denisefrisino

The Real Classroom – The Battle of the Bulge

October 11, 2016 by denisefrisino

They came using wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or gratefully, walking with pride. The group of heroes that gathered last week in Seattle for the reunion of the Survivors of the Battle of the Bulge all sat in the warmth of friendship and memories, with their thoughts drifting to those who served beside them, fell on the field of battle, and helped them along the way.

The fought in Belgium, Remagen, Bastogne and beyond as they worked their way across Europe.

Vince wore his famous Geronimo insignia symbolizing the 101st paratroopers division that dropped from the sky not only on D-Day, but also the Battle of the Bulge.

Here are just a few of their experiences during that horrific battle.

“The army gave us these boots that had separate liners. The snow would go down the lines and freeze in our boots. So we threw those liners away.”

“The snow was so deep and we had to sleep in it, out in the open. When our Captain was injured they sent us this new guy. He told us to build fires to keep warm. We told him we didn’t do it that way out here in the middle of battle.”

“They gave us these long coats that went down to our boots, but as we marched the snow would freeze along the bottom and it would get so heavy. I cut mine off and made it into a trench coat.”

“There was this old castle-like building that we took over and converted into a hospital of sorts. We would take turns going inside to warm up and thaw out our feet.”
Yet another told how his troop had a memorial made for the Wereth 11, the African-American U.S. soldiers who, after surrendering, were mutilated and killed.

War is hell.

Ironically, following the reunion, I had dinner with my God-Mother who served as a nurse in Belgium and France.

“Their feet were so badly frostbitten, those men with Patton, it was awful. We had hundreds of them come through our makeshift hospital.”

If you want to really learn about WWII, attend a reunion of one of these incredible groups of men and women.

Just imagine, anyone in their 90’s today took part at some level helping a struggling United States to achieve victory in World War II. So, when an elderly person happens by, give them a big smile, a nod, a thank you, or even a kiss.

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When a Book Wants to be Written

September 2, 2016 by denisefrisino

When a book wants to be written there is no stopping the steam engine bursting with ideas and material that charges you way.

For Orchids of War I experienced one miracle after another that led to information I would not have begun to know where to look. My research was enhanced by the amazing, serendipitous encounters with people, objects, and places. These “gifts” contributed to my novel not only with factual information, storyline, but helped build my characters and their reactions to their surroundings.

Here is a small example. I would have been an absolute idiot not to have realized the importance of this finding.

I was moving a bookshelf and I happened on a rather thick book, and judging by its cover, concluded it had been one of my fathers and pertained to World War II. I set At Dawn We Slept, The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor in my “to be read—someday” pile.

Dad’s book called to me. My father, Joe Frisino, 1919-2008, spent over 35 years as reporter, day news editor, and columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, an arm of the Hearst Corporation. He enlisted before WWII and spent his years of service with the Army Signal Corps, most of his time working on the Burma Road.

Trusting his judgment, I eventually picked up At Dawn We Slept, somewhat dreading the 850 pages of details within. I opened it to look for pictures–ever hopeful. What I found instead sent shivers down my spine. Instantly I recognized the paper and type as having come across the newswires from the Seattle P-I. Just reading the first sentence I knew I had something special.

“WASHINGTON—Classified Japanese cables, intercepted and decoded by U.S. intelligence as much as a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, reveal plans to create a fifth column movement in the United States using Japanese-Americans…”

I gingerly retuned that treasure to the exact page and flipped forward. The next news type made my stomach flip.

“13-AUG-82. TOYOKO (UPI) –Haunted by guilt, a Japanese soldier broke a 37-year silence Friday and confessed his part in atrocities committed during World War II. …In June, the Japanese government for the first time confirmed the existence of Unite 731, which reportedly killed about 3,000 POW’s in biological, chemical and human endurance experiments…”

That horrific bit of news I stuffed back into the fold of the book and considered if I wanted to search further. But the excitement of the hunt got the better of me. I flipped forward. My rewards brought tears to my eyes. There was a typed sheet with Cast of Characters, very helpful, but more importantly, hand written notes of my fathers as he read the book. I had struck gold and tenderly attempted to read my father’s script.

P 541 FUCHIDA planned for 2nd attack – pilots also wanted to go.

When I flipped this scrap of paper over, there was a note to my father from my mother. No paper was sacred in our home.

Another yellowed sheet of paper revealed;

798 4 days interviewing Kimmel

So what was going on?

I went to the front title page only to discover the hand-written dedication to my father by Donald Goldstein, Ph.D. Goldstein, along with Katherine V. Dillon, CWO, USAF (Ret.), helped consolidate the 3,500 pages, constituting thirty-seven years of research and work by author Gordon W. Prange, into the current book after Prang’s unfortunate death in 1980.

The ultimate miracle was unearthing a fading piece of newsprint hidden under the book jacket cover. Unfolding the unevenly cut strip of section A6 of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer dated May 6, 1982, was none other than dads review of the book. The circle was complete. The book and I were meant to become friends.

I treasure this book, complete with Dad’s notes, like no other.

Denise Frisino

V-J Day

August 25, 2016 by denisefrisino

Victory over Japan Day

On Friday, August 10, 1945, Emperor Hirohito urged Japan’s War Council to submit a formal declaration of surrender through ambassadors to the Allies. Even though Japan’s war causalities had been great, most of their fleet destroyed and their people were starving, it took a second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki, three days after Hiroshima, for Japan to finally make the decision to surrender. However, the surrender was not formally announced to the land of the Rising Sun until August 14, 1945. And over that four day time period, east of Okinawa, a Japanese submarine sank the U.S. landing ship, the Oak Hill, and a destroyer the Thomas F. Nickel.

When the announcement hit the air waves the afternoon of the 14th, that the Emperor had already accepted and recorded the terms drafted in the Potsdam Declaration for unconditional surrender, which had been submitted by the U.S., Britain, and the Nationalist Government of China on July 26th 1945 after Germany surrendered, the reaction by many Japanese was anger. The Imperial Palace was stormed by over 1,000 Japanese soldiers seeking to destroy the proclamation. Faithful warriors, loyal to Emperor Hirohito, repulsed the attackers.

However, it did not stop General Anami, the member of the War Council greatly opposed to the surrender, from committing seppuku, a warrior’s suicide ritual.

On the American homefront President Harry S. Truman declared, “This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would.”

Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photo for Life Magazine of a sailor kissing a nurse in New York’s Time Square captured the overwhelming sense of relief and joy of the Allied nations emerging from the turbulent years of a long and bloody war.

While August 14th and 15th are the actual “V-J Days”, September 2nd 1945 is also considered “Victory over Japan Day” as it marked the formal signing of the official Japanese surrender which took place on the U.S.S. Missouri while anchored in Tokyo Bay.

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