Duty, Honor and A Loaf of Bread: Portrait of an American Family in WWII, 1944-1946 - Softcover

Duty, Honor and a Loaf of Bread Jan (Waldron) and Ed Votroubek Eagle's View Publishing A WestWind Inc. Company 6756 North Fork Road, Liberty, UT 84310 9780943604671, $24.95 Louise Leetch Reviewer Still Loving You and Missing You Bill Waldron didn't have to go to war. As the town baker, he was exempt. In the days before industrial bakers, the local bakery was the source for bread and pastries. Newly married, Bill felt a need to contribute more. The letters between Bill and his wife, Marge, which make up Duty, Honor and a Loaf of Bread: Portrait of an American Family in World War II 1944-1946, giving us a broad picture of the effects of the war. For security reasons, Marge's missives to Europe didn't survive as GI's had to burn letters from home. When Bill decided that he must go off to war, Marge supported his decision. Like millions of wives over the last few millennia, Marge took over the family business without complaint. Newly pregnant, she supplied Waukon with their bakery needs. She kept her husband well informed with news from home while petitioning her congressman to affect his early release once the war ended. Bill fought as a rifleman and advance scout from the Battle of the Bulge until the end of the war. The real untold story plays out after the war ended. There was nothing to do. Three million GI's had freed Europe and waited impatiently to be discharged. Life after battle was horrendous. They suffered not just ennui but terminal boredom, frustration, distrust of the army, homesickness, anger, a sense of abandonment, hunger for a decent meal, and desperate cravings for mail. In their frustration, they turned to movies, gambling, drinking to excess and fraternizing. Some, in desperation, turned to theft, the black market, rape and suicide. God and his angels worked overtime for Bill Waldron - with special urging from his wife and family. Bill never suffered from illness, frostbite or wounds. Towards the end, like so many of the casualties of war, he slowly succumbed to the ultimate disease of the soul: depression. His kindly attitude toward the German citizenry, whom he knew hadn't created this mess, deteriorated as he waited for his discharge. As his tour wound down, he had 60 days furlough coming to him, but he never used it. He just wanted to go home. Jan Waldron and her husband, Ed Votroubek, have faithfully sorted her parents' correspondence and researched WWII history to produce a book that testifies to the transformation Bill and Marge saw as America sacrificed its small town lifestyle to the powers of the global stage. There are wonderful sidebars explaining references and current events. What needed no research was the devotion of Marge & Bill. They were resolutely faithful to each other & signed each letter still loving and missing you. --Reviewer's Bookwatch, July 2010