
Footprints of a Private
John Pearce(Author)
Stephen F. Austin State University Press
Book
Paperback/Softback
310 pages
978-1-62288-102-4 (ISBN)
Description
Frank Webster Pearce's informative diary and letters home form the backbone of this in-depth look at Texas' own 36th Division and the 111th Engineer Combat Battalion. The Division's story has been told before, but never from start to finish by a combat engineer, whose footprints stirred the sands of three invasion beaches, wallowed through the mud, and trudged in the snow of every battle. Added to it is an up close look at the movement of the engineers, detailed to company, platoon, and squad units. With the combination of diary, numerous letters home describing the wants and needs of a private, and official 36th Division reports, you have the most complete look ever produced on the engineers and their war with Hitler's Germany. This is a primary account, written daily as the events unfolded. Here you find out how to properly bury a man in the water soaked Italian soil, a fool proof way to smuggle liquor from the US to the soldiers overseas, the foul stench of death reeking across the battlefield, and the beauty of exploding artillery shells in the night sky.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
US School Grade: From Seventh Grade to College Graduate Student
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
525 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-62288-102-4 (9781622881024)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
John Pearce has been a requested speaker and an author of numerous articles concerning his vocation: football. He was the head football coach at Stephen F. Austin State University, USA, for seven years, an assistant at Texas A&M University, USA, for three seasons, UCLA, USA, for four years, and the assistant head coach at Rice University in 2006. Footprints of a Private is his third full length book. A former history teacher in public schools, he was named after two of these combat engineers. World War II has always been a fascination, and with his retirement he followed through on pursing the publishing of his father's diary. His first book titled Ever Remember built around the diary of a high school age girl in 1913-14 was published in the fall of 2014 by State House Press, while his second of local interest on the high school's football team Sulphur Springs Wildcat Official Football History 1911-1955 is out on a readable CD.