Product Overview
The book blends three themes. First, it is a story of discovery, a series of almost miraculous coincidences after the author opened a box of memories that his father had assembled, and which had been dormant since his death in 1965. Opening that box and crafting an initial story based on the letters of James Milo Miller led to the discovery of that story by two men in France who found the story important in relating to their own ancestors experiences in the American Revolutionary War and to World War I. That discovering led to the author being invited to France to walk in his father's footsteps, where James Miller was in training in 1918. Second, it is the inside view of one soldier's story as an American soldier in WWI, from its beginning to the end. His time in the service provides a first-hand experience of a man participating in a world war, provided by his own words in letters to his family in the U.S. James Miller was directly involved in combat as a forward artillery observer, on or beyond enemy lines. He saw the carnage of war, some of which he was never able to rid from his mind, waking at night in a cold sweat remembering what he had seen during battle. What effect did that experience have on the rest of his life, and on his future service to his country? Third, it is a story of a small city, Redon, Brittany, its leadership and all its people, in becoming hosts for thousands of American military in the summer of 1918. The role of the citizens of Redon during that summer was unique. Redon represented a light in the darkness of WWI. Would the citizens of other French cities have engaged with thousands of American soldiers as did the citizens of that city? In general, yes, the French throughout the country were very supportive and friendly toward the American military during World War I and, as a shining example, the experience of the Americans in Redon was a wonderful example of the welcome extended to the soldiers and the collaboration between the French and Americans. The author was hosted by today's citizens of Redon in April 2012 so that he could walk in his father's footsteps, during his time in Redon and his march to Vannes, Brittany, where his brigade embarked for the final battles of World War I. The author was extended the same delightful hospitality that his father had experienced in 1918, ending in a presentation in the City Hall in Redon to local leaders and citizens by today's leaders in the continuing collaboration between America and France.
