It’s always heartening to see what’s done at the community level to preserve veterans’ stories.
Last week I spoke about “Why War Stories Matter” before a Life Long Learning group at New Goschenhoppen Church in East Greenville. Life Long Learning is a nonprofit that offers learning opportunities in history, the arts, health, religion, travel and other topics to Upper Perkiomen Valley residents. I was invited because of my book, War Stories: In Their Own Words, published last fall by The Morning Call of Allentown.
In the audience was Scott Armstrong, author of Russian Snows: Coming of Age in Napoleon’s Army, who had helped interview veterans at Cedarville United Methodist Church in Pottstown. Here’s the link to the Cedarville vets: http://www.parentssource.com/veterans.asp You’ll find stories and pictures of 35 men and women.
And if you’re interested in Russian Snows, Scott’s story of Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia as witnessed by a 14-year-old boy attached to the French army, go to www.RussianSnows.com.
Why do war stories matter? Because if these personal accounts are left untold, they will be lost to the ages as the veterans die. Future generations won’t know about the courage and sacrifice of these people and what they accomplished in the service of their country.
David Venditta 