Stories Behind the Stars is launching a podcast!
Episodes are hosted by Stories Behind the Stars webmaster Tatiana Fallon. We plan to add new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
These episodes focus on our Stories Behind the Stars writers and the stories they have written.
The podcast is hosted at https://contactc8.podbean.com, but you can access any podcast platform such as Apple iOS, Google Android, or Spotify to subscribe. Just search your favorite podcast platform for Stories Behind the Stars. Be sure to give us a 5 star rating, subscribe, and share it with those who you think would find this of interest.
In our fourth episode Tatiana interviews John Schlatter, from Utah, who joined Stories Behind the Stars in July 2020. John is the author of Postcard Memories from World War II and Died on the Fourth of July
Here are some of John's favorite stories:
PFC Edward Maynard, 22, was from the coal fields of Kentucky. He and his twin brother,Edgar, and their younger brother, Fred, all served in the same unit. Edgar was killed in action on Luzon of April 22, 1945. His brothers were with him. Edgar and Fred pulled the mortally wounded Edward into the shade of a big rock. The talked about home and family until Edward died in the arms of his twin brother.
Lieutenant Edgar Wade, 22, of Salt Lake City was killed in Belgium January 14, 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge. He was married. His widow moved to New York City and remarried in 1953. She had two children. Her son, who is a BYU grad, saw an interview with Don Milne in BYU Magazine and went to Fold 3 to look for Lt. Wade’s memorial page. He sent me an email through Fold 3. We’ve developed a friendship and plan to meet sometime. He has visited Lt. Wade’s grave in Belgium.
Seaman William Thiessen, 22, of Salt Lake City was killed May 17, 1945 when a Japanese kamikaze plane struck the USS Douglas H Fox near Okinawa. He was married to his high school sweetheart. She was active in Gold Star Wives organization and did not remarry. Her obituary in 2001, 56 years later, said, “She has waited a lifetime to be reunited with him and we know the reunion will be joyous.”
Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Pearl Harbor as commander of the USS West Virginia. I wrote his story in conjunction with a relative, Dr. John Bennion, who is a professor of English at BYU.
Stories about fallen with famous relatives:
Richard Jarvis, brother of Howard Jarvis, anti-tax crusader in California
Johns Hopkins Janney, distant relative of the philanthropist Johns Hopkins and the actress Allison Janney
Chauncey Preece, widow remarried Barney Clark, world’s first recipient of artificial heart
A Fold3 query shows that as of today John has contributed stories to 216 Fold3 WWII Memorials: https://www.fold3.com/search?sort=LAST_MODIFIED&general.contributor=6317548:jfschlat515&general.title.content.doc-type=STORY_PAGE:Memorial&military.conflict=World+War+II