Bruce H. Norton - Böcker

Letters From a Yankee Doughboy is a collection of more than 125 letters written by Private 1st Class Raymond W. Maker, to his sister, Eva, a county nurse living in Framingham, Massachusetts, describing his everyday service in combat during World War 1. These letters, edited by Private Maker’s grandson, Major Bruce H. Norton (USMC retired) are accompanied by 365 pocket-diary entries that Raymond religiously kept throughout the year 1918.Private Maker was assigned to Company C, 101st Field Signal Battalion, as a wireman, whose duty was to repair and replace the communications lines that were destroyed by artillery and mortar barrages during the horrific battles that took place between German infantry forces and the 26th “Yankee” Division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), in France, from October of 1917 until the end of the war.Assigned to the 104th Infantry Regiment, Private Maker saw the very worst of ground warfare. He fought at the Battle of Belleau Wood; was gassed by German artillery forces at the Battle of Château-Thierry and was wounded by artillery fire outside of Verdun, just one day before the Armistice was signed. The theme of his letters will vividly evoke memories in the tens of thousands of men and women who have served their country and their friends and loved ones.As a postscript, toward the end of the war, Raymond took the key to the North Gate of Verdun as a battlefield keepsake and mailed it home to his sister, instructing her to “keep that key, as someday it will be of value.” On November 11, 2018 – the centenary of Armistice Day – the author returned that key to Thierry Hubscher, the Director of the Mémorial de Verdun, to be placed on display in that great Museum, closing a 100-year chapter in Raymond’s life.

Letters From a Yankee Doughboy is a collection of more than 125 letters written by Private 1st Class Raymond W. Maker describing his everyday service in combat during World War I. These letters, edited by Private Maker’s grandson, Major Bruce H. Norton (USMC retired) are accompanied by 365 pocket-diary entries that Raymond religiously kept throughout the year 1918.Private Maker was assigned to Company C, 101st Field Signal Battalion, as a wireman, whose duty was to repair and replace the communications lines that were destroyed by artillery and mortar barrages during the horrific battles that took place between German infantry forces and the 26th “Yankee” Division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), in France, from October of 1917 until the end of the war.Assigned to the 104th Infantry Regiment, Private Maker saw the very worst of ground warfare. He fought at the Battle of Belleau Wood; was gassed by German artillery forces at the Battle of Château-Thierry and was wounded by artillery fire outside of Verdun, just one day before the Armistice was signed. The theme of his letters will vividly evoke memories in the tens of thousands of men and women who have served their country and their friends and loved ones.As a postscript, toward the end of the war, Raymond took the key to the North Gate of Verdun as a battlefield keepsake and mailed it home to his sister, instructing her to “keep that key, as someday it will be of value.” On November 11, 2018 – the centenary of Armistice Day – the author returned that key to Thierry Hubscher, the Director of the Mémorial de Verdun, to be placed on display in that great Museum, closing a 100-year chapter in Raymond’s life.

In the bleak and bitter cold of a copper mine in northern Japan, U.S. Marine Sergeant Major Charles Jackson was allowed to send a postcard his wife. He was allowed ten words—he used three: "I AM ALIVE!" This message, classic in its poignancy of suffering and despair captures only too well what it meant to be a Japanese prisoner-of-war in World War II.In this riveting book, acclaimed military historian Major Bruce H. Norton USMC (ret.) brings to life a long-forgotten memoir by a Marine captured at Corregidor in May 1942 and held in Japanese captivity for three devastating years. In unflinching prose, Sergeant Major Jackson described the fierce yet impossible battle for Corregidor, the surrender of thousands of his comrades, the long forced marches to prison camps, and the lethal reality of captivity. One of the most important eyewitness accounts of World War II, this book is a testament to the men who sacrificed for their country. Jackson's unvarnished account of what his fellow soldiers endured in the face of enemy inhumanity pays tribute to the men who served America during the war—and why it ultimately prevailed.

The Battle of Brandy Station occurred on June 9, 1863. It was the largest cavalry engagement ever to take place in the United States, with just over 20,000 participants. From the opening shots at Beverly Ford, to the final charge on Fleetwood Heights, the Laurel Brigade was in the thick of the fight. This book is a user's guide for visiting and studying the Brandy Station Battlefield while touring sites associated with the Laurel Brigade. Maps and photographs produced in chronological order will assist readers who follow the line of march from the Shenandoah Valley through Culpeper County, Virginia, and across the field of Brandy Station with the most storied brigade of Confederate Cavalry. Photographs of key commanders, artifacts, and locations on the battlefield will bring the stories of these brave soldiers to life.

Dr. Harry J. Kantrovich retired from the Navy after 23 years of service as a Command Master Chief. Harry is an award-winning actor, director and playwright who has been involved with theatre for over 50 years, working in college, community, and professional theatres throughout the United States and Europe. Harry’s first two original plays SHOAH (in cooperation with the Claude Lanzmann family and his estate) and The Greatest Generation Speaks (in collaboration with renowned journalist Tom Brokaw) have been nationally and internationally acclaimed. His third play, co-written by Major Bruce “Doc” Norton, USMC (Ret), Voices From Vietnam, had its world premiere in November 2024, and a companion book was released simultaneously. Saving Lives will again be released simultaneously with the play of the same name’s world premiere.Saving Lives is a tribute to the “life savers” during the Vietnam War: the medics, corpsmen, nurses, doctors, and dustoff pilots who not only rescued but tried desperately to repair the estimated 200,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines, and civilians who were sick or wounded during that war. The stories contained in these pages are “in their own words” from interviews conducted many years later with these incredible men and women. Their stories of bravery, sacrifice, and dedication will never be forgotten.