The Last Good War - Tour Blog

Long May You Run Article

2011-01-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Take a look at a recent article from Beach Magazine. The article is called "Long May You Run."

OUTLOOK MAGAZINE CHINA

2011-01-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Outlook Magazine published and circulated in China did a recent interview for The Last Good War. Take a look!

Erickson Tribune!

2010-12-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Please take a look at the Erickson Tribune interview:

http://ericksontribune.com/2010/12/the-last-good-war/

Remembering Cantigny Museum....

2010-12-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

San Diego Tribune Christmas Gifts...

2010-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

I came across this link this morning in the San Diego Tribune. It is the top Christmas gift books to buy this season. Guess what book is on the list?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/19/for-the-coffee-table/

The Beginning!

2010-12-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

I remember the day I met Dawneen. I was walking home from class wearing a backwards blue corduroy hat, and I decided to go to the retirement community in my neighborhood to see if there was anybody interesting to photograph for a class assignment. Dawneen told me about a famous WWII Army Ranger. I ended up photographing the WWII vet and Dawneen thought it would be a good idea to photograph more vets.... and four years later I got a book published! Pictured below at Vromans Bookstore in Pasadena!

My Book Shelf

2010-12-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

I always dreamed that when I got a book published, I would put it on my shelf with the rest of my published art heroes. Now that the book tour is over I've placed my copies into my collection. It is quite a good feeling to be sharing a shelf with artistic creators I have looked up to for such a long time. I have been off the tour for almost a week, and I promise we will catch up on some of the events from THE LAST GOOD WAR book tour.

-TS

PDN Photo of the Day

2010-12-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

Take a look at The Last Good War entry on PDN's Photo of the Day website. Remember it is the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor today, and it is important to remember the soldiers that did not survive.

San Diego Events!

2010-12-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Thomas Sanders with Heidi Charette and Staff Sergeant Barney Schussel, U.S. Army (ret.)

Book signing and reception at Belmont Village Senior Living of Sabre Springs. Pictured (l-r) executive director Heidi Charette, Thomas Sanders, Second Lt. Edward Gaul, Signal Corps, U.S. Army (ret.), his son Darrel Gaul and daughter Darlene Tydlaska.

Pictured here (l-r) : Col. Bill Snyder U.S. Marine Corps (ret.) and Thomas Sanders being interviewed by morning news co-anchor Marianne Kushi

Book signing and reception at Belmont Village Senior Living of Cardiff. Pictured (l-r) City of Encinitas Deputy Mayor Maggie Houlihan, executive director Inan Linton, San Marcos resident and Seaman First Class Robert Watson, U.S. Navy (ret.) and Thomas Sanders.

Thomas Sanders in memory of Sergeant Earl Fouts U.S. Army (ret.) with his son and daughter-in-law Craig Fouts and Susan Fouts of Encinitas, California

Thomas Sanders being interviewed by weekend news co-anchor Courtney Dwyer on San Diego’s CW6

Col. Bill Snyder U.S. Marine Corps (ret.) and Thomas Sanders sign books for fans – Bay Books of Coronado handled book sales at the City of Coronado Public Library

KPBS Radio show These Days with host Maureen Cavanaugh which aired on Thursday, Dec 2. The show featured Thomas Sanders and Veronica Kavass via phone from Hawaii and along with two veterans who were in the book being interviewed in the studio. Pictured here (l-r) : Col. Bill Snyder U.S. Marine Corps (ret.), These Days host Maureen Cavanaugh, Technical Sergeant Eleanor Conlon, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.) and Inan Linton, executive director of Belmont Village of Cardiff

The Last Good War Cake

2010-12-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

At first you might think this is a giant cover of The Last Good War. If you take a closer look you will see it is a cake. That's right, I said cake. I had to share! The cake was from a Belmont Village book signing in Oak Park, IL.

TS

NBC News Clip San Diego

2010-12-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Checkout ours most recent interview on NBC San Diego. Bill Snyder joined me in the studio and talked about how he met his wife in Australia during WWII. To learn more about Bill, his story is on page 210-211 of the book!

TS

WGN Interview

2010-11-30T21:06:00.001-08:00

Take a look at the WGN interview on The Last Good War!

Hawai'i

2010-11-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

What is an American history book tour without a stop in "Obama Land"?

What is a WWII book tour without a stop in Pearl Harbor?

It was an especially menacing day at Pearl Harbor

Or a hike up Diamond Head to see the old WWII bunkers

And Barnes and Noble Hawaii!

And Hawaiian food...

And dinosaurs...

We leave paradise for subzero Chicago tomorrow...

LOS ANGELES: Vromans & the American Legion

2010-11-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

There is a good reason I was flown to Los Angeles a year ago to interview WWII veterans in person. So many of them live here. We visited 3 locations in LA this past weekend: Vromans (top notch independent bookstore), American Legion in Hollywood (a time machine of a military club), and Belmont at Hollywood.

I only have pictures that I snapped from Vromans and American Legion. They aren't Tom-quality but they give you a sense of these amazing places.

Louis Siberling, Mrs. Alecock, and Don Alecock

Bob Figueroa!

Me super excited to see all the WWII guys walk into the bar

Louis Siblerling and Dominic Zappia

Don MacDougal and Tom at Vromans

Bob and Marian Costa

The most heartwarming presentation: Books Inc. Palo Alto

2010-11-18T23:33:00.000-08:00

I didn't think it was possible to pinpoint the most heartwarming moment during the tour. But once I witnessed it, I knew this was the one:

Carl E. Clark and Ernie Cortez (Clark's son in the middle) showed up at our late evening presentation at Books Inc in Palo Alto. They are 92 and individually survived terrifying events during WWII. I started to get misty-eyed when they both spoke of their experiences from the audience. And when they signed one another's books--well that was it for V!

Snippet of Clark piece:

The next morning, the captain of the ship found me walking around—everybody was kind of in a daze. I was sitting down on deck, and I started to get up when I saw him approaching me. He said, “No, no, don’t get up.” So I stayed where I was. He crouched down in front of me, and he said, “I want to thank you because you saved my ship.”
But when they got together and decided who was going to get a medal, they weren’t going to give me one. All the prejudice that was going on at the time, I can understand why. There were three hundred men aboard that ship. Only six of them were black men. Our job was to take care of those officers—feed them, clean up after them, make up their bunks, and so forth. So here we got only six black men aboard the ship, and one of them the captain credits for saving a ship—that would have been pretty embarrassing for the captain, and for the Navy.

This picture (taken at the Presidio earlier in the day) will give you an idea of what Cortez went through during WWII.

Cortez joined Tom and I to all of our events in the Bay Area from morning to night on November 17. When I sat next to Cortez at the Presidio's Officers Club to do book signings, I noticed this poster hanging directly across from us. Strange, strange coincidence.

-VK

Supplementary reading to LGW: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

2010-11-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

I write this from my perch on State Street in Santa Barbara. We have left Northern California behind--but not without some excellent parting gifts from bookstores such as Books Inc in Palo Alto and Book Passage in Corte Madera. I'm especially excited to explore this Book Passage gift:

One of our LGW veterans, Louis Zamperini, is the protagonist of Laura Hillenbrand's latest book Unbroken. I am very excited to read the way Hillenbrand has illustrated Zamperini's epic tale of running with Jesse Owens in the '36 Olympics, crashing in the Pacific during WWII, floating across 2000 miles of water, getting caught by the Japanese, being tortured as a POW on "execution island," and ultimately becoming a stress-free 93 year-old man living in the Hollywood Hills.

I read that Zamperini will take on book tour duty in place of Hillenbrand due to her illness.

Expect a book report in 10 days. Probably less. This is going to be riveting.

-VK

Videos from the National WWII Museum

2010-11-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few videos from our book signings at the National WWII Museum from last week. We were there on Veteran's Day for a signing and book presentation! It was such an honor. Veronica took a little break from signing books and filmed a little bit. She has quite the eye!

Book Passage

2010-11-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Last night, Veronica and I spoke at Book Passage in Corta Madera, Ca. On the walls hung photos of Tom Brokaw, former presidents, and yes, Reba McEntire. It was an honor to speak at a bookstore where so many legendary authors have spoken before us.

Dana Kelly, our events coordinator and moderator, did a marvelous job introducing us. Tammy Rivara, my leadership and pre-calculus teacher from high school showed up - such a wonderful surprise! I love it when my former teachers get to see me in action. They made such a big impact on my life, and have contributed to the success of The Last Good War.

Below, Dana Kelly, events coordinator from Book Passage. He is a spectacular travel photographer as well!

Dave Licata's daughter talking to Veronica. See page 154 of The Last Good War to learn Mr. Licata's story. He was a medic in the Pacific, and saved numerous lives.

My dad giving me a celebratory handshake.

Sonoma Reader's Books Event

2010-11-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

The Sonoma event at Reader's Books was an emotional event for me. I was in my hometown of Sonoma this past Monday, surrounded by 60 family and friends in support of The Last Good War. One of my first photography mentors, Ed Aiona, showed up; my 4th grade teacher and my high school photography teacher Mr. Mitchell (or Andy - he said I could call him by his first name now that I have been out of high school for 8 years) were in the crowd. Also my girlfriend's parents flew out from Palm Springs and Florida. I was the most nervous for this presentation because I wanted to impress everyone so much. As you can see in the video below, I am speaking a little fast.

Andy Mitchell my photo teacher from high school and I are in the below image. He told me I was not shooting nearly enough to get into the Cal Poly program when I was a senior in high school. He inspired me to shoot more. When I asked him a few years ago if he remembered the advice he gave me, he had no clue what I was talking about! I remember it like it happened yesterday.

A Veterans Day to Remember: WWII Museum in New Orleans

2010-11-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

It feels like it was only yesterday that I was reading aloud from LGW to an audience of nearly 200 at the WWII Museum in New Orleans. But, in fact, I've been in 4 places in the past 5 days: New Orleans, Brooklyn, Point Reyes, and Sonoma. (I know, poor me.) All this movement--this "kinedrama" as I like to call it--makes it hard for me to catch my breath, let alone write a blog post.

Now I reflect on New Orleans from the city of San Francisco:

My patriotic morning started by getting coffee with the Navy band...

Have you ever wondered why the best WWII museum in the nation is in New Orleans? While I was signing books during the morning festivities at the museum, I asked a docent. The answer: New Orleanian Andrew Higgins designed the boat which made it possible for the Americans to win the war. The boats transported troops onto beaches as quickly as possible. This was instrumental for D-Day of course.

President Eisenhower told the historical writer Stephen Ambrose about Higgins. Together with the President, Ambrose made it his mission to create a museum honoring Higgins.

So there we were, Tom and I, presenting this book on the exact stage where Tom Hanks spoke last year on Veteran's Day. Big shoes to fill.

Again, I think Tom sums it all up best with one of his classic update emails!

New Orleans could not have gone better. There is so much I have to tell you.

My mom flew out to New Orleans for the event and was telling everyone about the book. She even made the CNN camera tech guy come over and ask us about it.

I bought new fitted shirts for the tour and they are a little small. My shirt was coming out of my pants a little bit, and my mom tucked it in for me in front of Jeremy Collins, our main contact at the museum. There is nothing better than your mom tucking in your shirt in front of another grown man.

The evening was spectacular. There was a head count of 172 people. I got a little emotional in front of the audience. The camera man was taking photos of me getting teary eyed. At least my mom was not tucking in my shirt on stage!

Sonoma family picnic and visit from publisher

2010-11-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a book celebration in my hometown of Sonoma. 70 family and friends showed up. We spent the afternoon at Larson Family Winery playing bocce ball, horse shoes, walked in the vineyard, and most importantly... drank wine. The weather was in the high 70s, and we could smell the crush in the air with this years late harvest. What made the day even better, was my publisher Lena Tabori showed up from New York City to drop off books for my friends and family. So nice Lena got to meet everyone!

Pat Hernadez interview on KUHF

2010-11-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

Have a listen to our interview with Pat Hernandez on Houston's NPR station, KUHF.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

2010-11-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

photos taken by Houston local Phyllis Hand

Last weekend, museum educator Margeret Mims introduced us to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston by offering an elegant explanation of the relationship between war and art.

I’m glad that after a string of military venues in the nor’east, I could present in a presitigious art institution. I know far more about art than war. But then what exactly does that mean? As Mims pointed out, the subject of war has always been explored through art. When I was a political science major during my first year of college in Madrid, Spain, I spent a lot of time with the Goya collection. I also appreciate contemporary portrayals of war done by artists like Omar Fast.

It was also interesting to be moderated by well-known sports caster, Craig Roberts. Sports, war, and art--excellent combo.

Roberts shared a hilarious tale about his father serving in WWII. When the war ended, he had told all of his school friends in Minnesota that his father had killed Hitler WITH A TORPEDO and, thus, ended the war. Too bad I didn’t get that story!

That would make an interesting book--childhood remembrances of World War II.

One veteran I was especially pleased to talk about during this event was Sam Fink.

Fink is the only “Army Artist.” He was stationed in Italy right after the war ended in Europe. Once Colonel Jim Tyler noticed Fink’s talent he ensure the army generously commisioned him to draw:

All the men were heading home, and because this Tyler liked me, as soon as a guy left, I’d get promoted. Tyler would say, “Fink, this guy’s going home. You’re going to be a corporal tomorrow.” Two stripes sewed on. Raise in pay—$21 to $45 a month. Eventually, I wore six stripes a master sergeant and was paid $200 a month—which I sent home to my wife.

Letter from Tom, Nashville

2010-11-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Tom Sanders sends these charming email updates to everyone at Welcome Books to update them on our progress on the road. I think we should start posting them on the blog so here we go!

Hi All,

Nashville went great as you all know from the news clip. I think they sold all the books. This was great news!

Davis Kids was a great event. A lot of Veronica's family and friends were there. She and her mom were giggling during the presentation. I thought it was because I was doing a poor job reading out loud. They were actually just being silly girls. 5pm was kind of a hard time for a book signing and presentation due to people getting off work. If it had been at 7pm, we might have had an extra 20 people. There were about 20 people in the audience, and an additional 10 showed up afterward. Of the people that were not related to Veronica, they had heard of the event from the news clip and the radio.

Today at the Air Force base we just signed a bunch of books. We were there on time, but it was a pain in the butt to get through security again. The military bases are hard to get on to!

Best,

Tom

Veronica's mom--Carmen--signing under Veronica's signature.

New York City! Sumner Glimcher! USO!

2010-11-10T13:20:00.000-08:00

I’ve been waiting for the festive photographs from our event in Manhattan at the onset of this tour. We centered our focus on the role of women who were a part of the WWII generation. We presented at the Women’s Republican Club in New York City in conjunction with contemporary USO performers. Pictures would capture this experience best but here we go.

Imagine an opulent, 1920s Manhattan parlour--painting of Mary Todd Lincoln in one corner, Betty Ford in the other. Velvety sofas and armchairs scattered about, a baby grand, a mantle, and all the right reddish tones.

In walks Sumner Glimcher.

He greets all the women with great affection and prepares to be the guest of honor.

Why did I ask Sumner Glimcher to tell a story at an event filled with USO performers and Republican (and non-Republican) women?

Well here was his response:

"Of course I will be there. I've always found women to be far more interesting than men."

Oh yes, and I knew this. I read part of Sumner's memoir before I interviewed him and he featured a new notable woman in each chapter--a nurse, a "lady of the night," a secretary who assisted him in the de-nazification of Germany.

Aside from Sumner Glimcher, we honored the stories of others--including USO performer Angel Adagio.

FOX News clip Houston

2010-11-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

We were on the news this past Friday in Houston, TX on Fox News. For this particular event we were at the West University Belmont Village, honoring veterans and giving them books.

One of my favorite aspects about the events is when the veterans, regardless of whether they use a walker or wheel chair, stand with determination, look me in the eyes and tell me a sincere 'thank you.' It is a rewarding feeling. Enough from me, take a look at the news clip!

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/101105-new-book-honors-local-wwii-veterans

-TS

Houston, Day 1

2010-11-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

Jeff DeBevec, VP of communications at Belmont Village Senior Living, is an important character in the making of The Last Good War. Jeff was one of the first people I was introduced to when I started researching veterans and compiling stories for the book. If it wasn't for him, All of This would not be happening. It was Jeff who saw the potential in this project when Tom consulted him to take pictures of WWII veterans in his community. Because of the Belmont commission Tom was able to spend a year traveling the country taking pictures of unsung WWII heroes.

Jeff DeBevec, Dana Biedrzycki, and Amy Self

Now that the book is out, everyone has questions. We kicked the day off doing a radio interview with Pat Hernandez from KUHF. This was a followed by a special reception honoring the WWII veterans in Houston--namely Dominic Calabrese and Joseph Zilley--who are included in the book. Documentation of the event courtesy of Fox news can be seen here.

In the evening we presented at the Royal Oaks Barnes and Noble.

Still not used to seeing this...

Norfolk, Virginia

2010-11-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

On November 4, Tom and I stationed ourselves at the Norfolk Navy Exchange. We were accompanied by four charming Pearl Harbor survivors, equipped with all their WWII paraphernalia.

The fellow on the far right, near me, is William Muehleib, National VP of the PH survivors association.

From Rio to the Washington Naval Base

2010-11-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Getting on to the Washington DC Naval base on November 3rd was not an easy task. Whereas in the past we'd tell officials "we're here for the book talk" and they'd amicably wave us through gates, the Navy guards put us through a bit of hell. I thought they were going to demand I show them my birth certificate.

We entered the the presentation hall in a harried state but the audience exuded a certain brand of calm energy that allowed for Tom and I to flow through the motions comfortably. It was like we were talking to a group of angels. They watched us very attentively with soft smiles on their faces. As I spoke to them, I considered that many of these faces had witnessed horrible things. But it was difficult to detect traces of that. All they revealed was curiosity....and gratitude.

We sold multiple boxes of books right after the lecture and during the signing we met two very exotic women: Helena Maria Peres and Sheila Aragao. They were Brazilian Navy women who had been a part of the Navy since its inception in Brazil in 1980.

They told us that they had come all the way from Brazil just for our book talk!!!!!

On December 16, they will release their book on the history of Brazilian Navy women. Like Tom and I, they collaborate as a photographer and writer. Everyone is invited to attend--and stay at their opulent Rio apartments. Wonderful women!

Triangle, Virginia: National Museum of the Marine Corps

2010-11-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Who said book tours weren't dangerous?

Today we visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps, which happens to be a sniper hot spot. Read more here.

Despite the high danger level of this place, we met a couple of very young history buffs. Like Isaac, future #1 eagle scout of America.

It was a bit quiet in museum due to election day, but Tom and I forged ahead. Nothing stops us--not empty seats or bad weather. And definitely not a sniper...who shoots buildings.

A little trivia about Marines-

Did you know that the Brooklyn Bridge designer, John Augustus Roebling, passed on the necessary genes to secure their heightened role in the military? His grandson, Donald Roebling, created the first amphibian tractor. From that moment forward, the Marines took on expeditionary missions that intertwined all the elements of combat from sea to sky. This was a unique military force during WWII.

Philadelphia

2010-11-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

We presented Last Good War at the Penn Bookstore on October 1. We were introduced by Penn Professor Thomas Childers, author of multiple WWII books (with beautiful long-winded titles) such as Wings Of Morning: The Story Of The Last American Bomber Shot Down Over Germany In World War II.

We were thrilled to see most of the seats were filled with teenagers from a local high school. I dont have very much experience speaking to this age group and I'll just say this--major props for high school teachers. That's right, big sister Biba Kavass, you. How do you keep their attention?
This class was very patient and asked excellent questions about subjects such as racial profiling during WWII--but it took a lot for us to keep their interest.

Later in the evening, we presented at the Chestnut Book Festival. This is we would like to announce the best moderator award: Marciarose Shestack. She made us feel like we were on the Oprah show, which I imagine would feel good. Hmm, maybe we'll find out??

-VK

First Stop: West Point

2010-10-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better for the book tour jitters than having the first event take place at West Point's history department. Our moderator, Todd Brewster, is the current director of the Center for Oral History at the Academy. Prior to this, he was a political journalist for Time and ABC News. He co-authored The Century and In Search of America with Peter Jennings. I will admit that I was intimidated by Mr. Brewster's background. I suppose I expected to be grilled.

But then there's something about the way the wind whips around the castle like structure of West Point that proved to be invigorating. That combined with Mr. Brewster's cordiality made Tom and I feel, well, special.

In our presentation we highlighted several veterans from the book such as Louis Zamperini.
Here is holding the flag he snagged from the Reich Chancellery while running in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This was before he was a POW on "Execution Island" in the Pacific theater.

After our presentation one audience member, Colonel Lance Betros, inquired about how memory loss effected the interviewing process.

I spoke about how Alzheimers functions in storytelling--which is something that Storycorps trained me to work with. Typically alzheimers and dementia confuse the storyteller at the present moment they are being asked questions. So when I was sitting in front of them with a recorder and eager listening ears, sometimes the veteran would wonder how he or she knew me. More than once, I've been asked if I was a grandaughter.

Once I am able to establish my role, they are able to relax and recall extremely detailed scenes from their pasts. While interviewing veterans, I was amazed to discover how accessible the memories from 70-80 years ago were for them.

After the presentation Colonel Betros, head of the history department, and Brewster explained their oral history process. While Tom and I are focusing on the oldest-living veterans, their center is focusing most of their efforts on men and women who are in combat right now.

Their interactive oral history website will launch early in 2011 and I am sure it will be an incredible source.

-VK

Coming soon...

2010-10-29T15:49:00.001-07:00