Posts Tagged ‘ World War II ’

Studying languages is good therapy for me–the right blend of escapism and mental effort.  A few weeks ago, I decided German would be my latest target language. I’ve got some German characters in the novel I’m working on and I want to get inside their heads. For years, I was uneasy about Germany and I haven’t ever visited the country.  I remember playing “war” as a kid, with Americans and Germans chasing each other through the bushes. We …Read More

My father was born 100 years ago today. I am taking the liberty of posting the eulogy I gave at his memorial service, August 25, 2007, at the Ware Student Center, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH. He was President of the college 1962-1972. It was then called Colby Junior College. To my dad: In the thrifty way of his time, Dr. James B. Woodman of Franklin recorded his expenses in a notebook. In February, 1916, he jotted down …Read More

It’s Veteran’s Day. Ninety-seven years ago, shortly after 5:00 AM, Paris time, French, British, and German delegations signed an agreement to have the shooting of the Great War stop at 11:00 AM. On this day of the year,  I experience a sense of time warp, a feeling of being transported back to a moment in history. The savage noise of the guns is–for a little while, anyway–replaced by an enormous sacred silence. The two world wars form a big …Read More

June 6 is the anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the invasion of Normandy. My dad was a young naval lieutenant in that historic battle, serving on a Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) that carried special forces and led the way for other such craft. Everett Woodman in naval uniform He was very proud to have participated, but the experience scarred him more than he even realized. In 2004, at the age of eighty-eight, he was having flashbacks of …Read More