to understand the 100 other experiences and choices that led to them saying YES to whatever they chose that had a tremendous impact on the world, the lives of millions, and history. This is also where we have to ask – is it my responsibility to carry the sins of my fathers and the past? What responsibility, if any, do I have here?

Hartmut Topf chose responsibility as his decision to create a memorial and educate people about the dark past.

This book had many more questions and themes that apply to family and military historians. It also illustrates the path taken by one business family in the creation of a killing machine during the war. In my point of view, learning about these people, their personal histories, the company history, that of the political and social situation in Germany from prior to World War I to today, gives us all a new perspective on the war and what took place. Using what we learn through the book and all the questions raised, I think we can create change in the world that allows us to stop hurting each other. If we choose that path.

I’m not finished with my thoughts on this book. I’ll be releasing a new project in the coming months with books as the focal point. Stay tuned to learn more and how this may affect how you perceive, judge, research, write, and heal your family’s history.

Disclaimer: The book link is an affiliate link and I make a small royalty off your purchase. This does not affect your purchase price.

July 30, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Are You Exploring the Entire Combat Experience?

I’ve spent more than 20 years in the fields of genealogy/family history and military history with a focus the last decade on World War I and World War II. I taught myself a lot where genealogy was concerned and attended classes and conferences. I participated in the community’s professional genealogy education. Throughout everything I studied or read, the focus was on names, dates, places, sometimes historical context, but never on exploring the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual side of family.

When I began researching in-depth both world wars, which led me to teach and write books on how to research any branch, there was no one to teach me what to do. No one in the country had written educational materials. Yes there were two very outdated books on barely researching Army service, but beyond that nothing existed. The few people who were starting to lecture on this were not going beyond the basics of “all the records burned and here are some online resources.” They skimmed the surface of what was available. Most still do. A decade ago there were military researchers and genealogy researchers who would pull records for you. A few would also help you understand what you were looking at. And again, I have noticed that no one is paying attention to the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual side of service member’s experiences.

Why are researchers not looking at the entire experience? A holistic approach? Witnessing the changes that take place in the lives of my clients who choose this is amazing. I have observed that both the genealogy and military communities tend to shy away from this because it is too “crazy”, “out there”, “spiritual”, or “woo-woo”. It’s not acceptable to talk about such things or admit we converse with the dead or can heal. But what if it is acceptable and people stopped being so afraid to be who they really are and show this side of themselves with their clients?
Exploring all of these aspects of a service member’s experience has been part of the work I do for many years. It began with research into my own family stories and those who died, and the few who returned changed, from World War I or World War II. Knowing their experiences affected the entire family and trickled down through our DNA, finding answers to questions, disinterring family secrets, and understanding who my military family members were and who I am has been an ongoing journey for me. I’ve done a tremendous amount of writing both in books I’ve published and my own journals in an attempt to sort it all out. We don’t often consider the things that trigger us or upset us are actually not ours. We are just conditioned or have it in our DNA that this is “normal” when in reality, we can find answers, heal and release it. Then we are no longer at the effect of the trigger.

In the last couple of years, the people who ask to work with me on military projects are looking for the basic answers of course. This is why people start research – they have unanswered questions or family stories that do not make sense. Yet these last two years specifically, have brought a new kind of client my way, mixed in with those who just want answers. People are showing up who require not only an understanding of what the combat situation was for their family member, but also the effects of the emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical experiences. Through the writing and teaching I have done, I offer a depth that is not found elsewhere. This calls to some people seeking that, which has caused a shift in which potential clients choose to work with me.

In some cases, the clients do not intend to explore these areas, but through the research process and discussion of what was discovered, different emotions and questions rise. It is my job to help clients understand on the different levels, what the information means and how it affects them today.

I have had clients who have a deep need to understand their father’s (or other family member’s) role in the war. What was his specific mission? Why was he stationed where he was? What affect did he in his one role out of millions, play to help win the war? What caused his alcoholism, PTSD, anger, rage, the physical/emotional/mental abuse he put on his family? Why did he leave his family?

Perhaps the most important questions then rise – Who was my father (or other family member) REALLY? Who am I now that I know this? How does this knowledge and understanding change me?

Using the research skills I have, my empath and medium capabilities, with many other capacities and gifts I have, clients leave the project with answers. Issues cleared and put to rest. A better understanding of who their family member was and who they are. Even clients who are not specifically looking for this and may not be aware it is happening, they too are affected by the project outcome.

Many clients go on to process the information in their own way- creating art, writing a book or memoir, simply journaling for themselves, writing or playing music, and a multitude of other things we use to process and cope with our own things. One client (named with her permission), artist and World War II historian, Erin Faith Allen, has dedicated much of her life to studying and understanding war, trauma, what causes people to choose what they choose. Learn more about Erin, her amazing artwork, and her new book “The In Between”.

Have you been searching for a researcher who can take you beyond names, dates, and places? Would you like to find answers to your family’s questions and explore not only their military experience but other levels? Contact me today to discuss research project options, timelines, costs, and outcomes.

© World War II Research and Writing Center

July 27, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Travel Gives a Different Perspective of WWII Research

In June 2018 my husband and I took a trip to Germany so I could visit some World War II sites I was researching. We spent a day with Doug Mitchell, who drove us around all along parts of the West Wall, showed us the dragon’s teeth, German bunkers, and filled our heads with history. It was a kind of gloomy day which was rather apt for the war theme for the day.

Three years ago I walked in the footsteps of my cousin James Privoznik, KIA 11 January 1945 near Bras, Belgium. I took his final burial flag with me to Europe and flew it over the Luxembourg Cemetery where he sleeps. That trip and walking in his footsteps changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.

Since that time I have walked in the footsteps of other family members and soldiers I am researching for clients who were unable to go to Europe. Walking in these places, seeing the past merge with the present, and the landscape over which they fought and often died, cannot be captured in words and pictures alone. It must be experienced. To fully grasp what your soldier might have experienced, you have to go stand where he stood and see the views. Even then it is difficult to wrap your head around it all.

This video was created on top of the Wallendorf Hitler Bunker. Note: In the video I mention I’m in Luxembourg which is incorrect – I’m actually in Germany. We drove across borders so often in one area that it was hard to keep up with which country was I in – Luxembourg, Belgium, or Germany. Doug reminded me where we were as we left, after I shot the video.

Where have you traveled and walked in your soldier’s footsteps? How did that change your life?

July 26, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Book Review – Belly of the Beast (Japanese POW WWII)

War in the Pacific.

This is something many people do not talk about and there are fewer groups on Facebook for this part of World War II than what exists for the European Theater of War. For some reason people focus more on the European Theater of War than any other theater.

I have conducted research on service members who fought in the Pacific for almost a decade and have helped numerous clients learn more about their family member’s history in this theater of war. However, there was a part of me in resistance to really going there and immersing myself in the horrors, trauma, tragedy, and history of it all. In my point of view, the Japanese treatment of POWs was worse than what the Germans did. This part of history used to scare me.

Being an empath and medium, feeling, hearing, sometimes experiencing on some level what the dead have gone through, I did not want to do in-depth study or read about those horrors for many years. I thought reading about it would bring up too much and scare me to the point I’d stop researching.

However, things shifted the more I healed layers of myself and past lives and learned how to protect myself from absorbing everything I heard, read, saw, or experienced. Lately, several things have shown up, including new clients, who are pushing me more into this area, including my AVG Flying Tiger Robert Brouk. That’s a whole other story of what he has presented me this week.

A lot of stars aligned and I finally cracked open a book about Japanese POWs. On one hand, this is helpful for the client work I currently have. On the other hand, there are a lot of themes tangled up in the Pacific Theater of War that no one is talking about. Things we MUST talk about because the trauma and experiences trickled down through the generations in our DNA. It is time to stop being silent about all of this.

I would like to clarify that there is a misconception that everyone participated in the Bataan Death March. They did not. We are however taught about that one event in our history classes and what circles the internet. We are most familiar with this POW experience. Therefore, we tend to associate any POW story with that one experience. There were so many others that occurred. Keep in mind that while your family member may have relayed pieces of that story, it is possible it was never part of his actual experience. There was so much time to share stories as men were moved from place to place that this, combined with disease, malnutrition, physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional issues that memories often were mixed together. Regardless of what your family’s story is, or perhaps multiple stories, write them all down. Check the military records and histories. See where you end up. Never assume what you have heard is full truth. It rarely is.

I read Belly of the Beast by Judith L. Pearson this week. The book was not so traumatic that my soul wanted to flee my body. I had very few physical reactions to things I read. This surprised me. The author wrote Estel Myers’ story in a way that it was tolerable to read, while interspersing the horror in small doses. She takes his story from early life through his choice to join the Navy (there are important themes here I will discuss further later), through his experience in the Philippines both as a free man and POW, to his release and a little about his late life. Judith keeps her notes at the end of the book so the story flows rather than being interrupted by footnotes. I appreciated this for two reasons. One, I like to know where someone obtained the information they wrote about so footnotes or endnotes are one of my favorite things. Two, having the notes at the end allowed me to focus on the storyline rather than being interrupted.

What was interesting and happens a lot for me, is people, documents, books, experiences, etc., show up when I need them. It just happened that I’m working with a client who has a family member who was a Japanese POW. This man was on the same ship at the same time as Estel. Did they know each other? Not likely because they were in different Naval units, but you never know. Perhaps they crossed paths at one point. Estel did also work as a Corpsman in a hospital in which the client’s POW spent some time prior to being captured. Would they have met there? Perhaps.

While the client’s POW was not on the hell ship as Myers, the experiences Myers had were in some way, similar to those had by other POWs on other hell ships leaving the Philippines going to Japan. When we read books like this, they can open up new questions for our research, our families, and how the world was and is today. We gain historical context of what an experience was like for one man, though this book covers that of all the others who were on the ships with Myers. That historical context can bleed into our own family member’s experience and give us more of a picture of what their service, captivity, and release was like.

Questions for you

1. What books have you read for your research that present other themes that fit into other areas of your family and military history?

2. What books or areas of family history have you avoided and why?

3. What would change for your family, the past, present, and future, and the world if you could peel back on layer of something that frightened you so that some type of healing could come through?

Disclaimer: The book link is an affiliate link and I make a small royalty off your purchase. This does not affect your purchase price.

June 8, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Visiting James Privoznik in Luxembourg

I’ve written several times about my cousin James Privoznik who died 11 January 1945 near Bras, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. His story is in my book, Stories of the Lost, which you can find in the BOOKS section of this website. This was my 4th time visiting James in the last three years and today was the most beautiful. Sunny, hot, almost no clouds in the sky (which made for a very scorching Memorial Day service!). You can meet James in this short video. Then watch the second one where I talk about researching service.

My Journey With James and Researching Your Soldier

Would you like help researching and telling the stories of your family’s service members? Contact us to discuss a research or writing project. Be sure to also check our our online courses to learn how to navigate the records (and the 1973 Fire) and locate information.

June 1, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Remembering Bernard Tom at Margraten

Johan and I spent Memorial Day weekend 2018, traveling from the Netherlands to Belgium, to Luxembourg, then back home through Germany. On Sunday of Memorial Day weekend we attended the Netherlands American Cemetery (Margarten). Johan adopted two graves there. One is for 101st Airborne Paratrooper, Bernard (Bernie) Tom. Watch Johan tell his story and subscribe to our newsletter list to stay up to date on the book about Bernie which will be released in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, in which he jumped a couple of weeks prior to his death in the Netherlands.

May 16, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Military Memories Writing Prompt Day 16

Have you taken time to record the stories of your World War II ancestors and families? One way to get started is to use the Military Memories Writing Prompts to jump start your research and writing. Through these prompts, we explore life on the U.S. home front, women in service, and the lives of all veterans.

Prompt 16: Overseas Service

Were any of your ancestors taken as a Prisoner of War? What was their experience?

Please share your prompts and responses on your blog and tag them with #militarymemories.

Additional Resources

Are you looking for more writing prompts to help you tell the stories of war from a U.S. or European perspective? See my Stories from the World War II Battlefield Volume 3: Writing the Stories of War, for over 500 writing prompts for U.S. and European writing.

Explore our online research and writing courses at WWII Education.

Do you need help learning how to do World War II research or need to hire a researcher to help you? Please feel free to contact us for more details.

April 20, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Brothers In Arms Book Kickstarter Project

Last fall a man named Kevin Callahan contacted me to work on a research project called Brothers In Arms. After discussing his targets, the WWII Research and Writing Center obtained some records and connected him with several of our contacts in Europe to help move his project forward.

Today, Kevin has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to produce a coffee table style book documenting the stories of those brothers buried side by side in American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) cemeteries overseas.

About His Project

More than 200 sets of brothers are buried side-by-side in 14 American World War II cemeteries in Europe, Africa and Asia. The goal of the Brothers in Arms Project is to tell the stories of these brothers and remember their sacrifices. We will publish a large-format, coffee table book profiling the lives of these brothers on the home front and on the battlefront. We plan to release the book by June 6, 2019, the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

The book will tell the story of the Unger brothers, three Jewish brothers from the Bronx who all volunteered for the US Army in World War II. Two decades earlier, the Unger family had been driven from their small town in Hungary by anti-Semitic violence. In 1943, the brothers returned to Europe to rid their native continent of a more horrific foe, Nazi Germany. Sadly, only one brother would survive and today, Louis and Joseph Unger lie side-by-side facing east in the Henri Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium.

Watch the video and read more about the project…….

Please consider donating to this incredible cause to preserve the stories of those who fought and died to preserve our freedom. The WWII Research and Writing Center is honored to be contributing to this book.

March 14, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

New Service! Holistic Healing Facilitation for WWII Records

The World War II Research and Writing Center, where we Find the Answers to your military research questions and family stories, is now offering holistic healing facilitation services.

Every client I work with requires something different which makes each project I work on unique. Some clients want the facts and only the facts ma’am. Some arrive with questions that require answers to give them peace and closure. Others arrive with one thing in mind and the energy of requiring more, which they may not be able to put into words.

I have the capacity to understand the energy of what is required. When clients are able to receive facilitation to move deeper into the records and information to get the answers they need, I can provide that.

What is facilitation? It is a conversation, sometimes more than one, to bring awareness to a client about the impact of the information they have received on a family member. For example, I worked with a client who researched a family member who was Killed In Action during World War II when the client was a small child. Children process things differently than adults and often have unanswered questions. Children also assume things are one way when in reality, they may be another way.

As an adult seeking information on the family member, through the research, the client became aware of family issues that were not discussed and emotions rose he was not expecting as he read certain documents. Through a few facilitation sessions via email over a couple of months, we were able to talk through many of these things so the client better understood the importance of what was provided through the research project. The client received answers, closure, and healing through the facilitation. The client also shared the research and the facilitation with his family which brought a shift in their lives. The research on this family member brought the past to the present and provided much closure to old family stories, drama, trauma, and helped the client understand as an adult, what he may not have been able to as a child.

Facilitation of the deeper issues the records and my research report bring up can take place via email correspondence, a phone call, or a private Zoom video call which can be recorded and shared with the client. Through these avenues we can discuss the specific questions or issues that arise during the research process and move toward closure and answers.

In some cases, further research may need to be done into military records or the client’s family history. Where family history research is required, I can refer clients to people who specialize in what they require as my focus is less genealogy and more military history and holistic healing.

Clients who require this deeper level of facilitation will have an additional fee added to their research projects for the number of hours they require for conversation and processing of the information. For example, if the client requires an hour call to discuss the information and their questions, then two hours will be added to a project for time for preparation for the call and any post-call work. This will be discussed on an as-needed basis with the client.

Would you like to take your research to a deeper level through holistic healing facilitation? I’d love to walk with you on that journey.

Have questions? Contact us for more information.

February 9, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

World War II Sacrifice Class at RootsTech

On Friday 2 March, I will be teaching World War II Sacrifice, at RootsTech. You can find this session in Room:255D, Session Number:RT1743.

Description: This program is NOT suitable for children. What happened to our soldiers, sailors, and Marines who died in World War II? What policies and procedures were, and were not, in place to handle our valiant dead? Who took care of the honored dead? Why did some soldiers return to the United States, while others still sleep overseas? Why are some still considered Missing In Action or unrecoverable? In this engaging and informative presentation, Jennifer shares: A trip through time, exploring the service history of James Privoznik, who was Killed In Action 11 January 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge. Discuss the history of the Graves Registration Service and their job during and after the war. Show you what the IDPF (Individual Deceased Personnel File) is, and how it can help you reconstruct service, and understand what happened to your deceased soldier. Learn why records and personal effects may not exist. Resources for the Prisoners, the Missing, and the Dead.

Want more educational opportunities:

Join our newsletter list and receive a free research guide. You will then be invited to our Facebook group.

Pick up one of our new Quick Guides to research. More will be released the 28th!

Need help with your research? We are taking new clients. Email us for more information on projects.

February 6, 2018 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Pre-Order Available for WWII Travel in Europe

New Quick Guides will be released 28 February for the Kindle and in Paperback. You can now pre-order our Quick Guide on travel.

Disclosure: The link is an affiliate link and I make a small percentage off the sale.

Pre-Order on the Kindle: Finding the Answers: World War II Travel in Europe

Congratulations with taking a first step on a journey to learn more about your World War II soldier’s, sailor’s, airman’s, or Marine’s military service and walk in their footsteps in Europe. World War II travel is done for many reasons. There are people who enjoy seeing the major battle sites and hearing history of the more famous units who helped win the war. Veterans still travel to Europe to walk where they fought, meet old friends and make new ones, and attend commemorative events. There are some who unexpectedly end up at a cemetery or battlefield and take an interest in the war. Finally, there are many who travel to heal their souls and find answers or closure to questions they have had about their father or mother’s service. Whatever your reason for World War II travel, I invite you to be open to anything that shows up on your journey.

This quick guide introduces you to:

Doing your homework. Helping you learn about your service member’s history prior to travel.
Trip planning tips.
Considerations for hiring a travel agent, traveling with a tour group, or traveling on your own.
Learning about living history in Europe.
Ways to preserve the details and memories of your trip.
Ways to contribute to preserving World War II history in Europe.

Are you ready to travel in your soldier’s footsteps in Europe?