Will You Give Radio Heroes a Minute of Your Time?

Friends, may I shamelessly ask you to post a review of World War II Radio Heroes on Amazon? We only have 16 reviews and I'd love to have more. Most are wildly favorable, and for that I am very thankful. One person called our book "boring". However gutted I am about that, I suppose I am grateful they gave it a chance. I am optimistic that no one else feels that way and that they get the clear picture of the heroes I try so hard to speak of- and publicly thank.

Summer, Fall and Winter Bookings Thus Far

Hello dear friends,

As we get settled in to our new home in Manchester MO, I am excited about the new territory and audiences we can reach.
Thus far, we've been invited to the following events for the coming months:

August 4, 2012 Macoupin County Hamfest, Illinois
September 4, 2012 Raleigh Radio Association, North Carolina
September 22-24, 2012 Illinois State Convention, Peoria
December 7, 2012 Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

More to come. Visit www.powletters.com for additional events, reviews, television appearances, etc...

As always, thank you very much for your support. This story wouldn't get told without you.

Lisa 

Frederick W.C. Dannemann- A Radio Hero

Every few months I receive a letter or email that really moves me. This weekend I received one just like that. Thomas Dannemann wrote:

Dear Ms. Spahr:

I was happy to come across you website that recognizes the contribution of HAM radio operators during WWII. It is a story that my family knows well. My father’s father, Frederick W.C. Dannemann, was one of those HAM operators and is listed in your blog. There is also a unique aspect in that my mother’s brother was a P.O.W. The family received numerous letters and postcards form HAM operators letting them know that he was safe. According to family stories one of the postcards was from F.W.C. Dannemann, my mother’s future father-in-law.

 

Thank you for telling this great American story.

Tom Dannemann

Thank you Mr. Dannemann for reaching out to me and sharing your unique connection to this story. I am so honored to make connection with yet another of the radio heroes (via their relative) that I feature in the book. It has been an honor to salute your grandfather.

Printed with Mr. Dannemann's permission.

A Christmas Poem

Christmas Poem

    TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,

    HE LIVED ALL ALONE,

    IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF

    PLASTER AND STONE.

    I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY

    WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,

    AND TO SEE JUST WHO

    IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

    I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,

    A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,

    NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,

    NOT EVEN A TREE.

    NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,

    JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

    ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES

    OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

    WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,

    AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

    A SOBER THOUGHT

    CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

    FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,

    IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,

    I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,

    ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

    THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,

    SILENT, ALONE,

    CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR

    IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

    THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,

    THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,

    NOT HOW I PICTURED

    A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

    WAS THIS THE HERO

    OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

    CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,

    THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

    I REALIZED THE FAMILIES

    THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

    OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS

    WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

    SOON ROUND THE WORLD,

    THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,

    AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE

    A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

    THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM

    EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

    BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,

    LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

    I COULDN'T HELP WONDER

    HOW MANY LAY ALONE,

    ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE

    IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

    THE VERY THOUGHT

    BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,

    I DROPPED TO MY KNEES

    AND STARTED TO CRY.

    THE SOLDIER AWAKENED

    AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,

    'SANTA DON'T CRY,

    THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

    I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,

    I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,

    MY LIFE IS MY GOD,

    MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'

    THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER

    AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,

    I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,

    I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

    I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,

    SO SILENT AND STILL

    AND WE BOTH SHIVERED

    FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

    I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE

    ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,

    THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR

    SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

    THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,

    WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,

    WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,

    IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

    ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,

    AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.

    'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!

    AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

     This poem was written by a Marine. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men,women, and Canadian Forces for our being able to celebrate these festivities.

    Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.  Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

 

Join us in Dayton November 4th

Hello everyone.

I know it's been a quiet year for us as we gear up for our second child. I appreciate your support and patience. We have attended some brilliant events, however, like the Dayton Hamvention.

Meeting the good folks who make that happen each year was a highlight for us. They've invited us back to speak to their group, Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) on November 4th. We couldn't be happier.

So, if your a member of DARA and at the November 4th meeting, we'll see you then.

Have a superb Fall.

Lisa (and the entire gang)

A Special Review on an Amazing WWII Website

A very special thank you goes out to Mark Terjeson for his email and very thoughtful review of World War II Radio Heroes. Visit his son's beautiful site through this link and spend a few minutes checking it out. An awesome WWII website.


http://wwarii.com/reviews/review.php?book=World-War-II-Radio-Heroes

Book Review. Thanks. And, of course, Hamvention

A big thank you to Thomas Witherspoon for his thoughtful review of World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion. I met Thomas at this year's SWLFest in Plymouth Meeting. He has a great way with words. I enjoyed and appreciated his review very much. You can read it here: http://swling.com/blog/2011/05/book-review-world-war-ii-radio-heroes/

I plan to see Thomas and many others, maybe you, at Dayton's Hamvention next week. Hamvention is the largest ham fest in the country, if not the world! It will be our first year in attendance and we are really looking forward to it. Join us in our Forum, Room 3 Friday at 9:15 AM. We'll be signing books afterwards.

Thank you so very much for your support over the last several years. We love that we continue to get reviews, and that they are favorable, and that people still ask us to share this story in all sorts of venues with a variety of audiences. Thank you.