Radio History: News from Down Under
It’s always gratifying to have someone read–and enjoy–what you’ve written. I was thrilled to hear in November from David Ricquish, Chairman of the Radio Heritage Foundation Wellington, New Zealand, after he had a chance to read “Dad’s War with the United States Marines,” the family memoir I wrote about my Dad’s serious military service, and hilarious misadventures in World War II www.dadswar.net . These activities culminated in his station’s announcement (under his direction) of the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945, scooping the stateside radio networks from his outpost at Radio Station WXLI Guam in the Pacific Here’s here’s what David had to say:
“Your book actually arrived about 4 days ago – very fast transit – but I couldn’t put it down…What a good read. As well as all the information about WXLI, I think it’s greatest strength lies in how you’ve placed Ben’s service [especially with AFRS] in the broader context of his life.
“This is a crucial message we’re attempting to get across in a similar way: here are these isolated islands and small towns that had no or few Europeans in residence and, certainly, no local radio station. Suddenly, on planes and boats from out of nowhere, little radio stations popped up, filled the airwaves with the latest music and news as if they were plugged into the heart of LA or NY, then, as quickly as they appeared, most just disappeared. Ephemeral broadcasts from ephemeral stations.
“In Ben’s case, your book neatly places everything in the context of how he ended up there, what he did and thought about there, and what he did when he returned. So, thank goodness for folks who keep the letters that were sent home, and who take the time to share the stories later.
“Well done.
“If we may, we’d like to take a couple of pages [112-114] and run them as a David Ricquish article, illustrated with the images on pages 113 [WXLI building], 150 [cartoon] and 163 [Ben at WXLI mike]…with a direct link to Amazon for sales. We’ll also add your book to our bookstore.
“Really, a wonderful read, and we’ll do all we can to share your book with our readers and those who share our passion for radio heritage in the Pacific.”
–Radio Heritage Foundation, David Ricquish, Chairman
www.radioheritage.net
In June, in our neighborhood newspapers here in St. Louis, the Citizen Journals, Laura Brunts also did a sympathetic article explaining how the book came to be and descrbing for me how writing the book also helped me to finish the grieving progress, begun when Dad died in 1976, for a father I respected but never really knew, or knew how to love. My own epigraph, that I have been inscribing in authographed copies of the book lately, reads: “In the worst of times, it was the best of times: a man loved a boy, and his love was returned.”
To borrow a phrase from Walter Cronkite, ‘That’s the way it was,’ December 2006. Have very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Peter
