Triangle Flight of Honor veteran writes book
World War II veteran Russ Reynolds went on the very first Triangle Flight of Honor two years ago. During the trip, he asked his fellow veterans to send him stories of their experiences for a possible book.
Posted — Updated"I got 100 stories in less than two weeks" Reynolds, 90, said.
The stories featured in "We Remember: Stories by North Carolina Veterans of World War ll" are sometimes humorous but mostly somber tales of the missions that ended in lives lost.
Many of the book's contributors attended a book signing Wednesday night at North Carolina State University's University Club.
Contributor Jim Featherton was a cryptographer in the Navy. He joined in 1943 and was discharged on Christmas Eve 1945. Veteran Earl Stanford's story deals with the first time he saw death in WWII.
"The had 29 dead Germans laid out on the hangar floor," Stanford said.
Reynolds' story in the book took a different tone.
"We did steal an airplane and flew it to Paris to see some nurses," he said.
Reynold’s thought he and his pilot friend would get thrown in military jail but nothing happened when they got back to their base in France.
“I’m still worried” he joked.
Reynolds said he wants his book to be a gift to his fellow WWII veterans, those still alive and those who paid the ultimate price. Two veterans who contributed to the book passed away before it was published.
Reynolds said he got the idea to write "We Remember" from his first book, a compilation of stories from childhood friends published in 1999.
He is thinking about writing a third book with more stories from North Carolina's WWII veterans.
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