 Welcome to the 2020 Celebration of Nebraska Books. This event is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, the Nebraska Library Commission, and Humanities Nebraska, supporting the One Book, One Nebraska presentation. We're here via screens, for obvious reasons, to celebrate books, authors, presses, and the state of Nebraska as these awards honor and celebrate the creativity and the stories of this state. To give the 2020 One Book, One Nebraska presentation on All the Gallant Men, we will hear from Rebecca Faber, Nebraska Center for the Book board member. I'm Becky Faber, a board member for the Nebraska Center for the Book. I'm going to talk about All the Gallant Men, the 2020 One Book, One Nebraska. Almost 79 years ago, the attack on Pearl Harbor redefined America, propelling us into World War II. And as President Roosevelt said, served as a day of infamy, a marker of integral change in American history. Donald Stratton, originally from Red Cloud, joined the United States Navy following his high school graduation in 1940. He had always lived in rural Nebraska. His childhood had been impacted by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. His father had served in the Army during World War I, but Donald Stratton opted to join the Navy. He described himself as part of the hard-working poor in America, struggling just to put food on the table. In 1940, he left Red Cloud to go to Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois for basic training. Then on to Bremerton, Washington, where he was stationed on the USS Arizona, one of the two largest battleships in the Navy's fleet. From there, he sailed to Long Beach, California and then to Hawaii, which was not yet a state. On the USS Arizona, Stratton was assigned to operate the Arizona's five portside anti-aircraft guns. The Arizona was scheduled to return to Bremerton, Washington in November of 1941. But during maneuvers held in foggy weather, the USS Oklahoma collided with the USS Arizona, resulting in the Arizona staying at Pearl Harbor for necessary repairs. This incident requiring the USS Arizona to remain in Pearl Harbor changed the course of Donald Stratton's life. Early on the morning of Sunday, December 7th, 1941, Donald Stratton saw and felt the bombs as the Japanese attack began. Like most students in American schools, I learned about World War II in history courses. What I learned was what was covered in standard textbooks. The focus was on events rather than people. All the gallant men takes this portion of American history to a much clearer level. Donald Stratton covers complete details of the attack on the USS Arizona, supplying details that must have been incredibly painful to recall as the fleet was destroyed. On that day, one to live in infamy, 92 U.S. Navy aircraft were destroyed. 77 U.S. Army Air Corps aircraft were destroyed. Two battleships were destroyed. And in human loss, over 2,000 servicemen were killed. 2,008 from the Navy, 218 from the Army, and 109 Marines. Of the over 2,000 servicemen killed, 1,117 were sailors on the USS Arizona. Donald Stratton did not survive that day without severe injuries. In his description of the Japanese attack on the USS Arizona, he brings us the real details of war, the chaos of battle, the brotherhood of the men who served together, their brave efforts to assist each other, his almost futile effort to escape the burning Arizona, the sight of those severely burned, those whose bodies were blown into piles of body parts, as well as the medical personnel who gave monumental efforts to heal the injured and comfort those near death. This level of detail told by someone who survived a horrendous event adds such depth to what any of us probably learned about Pearl Harbor and makes this book an incredible part of our historical and military heritage. I'll just have you repeat that part again with the last sentence. This level of detail told by someone who survived a horrendous event adds such depth to what any of us probably learned about Pearl Harbor and makes this book an incredible part of our historical and military heritage. Stratton, however, extends the importance of his narrative by adding the details of his medical and emotional recovery. Burned over much of his body and his hands almost burned to the bone, he also had one ear that was partly burned off. After many months of medical treatment, he received a medical discharge from the Navy in September of 1942. He returned to Red Cloud to recuperate physically and mentally until February of 1944 when he re-enlisted in the Navy, going on to serve in New Guinea, the Philippines and Okinawa. Donald Stratton then served in America's opening battle of World War II, Pearl Harbor, and the final major one, Okinawa. Donald Stratton, an 18-year-old boy from Red Cloud, a boy who had never even seen an ocean, stepped into a bigger world that impacted his personal story as well as America's. Someone once said of these men who served our country, in an hour boys had become men and men heroes. All the gallant men is sometimes a difficult read. The details of both the physical injuries and emotional distress are explicit. Mr. Stratton doesn't care to cover up the truth. He wanted this story to be told, and in 2016, 75 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, All the Gallant Men was published. Mr. Stratton had wanted to develop a book about his experience, and when he made a connection with Ken Geyer, a professional writer, the project became reality. For me, reading All the Gallant Men was more than just a thorough immersion into an important day in America's history. It is the first memoir by a USS Arizona survivor. It is also the story of a generation of those raised in the rural poverty of the Great Depression. One of my uncles, like Mr. Stratton, joined the military before Pearl Harbor for financial security. He went on to be captured at Fiat Pass and transported for internment in Germany. I so wish that he could have written a book about his experience as a prisoner of war, but I respected his desire to rarely speak about his experience. My father also served in World War II with the 8th Air Force at Polbrook, England. Like his brother and Donald Stratton, he was just a farm boy serving his country. He did show us pictures in his uniform from World War II, and I have taken the idea of him as a young soldier and put it into a poem, which is entitled One Small Photo, the title poem from my book, and I would like to share that. One Small Photo, an Iowa farm boy sharply pressed in army khaki World War II whirling around him. A studio photograph, one formal frozen moment, blueish boy eyes, gazing home, dreaming of corn and quiet, his mother's meals, land kneading his hands. An army photo, evidence that Uncle Sam owns him, has given him to a war seemingly without end, the one following the war to end all wars. One of the lucky ones, he will come home, although he cannot know this, only dream it. Daily servicing planes that will take off, but often not return. Daily awaiting word of his brother, a POW, whose weight will drop to 86 pounds, his torture, dreams of their mother's meals. They will be reunited at their town's July 4th celebration, one hitchhiking for hours to arrive in time, impatient to see survival in his brother's face. One small photo, one small memory, proof of the smallness of history. Father never wrote his story, although he shared some of the lighter elements, including being stationed on the same base as Clark Gable. It is important to our history and our culture to keep these stories alive, and I think we have a variety of ways to keep them going. Here are my suggestions. First of all, talk to veterans. Be aware that not everyone wishes to share stories of military service, but sometimes opportunities arise where one can ask respectful questions. If nothing else, thank a veteran for his or her service. Secondly, I suggest that you work on family genealogy. It wasn't until I tried to learn more about the history of my mother's family that I learned that I had a relative who fought in the Civil War shortly after he immigrated from Ireland. I also learned that I had great uncles who served in World War I. My third suggestion is to support organizations or programs that assist veterans, active military, or military dependents. The program that I support is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Military and Veterans Success Center, and they provide services for active military, military dependents, and veterans who are using the GI Bill to promote their education. My last suggestion is to support libraries and other literary or cultural organizations in Nebraska that promote related events. The Nebraska Warrior Writers, a writing program developed by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Writing Project, and the Veterans Administration offers writing and learning opportunities for veterans and active duty personnel. I've had the opportunity to present to these men and women as they develop their writing skills. They will be publishing an anthology of their writing later this year. Donald Stratton was proud of his service and of his story. I strongly suggest that you read his book, think about all of the stories, both yours and others, and then find a way to bring them forward. Thank you.