"One bomb landed in a small garden about fifty yards from me while another sunk in the ground. Another bomb exploded killing a young kid as he left his tent."
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We All Made History by Lona King Trafford Publishing
book review by John E. Roper
History is a grand tapestry made up of interwoven tales. Each person's life is a thread in that vast and colorful design; yet because of the sheer enormity of the information contained in it, normally only the bigger stories manage to make their way into the history books. The author seeks to change that, at least on a small scale, with her collection of memories from ordinary men and women who served with or had family members in the armed forces.
Following in the tradition of books such as Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation Speaks, King's observers often share their first-hand experiences in some of the most famous campaigns of World War II. However, the scope of her book includes much more than that conflict, extending back through family histories into the 1800s and then up into the modern day. Soldiers, wives, children, and friends all contribute their thoughts on how the military, individual soldiers, and the war years affected them and their families. The result is a more intimate picture of the time periods covered than is found in any standard textbook.
A former member of the military herself, King gives a brief glimpse of her own armed forces history and even occasionally tells the tales of those who cannot form words naturally, such as the "life" of a carved wooden soldier. In general, though, she allows the stories of others to carry the book forward with what appears to be only minor editing on her part. The end result is a harmony of different voices that ring true as they take a look back at personal experiences in events that in the long run touched us all.