As a child, you see a grandparent in a certain light. Stern or sweet, they are the time-softened elder that you’ve always loved. Christopher LaHurd had just such a grandfather. “I only knew my grandfather as a gregarious old man who spoiled me, played golf and cards, took naps, and fed the [wildlife] off his deck,” says LaHurd. “He was a happy, carefree man.”
However, after his grandfather passed away, LaHurd started a journey of rediscovery. “When my grandfather passed away, I came across his war letters and photos,” LaHurd says. “I was extremely close to my grandfather and, after his death, writing this book kept him alive a bit.” A WWII veteran, the senior LaHurd was shot down during the war and spent time as a prisoner of war. His entire experience—from training to capture—was all detailed in his letters home to his family. Faithfully putting pen to paper, LaHurd’s story epitomizes that of many soldiers who made up the American effort.
Christopher LaHurd pored over every letter, scanning and typing each one. Born and raised in Tallmadge, he recognized local spots his grandfather discussed—building connections from the past to the present. The young LaHurd learned not only what his grandfather was up to at different times during the war effort, but how he felt about each event. Writing the book became more than just putting type to print; the exercise transformed into a character study of this close family member. “I really got to know him personally between 1940 and 1945,” says LaHurd. “This was a part of his life that he never spoke about. There were certainly many emotional moments when reading the letters for the first time.”
As he read the letters, the author says more and more questions kept popping into his mind. “Every single letter raised a question: who was that person mentioned, where was that location, why that training, why did he go there, what was the purpose of that particular air raid, on and on.” As he started to research each of these questions, the book began to take form.
The small details of daily life in the armed forces during WWII bring the history lesson to life. From the stationary of the hotel LaHurd was temporarily staying at to the details of small duties he was assigned, the conflict is transformed by this personal story. The tone in each letter helps to guide the reader along on the journey. Every page turned is another day in this extraordinary chapter of a man’s life. LaHurd says that his grandfather always had a smooth personality, and this leaps off the page in many of the letters. “I personally enjoyed his stories about meeting ladies outside of training or across the world,” says LaHurd. On the flip side, though, there were some letters that were harder to read because of the events revolving around his grandfather at the time. “As someone with a great appreciation for history and what men and women sacrifice for our country, I also found the POW letters very dark yet interesting,” he says. “This is a man trying to write to his mother and father while in a German prison camp—yet he is able to maintain a positive tone so as to not frighten his family.” The show of personal strength is clear in each message home.
“World War II Dispatches to Akron: An Airman’s Letters Home” places the reader in the shoes of one specific local man throughout one of history’s most notable conflicts. The experience is one-of-a-kind and touching. By sharing his grandfather’s personal missives home, LaHurd transforms a story about a massive force into something anyone can connect with.
Arcadia Publishing & The History Press ISBN: 9780738503592 $21.99 paperback
