Dear Mom: A WWII Memoir Paperback – August 15, 2015

I liked the book. I thought Mr Van Dress told a very interesting story of his experience in the war. However I was wondering why he didn't mention that he is the father of 15 children. I think thats quite a story in itself.

This is a quick read, in part because of its structure, but also because it is compelling. It is factual, yet sensitive, coming from a 19 year old whom our country automatically signed up for duty in those times. Without dwelling on the horrors of war, he writes letters to his Mom about what he's doing as a soldier on the front lines. I could visualize and hear the sounds when he described how he and two buddies volunteered to grab bread and supplies dropped by US planes for their troops in a nearby field, but how suddenly, they were pummeled by enemy fire from the "Japs" and how they made it back to the foxholes...bread-less. Also he wrote about the carefree times when he was on leave; that description was cheerful. While reading this book, I wanted for him to have cheerful moments. His account made me mindful of today's soldiers, very mindful. Consistent in his letters, he tries to allay his mother's fears of losing him (and his three brothers who also were soldiers) to the war. At 93, these experiences as a USA soldier are still crystal clear in his mind to this day! Thank you for your service!

Dear Mom is an engaging title for this book, a memoir of a young man's journey from boyhood to a seasoned veteran. His time in the trenches fighting the last great battle of WW II, at Okinawa is expressed by RJ Van Dress in simple prose and powerful imagery. His daughter, Stephanie, a fine poet and mythologist, offers the reader a profound context, both mythic and poetic, for her father's story. The reader should not start the main story without this Introduction as one's guide. What it offers is a rich context to the dramatic content of the memoir. The stories we relate of ourselves are the fictions we tell ourselves, not as lies but as deep etchings of the soul as it pilgrimages through life. This memoir is alive with memories that will find their way into any of our life experiences.Dennis Patrick Slattery

A first hand account of the pacific theater during WWII. This is my grandpa's true story partly told through the letters he wrote home to his mom. This is really the first time he has opened up about his war experiences and I found it fascinating. It was a quick read, maybe two hours. I wish it was longer. I felt that some of the photos in the book could have been reprinted in a higher quality, yes I understand they are like 70 some years old, I still think the quality can be improved. This book reminds you why these men were part of the "greatest generation" and it fills me with feelings of patriotism and gratitude because of the sacrifices people like my grandpa made. You cannot go wrong with this book. Buy it!

Mr. Van Dress writes a concise and gripping account of his contribution as a machine gunner to America's victory in the last battle of WWII, Okinawa. Written in a simple yet profound style Hemingway might have recognized, his narrative covers the horrors of war as he experiences them. Unlike many such stories, though, he discusses the other aspects of Army life, including the quirky absurdities of its internal politics and bureaucracy. For example, he and his fifteen children and almost countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren may owe their existence to the fact that RJ was deemed a better typist than jeep driver. The vagaries of history he recounts should give many readers a chill as they consider the random-seeming survival of the veteran ancestors who went on to give them life.

A first hand account like this is so interesting. I can't imagine how horrifying it must be to be so young and be thrust into a place of kill or be killed. I was filled with renewed respect for those who have been through an experience like this.From an historical standpoint, Ms Pope gave me something to consider from her explanation of the Japanese hara-kiri.

Dear Mom: A WWII Memoir is a timely read. Although it recounts an intimate look at the life of a boy-turned-man in one of the most horrific battles of World War II (the Battle for Okinawa), it strikes me as notably relevant today where we are surrounded by a world of escalating tensions as 2015 comes to a close. Written some 70+ years after his experience as a U.S. Army soldier, the author, R J Van Dress, does not romanticize war nor make issue with the politics lurking behind the makings of war. In clear and straight talk he simply describes what he went through from high school boy to war veteran.As a memoir, it also reminds us that our "story" has value and sharing our story becomes a mandate to honor the life we led and to pass on our narrative to those who follow, some of whom may find it stranger than fiction as world changes accelerate. To know where we are going, we must know where we have been. R J Van Dress authentically opens a window for us to view a pivotal time in history that continues to affect our modern sensibilities.The Introduction written by the author's daughter, Stephanie Pope, is a bonus read. She gives added insight to the experience of Mr. R J Van Dress as a soldier as seen through a mythopoetic and archetypal lens and opens up the whole image of Soldier - a worthy read in and of itself.

Dear Mom is an engaging 1st person account written recently by a 90 year old man who, as a young man, fought in the last battle with Japan in Okinawa. It was fascinating to read what it was like from the point of view of someone who had been drafted into the army and was actually there. The letters he wrote to his mom are precious and are mixed in with a narrative that explains what he saw and experienced. I highly recommend Dear Mom.