As incoming artillery screamed closer, the three soldiers dove for a shallow ditch: Robert Maynard first, with two comrades piling on top. The earth trembled from an exploding shell. Dirt and leaves covered the men. When quiet returned, only Maynard was alive, shielded by the bodies of his companions. There would be other brushes with death before Maynard returned home to his wife and daughter, born while he was away. Like many in his generation, he would try to set aside his war experiences and get on with raising his family in Michigan. He would also write his “war diary,” completed 53 years after the end of WWII, to help his children understand what happened to America—and to him—in the journey from Pearl Harbor to “Victory in Europe.” In honor of Veteran’s Day, join Leelanau County resident Mollie Moody on Friday, Nov. 10, at 5 pm at Bay Books in Suttons Bay as she discusses her father’s recently published WWII diary, “A Father’s Arms: Close to Death, Across Hitler’s Path and Home at Last” (Mission Point Press). The event will begin with a live interview, followed by Q&A, and book sales. All proceeds from book sales will benefit the VFW of Michigan.
