Sailor Sacrifices for Liberty and Love: Every Thought of You Published by Outskirts Press

Baby boomers, history buffs, and every day lovers will enjoy this collection of love letters from World War II Sailor Paul L. Edwards to his wife as he fought the Japanese, the air attacks, the unknown, and, worst of all, the boredom.

Raleigh, NC, August 17, 2011 --(PR.com)-- As we approach the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Paula Berryann announced today the release of Every Thought of You, A Sailor’s Love Letters from the Pacific World War II, published by Outskirts Press. Ms. Berryann’s compilation of her Navy father’s letters to her mother reveals the quintessential, if unspoken military hero of the Pacific theatre: brave, loyal, willing to sacrifice for his country and his countrymen’s freedom, and concerned more about his wife at home than himself…in short, a true patriotic, loving husband.

Paul Edwards married Catherine Orr and had wedded bliss. Then ten days later on December 7, 1941, the Japanese Pearl Harbor attack changed everything. Paul felt the call to enlist but knew his bride would not understand his leaving because he probably would be deferred. His only fear was losing his young, good looking wife to an officer at the nearby air base or to a 4-F while he was gone.

Paul was not perfect before he joined the “Seabees.” He grew up in the small town of Sedalia, Missouri, and was known for a temper that was occasionally as hot as the fires he worked with as a blacksmith. Paul realized his years of blacksmith experience at Missouri Pacific Railroad were an excellent match for the needed skills in the newly formed “Seabees.” That was his final impetus to enlist and fight the Japanese who attacked Pearl Harbor. Plus he had traveled for work up to the Boston Navy shipyards and back down to the shipyards of Panama and by the time he joined the 88th Construction Battalion, the “Seabees,” in 1942 at age twenty-nine, he had been “around the block.”
Those life lessons helped him be a mentor and a guiding influence to his mates, who were mostly in their late teens, and he wrote home to his wife about his concern for keeping a positive attitude in his “boys.”

From one island to another in the South Pacific, Paul and his battalion’s “boys” built airstrips, roads, and naval bases for the pilots and sailors with planes and ships who would follow, and they worked under the worst of conditions. Atrocious weather, poor living conditions, and Japanese strafing attacks accompanied them from island to island, but sometimes their biggest enemies, per Paul’s letters, were internal: missing his bride of 13 months and having limited activities.

Paul’s values were clear throughout his letters. He wrote his wife every day he was able; he believed “a letter a day keeps the 4-F’s away.” He belonged to the Masonic Lodge and believed in God, country, and brotherhood. He became an active Christian during Boot Camp.

After Paula found this remarkable collection of her father’s almost 700 letters, she realized how much he had loved and cared for her mother and how she herself had sprung from her parents’ mutual love. To complete the circle of love, Paula compiled these candid, touching letters her father had written. They are not only a fitting and enjoyable tribute to a remarkable man, they are also a unique piece of our American history.

Every Thought of You, 684 pages, is available on-line in paperback, casebound, and digital format through Amazon and Barnes and Noble and at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore for a maximum trade discount in quantities of ten or more. It is available by phone (1-800-THE-BOOK) or special order at Barnes and Noble.

Format: 7 x 10 paperback ISBN: 978-1-4327-7257-4 SRP: $29.95
7 x 10 casebound 978-1-4327-7301-4 $37.95
Kindle at Amazon, Nook at Barnes & Noble, e-book at Outskirts Press $9.99

Genre: History/military/WW II/family and relationships/love and romance/personal memoirs.

About Paula, who compiled this book:
Paula Edwards Berryann graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Missouri and joined IBM, where she was a manager for many years before taking early retirement. Ten percent of her royalties will be donated to Kansas University Endowment for Parkinson’s disease research.

For more information, visit www.outskirtspress.com/everythoughtofyou. To contact Ms. Berryann via e-mail: authorberryann@gmail.com.

Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control. www.outskirtspress.com.

###

Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd. - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Contact
Outskirts Press
Kelly Schuknecht
888.672.6657
www.outskirtspress.com
ContactContact
Categories