EAST BRUNSWICK — One earned a Silver Star for heroism; one watched the Japanese surrender from the deck of the USS Missouri. Another witnessed the testing of the atomic bomb.
Each of the more than 20 men interviewed recently by the East Brunswick Historical Society has a unique story to tell, and “World War II Recollections of Local Veterans” allows them to do just that.
The book, written by Ann Alvarez, Manny Alvarez and Betty Quackenboss and produced by the East Brunswick Historical Society, sheds light on the lives and war experiences of local residents. The authors carefully recorded their stories so that the reader can see the war through the veterans’ eyes. The men recall horrors and chaos, but in the midst of both there are tales of camaraderie, humor and even romance.
The three authors got to know their subjects well, and were touched by their stories. Most of the men were in their teens when they enlisted.
“They were so young, just boys really” Quackenboss said. “I can’t imagine what it was like for them, with all they had to do.”
“You see their photos then and they remind you of your sons, and when you see them now they remind you of your dad,” Ann Alvarez noted.
The authors made note of a consistent theme from their interviews: None of the men like to be called heroes, no matter how many medals they received.
“They say they were just doing their jobs, and they did what they had to do,” Quackenboss said.
“At that time, almost everybody went to war,” Manny Alvarez said. “The population of the U.S. was about 150 million, and over 60 million people wore a uniform at one point or another during the war. Most of those who didn’t were in some way engaged in the war effort.”
Though about 16 million veterans came home from the war, many have passed on in the 64 years since. Veterans are dying by about 1,000 a day, Marty said, citing a common statistic.
Quackenboss and the Alvarezes didn’t set out to write a book. In the process of creating a museum exhibit to commemorate World War II, they solicited the community for memorabilia. When the historical society volunteers started putting the displays together, they realized they needed more information to go with the photos, maps and other artifacts they had gathered.
“At first we went out to get a blurb to go with the displays, and we were hoping a few [veterans] would be willing to speak at the museum,” Ann Alvarez said.
The three were surprised by what they found.
“Some of them had never spoken about the war, and the information just flowed. Others had really become experts and had studied every aspect of it,” Quackenboss said. “They would call us back and say, ‘I forgot to tell you about this or that.’ ”
It took the trio a year to complete the interviews.
“We looked at all the material we collected and decided to preserve it in a file in the attic, but the thought of that made us feel sad,” Quackenboss said.
“We decided this was important,” Ann Alvarez said. “It’s history told by the people who lived it, not historians researching and looking back. There are details here you don’t find in history books that could just get lost.”
With little funds, the historical society decided to publish the book on faith. They brought it to a local printer who was willing to work with them. An initial 40 copies were printed, and the authors figure they will go back to print more as they are sold.
While visiting Washington, D.C., Ann and Manny stopped by the U.S. copyright office and ended up registering the book.
“The man we spoke to said every book registered goes into a room, and periodically a committee from the Library of Congress reviews them. He had been on one of those committees and told us that, considering the nature of the book, it might be chosen to be in the Library of Congress,” Manny Alvarez said. The Library of Congress serves as the research arm of Congress and is the largest library in the world.
The authors are hoping the East Brunswick school system will obtain some of the books and incorporate them into their social studies curriculum. As a former teacher, Quackenboss thinks that would be a great idea.
“I taught World War II history for years, but I learned so much from these interviews,” she said.
The greatest pleasure of this project was delivering the books to the veterans and their families, Manny Alvarez said.
“I was very gratified when I saw the book,” said Aram “Bob” Bozian of Old Bridge, one of the veterans who spoke for the historical society. Bozian served with the U.S. Navy, taking part in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the invasion of the Philippines, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Guadalcanal.
“My wife was very enthusiastic [about the book], and I’m looking forward to showing it to my grandchildren,” Bozian said.
In other East Brunswick Historical Society news, the group held a dedication ceremony on May 24 for the placement of a marker recognizing the Smith Farmhouse, Milltown Road, as an historical landmark. The former farmhouse now serves as the home for the society’s museum. Margaret Smith Tkach, the last member of the Smith family to live on the farm, was present to show her children and visitors around the home and speak about her life on the farm.
Funding for the marker came from the Middlesex County Heritage Commission and the Middlesex County Freeholders.