Ray Summers and Bill Gateway found it hard to believe it was going to be 50 years since the end of World War II. They had become lifelong friends on a beach in the Philippines during that turbulent time. Even though they lived on opposite sides of the country, the distance didn’t keep them from staying in touch and watching each other’s families grow. A reunion with their WWII military unit would be a great opportunity to get old comrades together to celebrate and remember a time when they were all part of history. They hoped all their planning would culminate in a reunion to remember. Little did they realize this reunion would involve a change in plans so drastic it would put all of them in harm’s way one more time. It would take one of their highly decorated, military sons to help bring them all home safely and keep several countries from going to war. This is an adventure story whose pages are interwoven with bravery, treachery, and political intrigue.
Jeff Thrall was born in a farming community in central Wisconsin and his family moved to Western New York when he was young. He grew up in a suburb of Rochester and spent his summers in Canada canoeing and camping. This is where he learned to enjoy reading and storytelling because there was no television or even electricity. Mr. Thrall currently lives in Rochester, New York with his wife and has three grown children and three grandchildren. He worked for a local police department for twenty-three years where he supervised reserve officers and has recently retired as transportation administrator for a local school district. He is a graduate of SUNY Brockport with a BS in Biology, master’s in education, and CAS in School Business Administration. He previously published 'The Reunion' in 2005 and ‘The Superintendent’ in 2021. He has been working on several other projects including a second edition of “the Reunion’ scheduled for 2022 and the ‘The Retirement’ scheduled for 2023. See http://www.jeffreythrallbooks.com.
I've mentioned before that I meet weekly with friends from high school and we have lunch, reminisce, debate, and tell lies about the good ol' days. Several weeks ago, the conversation became political and as you might expect in this day and age the debate became a bit feisty. No issues, we parted the good friends that we are, agreeing to respect each other's opinions no matter which side of the political equation we found ourselves on. One of the core ideals of our society is our freedom to believe in different approaches to solve the problems that face us all. We still need to respect others and their opinions and treat them with the grace we would expect them to treat us with. That's as political as I get. Check out the book series and enjoy the adventure.
https://www.jeffreythrallbooks.com/
Book Excerpt
The Reunion
Becky O’Keefe, the person, was completely different. She was always a forceful person, as well as a bit of a rebel. With her father a professional soldier and very much a part of the establishment, she actively protested the war in Vietnam. Her sympathies were with the counterculture of the time, putting her at odds with the rest of the family. She married Patrick O’Keefe, an Irish national, because her father didn’t like him. She found him exciting to be around and enjoyed being the rebel of the family, taking his side against her father. O’Keefe was in the country raising money from Irish Americans to support the IRA in their fight against the British. Becky would argue with her parents that Patty was continuing what the American’s started two hundred years before. Her father argued that he was nothing more than a cruel and violent thug who was using her to make himself look respectable.
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.