Fall at the Mall

Washington, DC
The Washington Monument
Near WWII Memorial

A Legacy

It was awkward to leave copies of my books at the WWII memorial. I left them in the area representing the campaign where my dad served for most of the war, Guadalcanal. Stangers immediately picked them up and looked at them. Then put them back in place knowing they would go into the collection of artifacts left here.

The war gave me the freedom to grow up in the idyllic 1950s and later realize the sacrifices that provided that canopy.

Almost 60 years after my dad went through the Panama Canal, my daughter and I began work memorializing the many young men from our towns who never came back from war.

In the long run I hope my Dad would be happy with the work we turned in.

That seemed to be confirmed when nearly 20 of his long-lost letters from the front turned up in his best friend's trunk long-forgotten in an attic in Nutley. I finally met my father as a young man.

And somehow, leaving copies of the first editions of the two books at the WWII Memorial seemed an appropriate way to say thanks to my dad and those in our books and their families.

Copyright 2005 Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.