Terre Haute Lecture Set

As part of the Vigo County Public Library's brown-bag discussion series, I will be talking about the life and times of famed Hoosier World War II fighter ace Alex Vraciu at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2011, at the library's main branch at One Library Square in Terre Haute, Indiana.

My book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu, copies of which will be available for sale at the talk, examines how Vraciu, possessed with keen eyesight, quick reflexes, excellent shooting instincts, and a knack for finding his opponent's weak spot, became skilled in the deadly game of destroying the enemy in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. For a period of four months in 1944, Vraciu stood as the leading ace in the U.S. Navy. He shot down nineteen enemy airplanes in the air, destroyed an additional twenty-one on the ground, and sank a large Japanese merchant ship with a well-placed bomb hit.

For more information on the program, call the library at (812) 232-1113.

The People's Choice

After graduating from Indiana University with a degree in journalism in 1982, I was lucky enough to find a job on a small daily newspaper in northwestern Indiana, the Rensselaer Republican. As a newbie reporter on a small newspaper, I undertook a variety of assignments, including covering local legislative races. One of the first races I covered involved an Indiana state representative named Jim Jontz.

What impressed me most about Jontz was while his GOP opponent spent the bulk of his time in his interview with me blasting the Democrat, Jontz, between bites of at meal at Monticello pancake house, talked at length about the issues.

Since that time, I have been fascinated by Jontz's career, which included three terms as congressman for the Fifth Congressional District before losing in 1992 to Republican Steve Buyer. My interest in Jontz, who died in 2007 after a long battle with colon cancer, has resulted in a profile that is featured in the fall 2010 issue of the Indiana Historical Society's popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. The magazine, which I serve as editor, is a benefit of membership in the Society and can be purchased from the organization's History Market.

I'll share one anecdote from the article:

Christopher Klose, who managed Jontz’s first run for Congress and served as his chief of staff in Washington, D.C., called his former boss “a true populist,” noting he could be just as distrustful of mindless government as he could of reckless corporate behavior. He remembered Jontz saying that issues needed to be examined from “top to bottom, not left to right.” One of Klose’s favorite memories of Jontz is one culled from the campaign trail. After another long day and night seeking votes, the candidate, after packing up his car for the next day’s schedule of events, uttered what came to be known to his staff as the Jim Jontz prayer. “Jim would just shake his head and look up and say, ‘Lord, help me win this one, and I promise next time we’ll do it right,’” Klose said.

The Perfect Gift

Only a few days to Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year, so that must mean that the Christmas shopping season is upon us. Why not forget about those crowded malls and stop by the Indiana Historical Society's eighth annual Holiday Author Fair from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, at the IHS, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis.

The fair gives you an opportunity to meet a host of Indiana authors, including me, who wil be only too glad to sign copies of their books as gifts to your friends and loved ones, or even family members. Among the authors participating this year are my fellow Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Author Award nominee Colleen Coble; Indiana poet laureate Norbert Krapf; former Indianapolis television anchorman Howard Caldwell; Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas French, with whom I worked with on the Indiana Daily Student; and historical novelist James Alexander Thom.

In addition to book signings, the fair includes presentations on a variety of books and writing styles. At 2:30 p.m. I'll be giving a short workshop titled "Writing Lives: A Primer on Biography."

The event is free with your paid admission to the Indiana Experience. IHS members can attend free of charge. Free parking and gift wrapping will be available.

Grissom Documentary to Air

The Big Ten Network is more than just sports. At noon on Wednesday, November 16, the network will air a documentary on Hoosier astronaut Gus Grissom. Because of my biography of Grissom, I was interviewed by Purdue University's Jason Doty, who wrote, directed, and edited the program. My interview was conducted at the Grissom Memorial near Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana, Grissom's hometown. (That's me being interviewed by Jason near the exhibits at the memorial.)

Here's more on the documentary from Purdue:

A documentary highlighting the life, legacy and motivations of Purdue University astronaut alumnus Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom -- the first man to travel into space twice in a capsule vehicle -- will premiere on the Big Ten Network this week.

Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP) produced the documentary for the latest episode of “The Boilermakers” series chronicling famous Purdue graduates.

The Grissom-themed episode will premiere at noon, Wednesday (Nov. 17) as part of the Big Ten Network’s non-athletic programming allotted to each school in the conference. The program is currently scheduled for rebroadcast at 3 a.m., Thursday (Nov. 18). All airtimes are Eastern Standard Time.

The program was originally set to premiere in September but was rescheduled.

This “Boilermakers” installment corresponds with the 60th anniversary of Grissom’s 1950 graduation from Purdue with a degree in mechanical engineering and precedes the upcoming 50th anniversary of Grissom’s 1961 Liberty Bell mission.

After years of small-town anonymity in his native Mitchell, Ind., Grissom achieved instantaneous international celebrity in 1959 when he was named an inaugural astronaut in NASA’s Project Mercury. Grissom was killed along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee (himself a 1957 Purdue graduate with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering) in 1967 at age 40 during a simulation inside NASA’s Apollo 1 command module. He had cut an integral path through several seminal moments of the 20th century, including 100 fighter-pilot missions in the Korean War and test-pilot duty in California.

“Grissom’s life is so compelling that it’s a perfect choice for ‘The Boilermakers,’ ” says Jason Doty, a producer and director with ITaP Video and Multimedia Production Services, which created the profile series (formerly titled “Purdue Profiles”) with 2008 and 2009 programs about basketball legend John Wooden and popcorn entrepreneur Orville Redenbacher.

“From 1926 to 1967, he was involved in so many major events of that era and achieved so much,” Doty says. “We hope this profile finds the humanity in him and the person who lived those moments.”

Doty wrote, produced, directed, edited and conducted all interviews for the Grissom program. It’s introduced and narrated by Randy W. Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue, who has participated in television-documentary projects for HBO, ESPN and the History Channel, among others.

“What stood out for me was just the drama in this life-and-death story,” says Roberts, who has narrated each installment of the profile series. “This is a genuine American hero who died in pursuit of the moon, and it’s just an unusually painful and dramatic story.

“I’m very proud of this series, and I like its idea -- that these people together tell a history of Purdue. When I look at these people, I see in them the personalities of today’s students at Purdue, and I’m proud of that, too. History should tell us something about ourselves, and these documentaries tell us about perseverance, hard work, ambition, ingenuity and the types of students that go to Purdue."

The Teacher

I was saddened to hear from a high school friend of mine this past weekend of the death of one of my favorite teachers of all time, David R. Robertson, who taught at Mishwaka High School for thirty-eight years.

I was lucky to have Mr. Robertson for his International Relations class. He was a wise and witty teacher, who never talked down to his students and always made his class think for themselves. I was never bored in his class; there was always something to make you think or just make you believe that high school was not merely a way station for the rest of your life.

A good teacher can make a difference in his or her students' lives, and Mr. Robertson made a difference in mine. He inspired me to pursue my interest in history and writing, and gave me the confidence I needed at the right moment in my life. As someone once said, "The great teacher inspires." Mr. Robertson was an inspiration and will continue to be for the rest of my life.

IHS Holiday Author Fair December 4

As in past years, I will be one of a number of Hoosier writers to be part of the Indiana Historical Society's annual Holiday Author Fair from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis.

In addition to signing copies of my latest book, Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu, and others that I have published, at 2:30 p.m. I will give a talk on "Writing Lives: A Primer on Biography," in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theater.

The fair is part of your paid admission to the IHS's Indiana Experience (IHS members get in free). I have a limited number of free passes to the event. If you would like one, please drop me an e-mail at reboomer@yahoo.com.

Interview on Indiana Authors Award

I sat down with Jon Barnes of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library to talk about my recent Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award win. The interview is airing this month on Government Channel Two (Comcast 28 and Bright House 17), and will be posted on the library's Reader's Connection" portion of its Web site.

Talks on Fighter Ace Vraciu

I'll be talking about the life and times of World War II fighter ace Alex Vraciu in two locations over the next couple of weeks. At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 28, I'll be speaking to the Waryears Military Discussion Group, which meets at the Clay Township Government Center, 10701 North College Avenue, Indianapolis.

At 7 p.m. on Monday, November 8, I'll be appearing at the Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth Street, Columbus, Indiana. Copies of the book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu will be available for purchase at both talks. Autographs are free.

Indiana Author Award

I was lucky enough to be named the regional winner of the 2010 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Author Award this past Saturday in a ceremony at the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. I felt fortunate to have won, especially after meeting and talking with the two other finalists, Andrew Levy of Butler University and Colleen Coble.

Here's what the news release had to say:

Three authors with ties to Indiana were awarded the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award this evening at a gala awards dinner at the Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. Announced as a winner earlier this summer, Indiana resident Scott Russell Sanders was presented his award as the National Author recipient, while Ray Boomhower received the Regional Author award and Greg Schwipps received the Emerging Author award.

Public nominations were submitted from across the state and eligibility included any published writer who was born in Indiana or has lived in Indiana for at least five years. An eight-member, statewide Award Panel selected the winners in three categories and finalists from the pool of nominated authors:

• National Author - $10,000 prize: a writer with Indiana ties, but whose work is known and read throughout the country. National authors were evaluated on their entire body of work. Winner: Scott Russell Sanders

• Regional Author - $7,500 prize: A writer who is well-known and respected throughout the state of Indiana. Regional authors were evaluated on their entire body of work. Winner: Ray Boomhower; Finalists: Colleen Coble and Andrew Levy

• Emerging Author - $5,000 prize: A writer with only one published book. Emerging authors were evaluated on their single published work. Winner: Greg Schwipps; Finalists: Douglas Light and Micah Ling

In its second year, this award recognizes the contributions of Indiana authors to the literary landscape in Indiana and across the nation. The Award is a program of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, and is funded by the generosity of The Glick Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation.

“Through the generosity of the Glick’s, the Indiana Authors Award has become an exciting and important program for our city and state,” said Danny R. Dean, President of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation. “We are grateful for the Glick’s and our sponsors, as well as our Award Panel, who reviewed a significant number of nominations and books in a short time and then faced some tough decisions. On behalf of the Library Foundation, congratulations to all the nominees and winners!”

National Author recipient Sanders had congratulatory remarks, as well. “The other two winners of Glick Indiana Authors Awards this year have enriched our understanding of life in this state – Ray Boomhower through his wide-ranging historical writing and Greg Schwipps through his compelling first novel,” said Sanders. “I am delighted to join them, as well as the other finalists and the hundreds of guests here at the Central Library, in celebrating Indiana’s literary tradition. We’ve been drawn together by a love of books and by a commitment to public libraries – not only books but also music, films, photographs, and other expressions of human creativity are freely available to anyone who chooses to read or listen or look.”

Indy Author Fair Oct. 9

Saturday, October 9, will be a big day for authors in Indianapolis. From 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library's Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis, will host the Indy Author Fair. The fair includes programs on how to publish and market books, as well as an opportunity to obtain signed copies from more than 40 talented Indiana authors.

I will be at the Indy Author Fair along with the other nominees for the 2010 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award, which will be presented at a gala dinner on Saturday evening at the library. From 11 a.m. to noon I, along with the other nominees, will discuss our writing and connection to Indiana in a special "Meet the Authors" program in Clowes Auditorium. After the program, the nominees, along with other Hoosier writers, will sign copies of our books from noon to 2 p.m. in the Simon Reading Room and R.B. Annis West Reading Room. A complete list of the authors involved in the signing is here.

I am a Regional Finalist for the Indiana Authors Award, along with fellow nominees Andrew Levy and Colleen Coble. I'll have a full report on the day's activities in a future posting.

The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award is a program of the IMCPL Foundation and is made possible by The Glick Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Vraciu Review

My book, Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu, received a positive review in the September 2010 issue of the Indiana Magazine of History. In its "Review Notices" section, the magazine noted about the book:

"This volume . . . is a delightful telling of [Alex] Vraciu's experiences as a Hellcat fighter pilot . . . in the Pacific during the Second World War. The informative and, at times, humorous story balances the day-to-day drudgery with the high action of battle. Illustrated with well-chosen photographs from the National Archives and Vraciu's personal collection, this book is an excellent addition to any home or library."

Published continuously since 1905, the IMH is one of the nation's oldest historical journals. Since 1913, the IMH has been edited and published quarterly at Indiana University, Bloomington. Today, the IMH features peer-reviewed historical articles, research notes, annotated primary documents, reviews, and critical essays that contribute to public understanding of midwestern and Indiana history.

The Lifeblood of an Author

I still remember my very first booksigning. It was at the old Border's store at Castleton Square Mall for my biography of Indiana historian Jacob P. Dunn Jr. I knew I wouldn't have crowds lined up around the block for the opportunity to buy my book, but I did expect to see 10 to 20 copies. In the two hours and more I was at the store, I gave directions to the restroom, but did not sell a single book.

I have learned over the years that the best way to sell copies, and let people know about your writing, is by speaking to various service and social clubs. I have two such appearances coming up soon. On Thursday, September 2, I will be speaking on the life of World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle before the Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at its headquarters at 4635 North Illinois Street in Indianapolis. On Tuesday, September 7, I will be talking about my book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu to a Kiwanis Club that meets at Binkley's Kitchen and Bar, 5902 North College Avenue, Indianapolis.

July 26 Author Talk at Indiana History Center

From his days playing a prank on his college instructor at DePauw University that received national news to his wartime feat of shooting down six Japanese planes in just eight minutes, learn about the life and times of World War II ace Alex Vraciu during my noon Monday, July 26, talk at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis. The talk, part of the Indiana Historical Society's Author Series, is free and open to the public.

Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu, examines how Vraciu, possessed with keen eyesight, quick reflexes, excellent shooting instincts, and a knack for finding his opponent's weak spot, became skilled in the deadly game of destroying the enemy in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. For a period of four months in 1944, Vraciu stood as the leading ace in the U.S. Navy. He shot down nineteen enemy airplanes in the air, destroyed an additional twenty-one on the ground, and sank a large Japanese merchant ship with a well-placed bomb hit.

Vraciu's luck, however, finally ran out on December 14, 1944, during a strafing run against a Japanese airfield before the American invasion to retake the Philippines. Luckily he was almost immediately rushed to safety by a small group of U.S. Army in the Far East guerrillas, who had been battling the Japanese in the area for the past few years. The navy pilot spent the next five weeks with the guerrillas, receiving the honorary rank of brevet major while with them. Vraci finally marched into an American camp carrying with him a captured Japanese Luger pistol and sword.

July 18 Talk on Bushemi

Join me at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at the Merrillville-Ross Township Historical Society Museum for a discussion of the life and work of World War II photographer John A. Bushemi. My book on Bushemi, "One Shot": The World War II Photography of John A. Bushemi, was published by the Indiana Historical Society Press in 2004.

Before losing his life on the island of Eniwetok in the Pacific while on assignment for Yank: The Army Weekly, Bushemi, who had earned the nickname “One Shot” during his work with the Gary Post-Tribune newspaper for his uncanny ability to capture even the liveliest action with just one click of his shutter, had participated in fourteen landings in the Pacific theater. Even a hand injury suffered during the invasion of Kwajalein that left his arm in a sling had not stopped Bushemi from documenting for Yank’s readers the achievements and agonies endured by their fellow soldiers.

Merle Miller, a noted novelist and historian after the war, said his partner specialized in “photography from a rifle’s length vantage point.” Although Bushemi’s duties, which included taking still photographs and shooting movies, did not require him to go into actual combat, Miller said, the photographer did so anyway, becoming the second of four Yank staff members killed in the war. His work with his ubiquitous Speed-Graphic camera earned for Bushemi the distinction of being “Yank’s most outstanding combat photographer,” noted Joe McCarthy, the magazine’s managing editor. In addition to admiring Bushemi’s photographs, McCarthy said that other staff members at the magazine also appreciated “his good-natured sincerity and devotion to his work, which made friends for him and increased the prestige of Yank in every camp and theater of operation that he visited.”

RFK Book Talk

I'll be at the Yorktown-Mount Pleasant Public Library at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, to talk about my book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary. The program is free and open to the public. The library is located at 8920 West Adaline Street, Yorktown. For information, call 765-759-9723.

Copies of the book will be available for sale. Autographs are always free!

Indiana Author Award Nomination

Recently learned that I have been nominated in the regional category for the 2010 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award. The Indiana Authors Award is a program of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation and is funded through the generosity of The Glick Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation.

This annual award seeks to recognize the contributions of Indiana authors to the literary landscape in Indiana and across the nation.

Nominations were submitted from across the state in early spring. Any published writer who was born in Indiana or has lived in Indiana for at least five years was eligible. An eight-member, statewide Award Panel selected the national winner and finalists in three categories from the pool of publicly nominated authors:

* National Author - $10,000 prize: a writer with Indiana ties, but whose work is known and read throughout the country. National authors were evaluated on their entire body of work. Winner: Scott Russell Sanders

* Regional Author - $7,500 prize: A writer who is well-known and respected throughout the state of Indiana. Regional authors were evaluated on their entire body of work. Finalists: Ray Boomhower, Colleen Coble, and Andrew Levy

* Emerging Author - $5,000 prize: A writer with only one published book. Emerging authors were evaluated on their single published work. Finalists: Douglas Light, Micah Ling, and Greg Schwipps

Award finalists in all three categories will be honored on October 9, 2010 at Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. The day’s events will include free public programs such as author lectures from this year’s Indiana Authors Award honorees, “how to get published” workshops for aspiring writers, and book sales and signings featuring authors from around the state. A ticketed Award Dinner and fundraiser benefiting the Library Foundation will follow that evening where the winner of the Regional Author and Emerging Author categories will each be named. Sanders will serve as the dinner’s keynote speaker. Ticket information for the Indiana Authors Award Dinner is available by contacting the Library Foundation at (317) 275-4700 or by visiting www.indianaauthorsaward.org.

July Talks

Mark Twain once observed about Independence Day: "July 4. Statistics show that we lose more fools on this day than in all the other days of the year put together. This proves, by the number left in stock, that one fourth of July per year is now inadequate, the country has grown so."

For those left alive, you might consider attending one of my two talks to be held during the month. They are:

* 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, at the Yorktown-Mount Pleasant Township Public Library, 8920 West Adaline Street, where I will be discussing my book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary.

* Noon, Monday, July 26, Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, where I will be talking about my book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu.

Both programs are free and open to the public.

Vraciu Talk in New Castle

I will be discussing the life of Hoosier ace Alex Vraciu at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 17, in the auditorium at the New Castle-Henry County Public Library, 376 S. 15th St., New Castle, Indiana. The program is free and open to the public. After the talk, I will be selling and autographing copies of my book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu.

The talk on Vraciu, the East Chicago/Indiana Harbor native who shot down nineteen Japanese planes while flying Hellcat fighters in the Pacific during World War II, comes just two days before the pilot's greatest mission. On June 19, 1944, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea (also called by pilots as "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot"), Vraciu, flying a Hellcat with a malfunctioning engine, shot down six Japanese Judy dive bombers in just eight minutes.

For more information on the talk, call the library at (765) 529-0362.

Book Signing in Greenfield

I will be at the Hancock Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road, Greenfield, Indiana, at 2 p.m. Friday to sign copies of my book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu.

Joining me at the book signing with be Major Tibor Bierbaum, author of Our Walk with God: A Love Story of God and Country, and Richard K. Curtis, author of Dumb but Lucky: Confessions of a P-51 Fighter Pilot in WWII.

For more information, call the library at (317) 462-5141.

Kennedy Book Discussion

I will be at the Irvington Branch Library, 5625 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, for a discussion of my book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary. The discussion begins at 1:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for sale and I will, as always, be glad to autograph each copy sold, no charge.

Interview on Vraciu Book

I was interviewed this morning by Matt Jolley for Warbird Radio about my book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu. You can listen to a podcast of my interview.

Warbird Radio is the first station devoted to military aviation. According to the station, "It’s our goal to preserve the stories and history of the brave men and women who flew these airplanes . . . and still do. Across the globe warbird enthusiasts are tirelessly working to save examples of these historic airplanes; however, the survival of the stories from those who flew them are not guaranteed. That’s where Warbird Radio steps in."

Vraciu Book Signing

I will be signing copies of my new book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 22, at Mudsock Books & Curiosity Shoppe, 11631 Fishers Station Drive, in Fishers, Indiana.

A graduate of DePauw University, Vraciu learned to fly during his college years through a government program and joined the navy prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Possessed with keen eyesight, quick reflexes, excellent shooting instincts and a knack for finding his opponent’s weak spot, Vraciu became skilled in the deadly game of destroying the enemy in the skies over the Pacific Ocean.

For a period of four months in 1944, Vraciu stood as the leading ace in the U.S. Navy, shooting down 19 enemy airplanes in the air and an additional 21 on the ground as well as sinking a large Japanese merchant ship. One particularly shining moment came in the Mariana Islands on June 19, 1944, when Vraciu pounced on the Japanese and shot down six dive-bombers in just eight minutes while protecting the U.S. fleet.

For more information on the signing, call the Mudsock store at (317) 579-9822.

Vraciu Featured in Post-Tribune

The Sunday, April 11, edition of the Gary Post-Tribune featured an article by reporter Bob Kostanczuk on my new youth biography Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu.

The article included comments from the author as well as an interview with Vraciu, who is now retired and living in Danville, California. Recalling his first ride in an airplane, which was subsidized by $2 his father gave him, Vraciu told Kostanczuk: ""I guess I was born to be a fighter pilot."

Vraciu Book Subject of Radio Show

I will be appearing on the Hoosier History Live! radio program to discuss my book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 10, on WICR, 88.7 FM.

Hoosier History Live! is a weekly radio adventure through Indiana history, live with call-in, hosted by Nelson Price, historian and author of Indiana Legends and Indianapolis: Then and Now. Each week, the program includes a featured guest and topic, a call in from The Roadtripper with a tip about a Hoosier heritage-related road trip, and a Hoosier History Trivia question, complete with a prize for the correct answer. It is the nation's first and only call-in talk-radio show about history, premiering as a live weekly show on Jan. 12, 2008. The call-in number is (317) 788-3314.

New Youth Biography Available

My new youth biography on a Hoosier navy ace, Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu, is now available from the Indiana Historical Society Press.

The sixth volume in the IHS Press's youth biography series, the book explores the wartime service of Vraciu. A graduate of DePauw University, Vraciu learned to fly during his college years through a government program and joined the navy before America was thrust into the war following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Possessed with keen eyesight, quick reflexes, excellent shooting instincts, and a knack for finding his opponent’s weak spot, Vraciu became skilled in the deadly game of destroying the enemy in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. For a period of four months in 1944, Vraciu stood as the leading ace in the U.S. Navy. He shot down nineteen enemy airplanes in the air, destroyed an additional twenty-one on the ground, and sank a large Japanese merchant ship with a well-placed bomb hit.

Vraciu’s luck, however, finally ran out on December 14, 1944, during a strafing run against a Japanese airfield before the American invasion to retake the Philippines. Luckily he was almost immediately rushed to safety by a small group of U.S. Army in the Far East guerrillas, who had been battling the Japanese in the area for the past few years. The navy pilot spent the next five weeks with the guerrillas, receiving the honorary rank of brevet major while with them. Vraci finally marched into an American camp carrying with him a captured Japanese Luger pistol and sword.

Vraciu, who is retired and living in California, was reluctant at first when I wrote him asking if he would be open to having me write about his life. He agreed to cooperate, however, when he learned that the book was part of the IHS Press's youth biography series, aimed at a middle school/high school audience. Vraciu has spent much time sharing his experience in the war with young people.

Fighter Pilot costs $17.95 and can be purchased through the IHS's History Market.

Upcoming Book Talks

I will be speaking about the Apollo 1 fire that took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, at the Dr. James Ford Historic Home in Wabash, Indiana. The Ford Home is located at 177 West Hill Street in Wabash.

Copies of my Grissom biography, Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut, will also be available for purchase. Autographs are always free!

At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15, just in time for Women's History Month, I will be giving a program on Hoosier suffragist and educator May Wright Sewall at the Fortnightly Club in Vincennes, Indiana. The program is sponsored by the County Public Library.

I will also be having a "conversation" with Sewall for a program at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 22, at the Propylaeum in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jan Wahls will be appearing as Sewall. Light refreshments will follow the presentation.