Overview

"Honoring the Doughboys: Following My Grandfather's World War I Diary is a stunning presentation of contemporary photographs taken by the author that are paired with diary entries written by his grandfather, George A. Carlson, who was a soldier in the U.S. Army during World War I. Lowdermilk followed his grandfather's path through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany and returned with these meticulously crafted photographs and his own engaging stories that bring the diary to life for contemporary readers. Lowdermilk's passion for World War I and military history began as a young boy when he listened to his grandfather tell his stories about serving as an infantryman— a ""doughboy""—in Europe during the Great War. When his grandfather passed away in 1983, Lowdermilk's mother gave him her father's diary, which included not only lengthy descriptions of the landscapes, towns, and battles he had experienced, but also keen observations and insights about life as a doughboy for Mr. Carlson and his buddies. Lowdermilk became fascinated with the diary, first transcribing it and then plotting his grandfather's course. He immersed himself in the history of World War I and its geography, eventually retracing, more than a dozen years, the path of his grandfather's journey. This image-rich tour of European landscapes, battlefields, and monuments offers the reader an experience that is at once an intimate reliving of Carlson's time as a doughboy, a lively collection of Lowdermilk's travel anecdotes, and a moving expression of gratitude to American veterans of the Great War. The foreword by Helen Patton, granddaughter of General George S. Patton, Jr., adds an extra dimension to the narrative. ** Nominated for a 2015 IPPY Award"" from the Independent Publishers Association **"

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9781938086182

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Jeff Lowdermilk has done more than provide a civic service---remembering the thousands of American doughboys who fought and died for freedom on the fields of France and Belgium during World War I. He has done more than give us a personal testament to his grandfather's bravery, memory, and the heartfelt relationship between a young man and his wise elder. He has given us a work of art. Lowdermilk's achingly beautiful photographs of the graves, monuments, and fields of valor of the American Expeditionary Forces cannot fail to impress the reader with the heroism of a generation of Americans long and wrongfully forgotten. May his grandfather's words and his spectacular photographic vision move you as much as they have moved me.

Drawing from his grandfather's diary as well as his own travels and photographs, Jeffrey Lowdermilk recaptures the valor and immense American sacrifice of times past. He follows his grandfather's path through the harrowing battles of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne and teaches us to hold history's lessons in our hearts. The veterans of the Santa Fe, New Mexico, Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars strongly recommend this wonderful book.

Author Information

Jeffrey A. Lowdermilk is a Santa Fe-based writer, photographer, and lecturer of America's involvement in World War I and II who has traveled extensively in Europe during the past decades chronicling the two wars in words and pictures and, in turn, meeting with thousands of veterans who became friends and shared their own experiences and insights into what it was like to be there. His photographs have been exhibited widely at such institutions as the Colorado History Museum, National World War I Museum, and New Mexico History Museum, and he is the author of Saluting America's World I Heroes, a historical narrative and photographic presentation that honored the ninetieth anniversary of the Armistice. HELEN PATTON is the granddaughter of General George S. Patton, Jr., Chairwoman of the Patton Foundation, and the author of Portraits of Service: Looking into the Faces of Veterans.

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