The Gazette is printed and sent out approximately four times a year, but some various problems held up the latest issue for a long, long time. I didn't mind waiting because I kind of like what they're doing.
The website is called Operation WWII Remembered. Their mission statement reads:
To perpetuate the stories of all those who participated in WWII or lived during the years 1933 to 1948; To preserve the artifacts and memorabilia of this same timeframe; To provide a consolidated source of research, first-person stories, and personal memoirs about this time and its people; To be an educational tool for all generations; To encourage and support the memorials and associations dedicated to these same efforts.
With films like Flags of Our Fathers and Saving Private Ryan, the younger generations have a chance to learn more about the soldiers who fought the battles of World War II. It's almost refreshing to have a war to remember where we were on the side of liberty. Things are much murkier these days.
If you have a friend or relative of the WWII era, you might consider asking them to tell you their stories. That's how I came to write my poem. Titled "Signin' Up," it describes how my own father and his buddy Red went on a road trip right after high school and ended up in Denver enlisting in the army just as WWII broke out. I'd share the poem with you, but Custer-Hawke has first electronic rights. Their intent is to archive the stories from the gazette on the website. When, and if, that occurs, I'll let you know.
I never would have figured you for a poet, but cool! Congrats on the publication and I'm pleased with the subject matter. (I'm not any kind of hawk or anything, but I deeply believe the younger generations need to learn about war... hopefully without having to fight one like we are today.)
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