From the book:

On January 6, 1945, a P-61 Black Widow night fighter crashed into the slopes of Mount Cyclops on the island of New Guinea. Forty years later, a team from the Mid Atlantic Air Museum set out to recover the wreckage and restore the rare aircraft to its original flying condition. This is their story.

The Mid Atlantic Air Museum was founded in 1980 under the direction of World War II veteran Gene Strine and his son, Russ. As experienced pilots, aircraft mechanics, and businessmen, the Strines were the perfect candidates to recover the Black Widow from Indonesia. Together, they would spend twelve years and thousands of man hours negotiating salvage rights and traveling halfway around the world to the remote jungle mountainside where the Black Widow lay. They risked everything to save this important piece of aviation history, negotiating difficult terrain, dangerous working conditions, and a maze of bureaucracy. But their gamble paid off, and in the end they emerged victorious.

Today, the museum proudly displays its collection of more than eighty aircraft at its facility in Reading, Pennsylvania. With the goal of restoring their planes to award-winning airworthy museum condition, the Strines work tirelessly. The P-61 Black Widow is nearing the end of its long restoration process, and will soon take to the skies once again. When it does, it will be the only known P-61 in the world to fly.

Forgotten Widow is available from the Mid Atlantic Air Museum store, or by contacting the authors. Proceeds go towards the Black Widow’s restoration.

From the website:

Socky is a lot like other soccer balls, but with one big difference: Socky has feelings. When a bully threatens the little kids’ soccer team, can Socky stand up for them and save the day?

If you like cute, motivational children’s stories about teamwork and camaraderie, you’ll enjoy Socky. Check it out here.

The feature is split into several parts, which you can find archived on the Reading Eagle’s website.

Stories of “Ordinary Heroes” No Longer Untold

Gordon’s ordeal is recounted in “Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories of World War II,” a book by Steve Wagner and Sharon Wells Wagner of Spring Township.

The Wagners, a mother-son writing team, interviewed about 65 Berks County World War II veterans for the 383-page tribute.

The veterans’ compelling stories stand as testament to the courage of their generation. Children of the Great Depression, they grew up amid economic devastation. They had good reason to doubt the promise of America.

Interviews Took Authors 2 Years

Wagner and her son, Steve, a 26-year-old graphic designer, spent two years interviewing about 65 Berks County veterans who served in World War II. Their stories are recounted in “Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories of World War II,” which was published last year.

Documenting the experiences of the veterans has become a mission for the Wagners, a mother-son writing team. They’re now working a third book.

Event to Honor Vets

A celebration of veterans and their service to the nation will be held Saturday at West Lawn United Methodist Church, Penn and Woodside avenues.

The event begins at 11 a.m. with remarks by Berks County Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach followed by presentations by authors Carol Haile, Steven A. Wagner and Sharon Wells Wagner.

There will also be book signings by the authors and World War II veterans, and an art show and sale to benefit the charities of the church. Admission is free.

Hit the links to view the full articles. Besides myself and Sharon Wells Wagner, veterans Robert “Red” Wells, Paul Gordon, Charles Brubaker, Ed Taggert, Felix Uhrinek, and Kenneth Stoudt are featured. These guys, like all the men and women in the book, are true heroes and I’m proud to call them my friends.

Many thanks to Ron Devlin and the Reading Eagle for their salute to the veterans.