Welcoming Joy Kidney's story! Adding TWO More Heroes to Our List!

Friends, I can't begin to tell you the delight it gives me to open my email and see a message related to POW relay in my inbox. This latest one was from Joy Kidney. She's given me permission to share it here and she's joined our Facebook Page (World War II Radio Heroes). And, do you know what her contribution means.... we are adding TWO more Heroes to our master list, bringing our total to 302!

My mother's family lost three of five brothers in WWII. The middle one, Dale Wilson, was lost just off New Guinea, the copilot of a B-25. They were never found.

My grandparents got three letters from the west coast from shortwave listeners. One is listed on page 176--Mrs. H.L. Flowers--but her letter was sent from Seattle, Washington.

The other two aren't listed: Nancy Street of Reno, Nevada, and M/M F. G. Dolliver of Los Angeles. I'd like to include them among these state-side heroes. They gave my grandparents hope for several months.

The same three people also named John Stack, the bomber's navigator, but none of the other four. 

I'm writing a book about the Wilson family, and have a website with a WWII section. I'd started a blog piece called "Radio Tokyo Named Dale Ross Wilson as a POW."   JoyNealKidney.com

We have the 300th hero identified- Aunt Faye!

Friends, I'm thrilled to report that an email to me a few weeks ago, from Peter Jones, has delivered our 300th World War II Radio Hero- Mrs. Faye Howell of Culver City, CA!

Peter emailed me with a wonderful story of his Aunt Faye and his pursuit of putting all of her work and the many thank-you letter received by her, into a book of his own. You can read more about Peter, Aunt Faye and his work on our Facebook page. I've included a snapshot teaser below. If that link fails, go to Facebook and search for World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion. We're a public group. I simply accept your request to join.

Surely, there were far more than 300 men, women and children dedicating themselves to enemy airwaves to serve fellow man. But, I'm over the moon that we've identified, by name and address, 300 of them. We'd still like to see a bipartisan support for collective recognition of them, so if you know anyone who can further our cause, reach out. I'll give you everything I have and all that I know to make it happen! Thank you for your steadfast support. Now, let's ready ourselves for 301...

Kindle Sale Starts at 8 AM (PST) March 30, 2017

Friends, we are so thankful for you and for your sharing this story with others. How can we share our appreciation while continuing to shout this story from the rooftops? A sale. For our Kindle fans, we are having a huge sale, 90% off list, beginning March 30, 2017. See the price intervals by date below. Share this with others. And, please remember to put a review on Amazon, it helps promote this wonderful story. Happy Spring!

Found our 299th Radio Hero on Memorial Day Weekend!

What timing! Some shortwave listening friends reached out to me today to ensure I read this article: http://www.ithaca.com/news/he-got-news-to-families-of-pows/article_81d31dac-2295-11e6-939e-c31809e0b803.html?TNNoMobile

I had not, until they wrote to me. And, when I did my eyes lit up and I was once again in awe. In awe of the story that I've become so familiar with, yet delighted beyond compare to see another person write about it and celebrate with us. Be sure to read the article friends.

And, so it is, Meredith "Bub" Brill is our 299th World War II Radio Hero identified that took place in POW message relay. He was a child who bought his radio with a few dollars down and monthly payments. He wrote to all parts of the country to let families know that their loved one, who was serving in the war, was alive and being held as a prisoner. He lived in Caroline New York.

An excellent article. A familiar and great story. Please share it.

298 and counting!

Thanks to the Sutcliffe collection, we've added THREE names to our catalog of World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion: 

1. William Browell of Landsowne PA (ironic as I studied at Temple University, mere miles away)
2. Ann Pearce of Iselin New Jersey
3. Sadie Aclam of Middletown New York

We're almost at 300! No word yet from my request to the President to recognize these good men and women for their significant contributions during the War. I remain hopeful. At the very least, this shows that more than 10 years after my own discovery of these letters to the Spahr family, people are still finding this story and sharing their very own collections of letters with us in hopes of celebrating these fine men, women and children who cared enough to tune into short-wave radio and send a note off to a POW family letting them know their loved one was indeed alive. 

Thank you Sutcliffe family for sharing these letters. 

Sanford Lowe Strikes Again! At least 12,023 letters sent over the course of WWII!

Friends, I am excited to share this news in one of several upcoming blog posts.

 

Last week I received a lovely email from Mr. John Sutcliffe, son of Flying Officer (F/O) John (Jack) Sutcliffe from Toronto, Ontario.  Mr. Sutcliffe shared with me the four letters that his family received regarding his father's imprisonment during WWII. I recognized a line in one of the letters instantaneously...

"This is the 12,023rd message forwarded by me from Tokyo and Berlin. Please refer to this number when acknowledging message." He goes on to note that he is an "Independent Short Wave Monitor."

We know him don't we? It is our dear Mr. Sanford Lowe of NY, NY. We'd recognize his style anywhere. He always noted which letter number your message was and he often noted who donated the postage that was applied to your letter.

 

For those new to this story, Mr. Lowe wrote to my family, the Spahr's in May 1943 to report my grandfather had been captured and was serving as a POW in Germany. We were his 873rd message sent since January 1, 1943.  In the Second Edition of World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion (2013) I detail on pages 33, 132, and 162-64 that Mr. Lowe sent letters to other families as well, including the Heer and Young families, and at that time I found documentation that he had sent 10,379 letters over the course of the war. The Sutcliffe collection adds to that and now affirms Mr. Lowe's total to be at least 12,023!  Amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're Going for it! Presidential Medal of Freedom! We need you.

Friends,

Hello. I know it's been a while. Between working full-time, mothering the best I can and spending as much time in the sunshine as possible (it was 75 in St. Louis yesterday!), I've not been a solid author pitching her story, as I should be. Forgive me.

But alas I'm back and with big news and a big ASK.

The big news: You've heard me say for several years we want Congressional Recognition for the 295 men and women already identified as taking part in POW Message Relay. We've tried a few representatives here and there, with little luck. I've decided to go to the top. It's a big year with much at stake and rhetoric beyond our wildest imaginations- but that shouldn't stop us, in fact, it should push us toward wanting to recognize our best and not our worst.

Tomorrow I will mail a package to the Executive Office and ask President Obama to award either the Presidential Medal of Freedom or the Presidential Citizens Medal to each of the 295 people we've identified thus far. Yes, read that again. You don't get anything without asking and these people deserve for US to ask on their behalf. This story needs to be told.

Now, here's where you come in. You've likely heard me speak, once or more about this awesome story of home front heroes. You liked what you heard and have likely told a person or two, sharing the good news. I need you to do that again. If the White House is going to take US seriously, they'll want to see that people care about this. How will they know? How many likes we have on our Facebook page (World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion) and on our blog (here). Will you please ask everyone you know to like these pages by 2/29? And, will you please share this message on every FB page you are a part of- especially those related to ham, amateur or short-wave radio. Those men and women are who we are trying to recognize and trust me- they are powerful beyond words when it comes to getting the message out!

Fingers crossed, we'll be in Washington this year to accept the award on behalf of the 295 men and women we celebrate in World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion. And, I hope you'll be right there beside me.

My most sincere thank you,
Lisa (below a pic of my most-amazing grandfather and I, in the early 80's)

Celebrating Pauline Holtzclaw of Charlotte NC - another World War II Radio Hero identified!

Hello friends. The story repeats itself yet again. I find myself the recipient of another wonderful communication that goes like this:

"A few years ago I stumbled across an old 5X7 3-ring binder that belonged to my mother.  In it are neatly and almost perfectly typed words of hymns, songs, poems, quips and little sayings.  Strategically placed in the middle of them is a poem entitled “A Soldier Speaks” from the Office of War Information.  The 15 pages that follow that poem are typed and handwritten addresses, service numbers and short memos from a POW to a family member here in the US or Canada that my mother notated.  Up to now, I have made an assumption that because she was a Red Cross volunteer during WWII, in Charlotte, NC, that she may have jotted these messages to relay them to families stateside.   Unfortunately, my mom passed in 2003, so this all comes as a bit of a mystery to me.  Then I come across your video and hear how many people, all over the country would write the names, addresses and notes from POW’s that they heard on the radio and would relay those messages to those families.  I’m wondering now, if that was what my mom was doing, instead of it coming through her volunteering with the Red Cross..."

That was the beginning of my communication with Rick Bartlett of Georgia. He shared with me the beautiful contents of that ring binder he found after her passing. Like myself, Rick couldn't put the materials down. He read and reread each note and then began searching for the POWs that his mother wrote about. He has become far more of a researcher than I, in fact. His work is impressive. I'm including a few documents that he was kind enough to share, and grant permission to share.

Rick and I are friends on my World War II Radio Heroes Facebook Page. Please friend him and thank him for his efforts and preservation of this piece of the story. We continue to seek Congressional Recognition for those like Pauline, who supported our POWs and their families with these precious notes. Please continue to reach out to your legislatures and ask for their help. I have materials you can use to that end- simply email me.

Sanford Lowe to Southerton Family

Hello friends.

I was recently contacted by Michael Southerton of the Philadelphia area. He shared this penny postcard he found from our own dear Sanford Lowe to Michael's great-grandmother alerting her of his father's capture. Thank you Michael for sharing this- and for being as excited about this as we are. Sanford was in deed a very special person to us for his 10,000+ letters to POW families like ours.

Transcript:

December 12th, 1944.

Dear Mrs. Southerton,

Tonight at 8.13 P.M.,  E.W.T. Berlin short wave radio announced the following:

"Bernard G. Southerton, A.S.N. 33355234, born in Honesdale, PA.. was captured while fighting on the Western European Front on a recent date and he is now in a prison camp in Germany, safe and well."

No address was given but I hope this card reaches you and the above information will be a source of help and encouragement to you. 

Very truly yours,

Sanford Lowe

This is the 13,070th notice forwarded by me from Tokyo and Berlin.

 

 

Proud to Add Another WWII Radio Hero to Our Master List for Congressional Recognition. That makes 294 and counting...

I am delighted to add Bessie May Dean Adcock to our list of World War II Radio Heroes- men and women who aided families like mine, alerting us that our loved one had been captured and was serving as a POW.

Hero: Bessie Mae Dean Adcock (married to W.T. Adcock)  P.O. Box 98 or Reams Avenue Roxboro, North Carolina.

I learned about Ms. Bessie May as I learn about most others, by the word of a good citizen trying to help someone (and sometimes that someone they are trying to help is me). In this case, I received an email from Kathy Young, the Director of Person County Museum of History in Roxboro North Carolina.
One of her  volunteers brought more than 100 responses from letters written (by her Mother) to POW families and was wondering what to do with them.

If you know anything about this story, World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion, you know that we salute each and every person involved with POW message relay. Their service to POW families, the POW him/herself, and the country at large, is largely unknown but is priceless to those of us affected.

Thank you Ms. Bessie May. Thank you to her daughter. And, thank you to Kathy Young for reaching out to me. Adding another name to this list of exemplary Americans makes for a delightful start to 2014.

Happiest of New Years to all of you.
- Lisa

World War II Radio Heroes Second Edition is Available Via Kindle- Finally!

Friends, Dave Williams, my designer has pulled it off. Moments ago I submitted the finished Kindle version of the second edition of World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion. It will be made available for purchase within 24 hours. I'm announcing it here on my blog first, as a special thank you to those of you following it.

The Kindle version is $9.90 for US and adjusted at that same rate for other currencies around the globe. It is exclusively available via Kindle at this time.

If you purchase the paperback book from Amazon, you can also purchase the Kindle version for an extra $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Radio-Heroes-Compassion/dp/0989191400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379554778&sr=8-1&keywords=world+war+ii+radio+heroes

This book will make a great read and gift for your friends and family who enjoy history, military history, particularly WWII, and those who simply love a true story that makes you feel good.

I want to thank you for your patience. This was no easy task. All of the images made the conversion very challenging for Dave. He hung in there and I am so appreciative. My eyes are crossed from so much review over the last 3 months. :)

Thank you for your support.

World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion SECOND EDITION IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Hello dear friends.

The time has finally come. The second edition of World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion (2013) has been published! As of yesterday, Ingram, my distributor released the title (book speak for "It's available") to book sellers (like Amazon). Now, each book seller is independent and will go at their own pace at listing it and making it directly available to you. So, that said, ask your book seller to look for it by title, author and ISBN:

 

World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion SECOND EDITION (2013), Lisa Spahr & Austin Camacho,  ISBN  978-0-9891914-0-1

 

Make sure it is not the first edition, which my publisher will take out of print/availability in the coming week. And, don't worry if they say they can't find it... that may be the case for a few weeks. Just keep asking, politely of course. :) Rest assured it is listed with Ingram and your book seller will have access to it, double-check the ISBN and ask again in a week.

 

The list price is $19.95 and it's more than 200 pages! I sure hope you love it. And, please help us spread the word and by all means, post a review on Amazon or elsewhere.

 

Thank you for your support. This wouldn't have been possible without such positive feedback from the first edition and your encouragement over the years. Thank you.

 

Lisa (and the entire cast of characters that made this happen)

Reviews Wanted!

Hello friends!

I am so excited to be weeks away from the Second Edition of World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion debut. We're expecting it to be out for Memorial Day 2013.

I am looking for 10 reviewers who can review the book in high-profile publications, outlets, etc... (more than one preferably) within 15 days of receiving it (expected arrival May 1st or so). Is that you? If so, email me and let me know where you could publish a review (or a list of places). Those 10 reviewers selected will receive a complimentary copy of the book as soon as I get them!

Help me spread the word about this great story!

All the best to  you- and as always, thank you for your support!

Lisa
www.powletters.com

The POW/MIA Table

Hello friends.
I had the honor to attend a recent event that celebrated veterans and their families. The attention to detail was impeccable. The exhibits were museum quality and the volunteers that put it all together couldn't have been more passionate. The room was filled with memorabilia and artifacts. It included the POW/MIA table which I want to introduce you to- in the event you have not seen it or understood the elements involved.

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for our missing men and women.

 

The tablecloth is white- symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

 

The single red rose displayed in a vase reminds us of the life of each of the missing and their loved ones and friends, who keep the faith while awaiting answers.

 

The vase is tied with a red ribbon- a symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing.

 

A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured.

 

There is also salt on the bread plate- symbolic of the tears of the families, as they wait.

 

The glass is inverted to symbolize their inability to share this evenings toast.

 

The chair is empty. They are missing and missed.

May I suggest that we each include one or more elements listed here, or create our own, to honor our veterans at our own family table, especially at the holiday time but everyday is welcome as well. Thank you to each and everyone of you who have served. And, thank you to your families as well.

Messages from a Prisoner of War by Craig Henderson

I am so excited to share this link, photo and bit of news with you! I was approached by Craig Henderson some time ago, for a radio documentary he was doing with Mona Thornton. (Both Craig and Mona are pictured above.) He was featuring Mona's father's letters and records that he kept from WWII, which alerted her mother that he was a POW. His documentary is complete and can be found at: http://www.peachcityradio.org/programs/community/messagesFromAPOW.php

I will include this information in the second edition of World War II Radio Heroes, which will debut by Memorial Day 2013 at the latest!

I'm honored to have been a part of this. I'm thrilled that it will help us keep sharing this wonderful message with audiences around the globe. And, I'm thankful to Craig and Mona for their work and dedication.

Let me know what you think of the documentary.

Student Project Anyone?

I am looking for a bright and eager college or grad student who may want to use my Pow Message Relay, WWII, letters and related collection for a student project/thesis or dissertation. In exchange, and in addition to full access to all that I have, I would ask that they help me organize the materials more effectively and perhaps prepare the materials for ease of electronic sharing- for others to use/see. Private Message me if you want more information or know of someone. Thanks.

Springfield IL March 2, 2013

With great pleasure I announce a program on World War II Radio Heroes will take place March 2, 2013 in Springfield IL at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10302. Sponsored by: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10302 and the Sangamon County Radio Club W9DUA.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Lisa Spahr, Author of “WW2 Radio Heroes – Letters of Compassion”

 The title of Lisa’s Program is “Radio Heroes – Letters of Compassion” - the Author’s Story.  This program will bring history to life, while also relating a touching human interest story that spans generations. For more information regarding the author and links to Radio Heroes interviews, please see the page below. .

 Where:    Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10302

                 2349 Stockyard Rd

                 Springfield Illinois, 62702

                 Phone: 789-4725

 When:    Saturday, March 2^nd, 2013  7:00 pm 8:30 pm

 Schedule: “Meet the Author” - 6:30 pm -  7:00 pm

                 Program: “Radio Heroes - Letters of Compassion” – 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

The program is provided as public service at no cost by the sponsoring organizations.

Directions:  From I55, take Sangamon Avenue Exit (100B) to Sangamon Avenue.   Proceed on Sangamon Avenue to Stockyard Road ,  Turn right on Stockyard Road, and proceed about 1000 feet (past the grain elevators).  The VFW will be on your left, parking on the right.   http://www.vfwpost10302.com/directions.php

 
An interesting link to a radio of the era:

http://n7rk.com/howard.htm

 
For additional  information, call 217.628.3697 or email  ed@efgaffney.com

 

23 Names Added to POW Message Relay!

As I am knee-deep in reading, writing, scanning and editing for the 2nd edition of the book, I was overwhelmed to find another list of POW monitors that I had not yet known. This list was found thanks to the copious amount of materials sent to me by T/Sgt. Heer, himself a former POW held by the Japanese who discovered the letters sent to his family. In his research he found a Coshocton Tribune article noting the letters received by the Shurtz family. The article listed each letter and postcard author! Here they are (apologies for formatting chaos, I had to get back to the book!):

Last Name	First Name	City/Town	State
Landis	Paul	Lancaster	Pennsylvania
Smetzer	Mrs. Olive	Bakersfield	California
Hagedorn	Mrs. Carl	Everett	Washington
O’Connor	Miss. Frann	Binghamton	New York
Fortier	Lt. B.D.	Kingman	Arizona
Ferguson	Clifford	Berwick	Maine
Workman	Mrs. W.	Burlingame	California
Gates	Mrs. Clyde	Lansing	Michigan
Zarback	Mrs. Evelyn	Tacoma	Washington
Umbriaco	Mike	Denver	Colorado
Myers	Mrs. Violet	Albuquerque	New Mexico
Neale	D.H.	Toronto	Canada
Gallagher	G.C.	San Francisco	California
Self	Roy H.	Roy	New Mexico
Medsker	Mrs. Louis	Boise	Idaho
Hart	Mrs. R.R.	Harley	Idaho
Dept. Electrical Eng.	Univ. N.M.	Albuquerque	New Mexico
Wright	Mrs. C.E.	Scotia	California
Branson	Stanley	Corvallis	Oregon
Wagner	Jesse D.	Medford	Oregon
South	B.O.	San Francisco	California
Hollarn	Mrs. G.L.	Santa Cruz	California
Snook	Mrs. I.J.	Pogosa Springs	Colorado