"World War II Heroes" received a first-place award in the Delaware Press Association’s 2009 communications competition in the category of “Non Fiction Book-History.”

“ ‘World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware’ by James Diehl provides interesting and often moving accounts of men and women who participated in World War II,” acknowledged George B. Ward, a history professor at the University of Texas and a judge for the DPA competition. “Each chapter is essentially an interview with a southern Delaware resident, telling the story of their service and sacrifice during the war. Taken together, these engaging portraits of Delaware natives (and those who settled there), told mainly in their own words, create a powerful picture of the ‘Greatest Generation.’ ”

"If ever there was a book that deserves the WOW factor, it’s James Diehl’s 'World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware'. This is the first book I have ever given a five star rating here at Pump Up Your Book. It not only was the writing; it was the fact that James deserves a medal of honor for taking on such a huge project. James interviewed fifty veterans who served in World War II. The stories grab you from the beginning. They tug at your heart and make you feel the pain these veterans are still feeling today. What was unique about the book was the fact that all these men and woman survived and what was even more unique is that they opened up their hearts to James so that he can bring us a living testimony to a time gone by. I throughly enjoyed this book. James is a master in his craft. Highly recommended!"

Dorothy Thompson, PumpUpYourBook.com

"Though this sounds like a very localized book, it contains short stories by 50 people who were part of the war both at home and abroad. This book gives a very rounded view of life at the time... war, racism, love and loss. Great book if you like veterans stories!"

Steve Terjeson, wwarii.com

"World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware talks about the men who were sent (to fight). Personal life stories are shared within these pages and they are beautiful to hear. If you have a World War II buff on your Christmas list, I highly recommend this book of true stories, told by the men and women who served, as an educational and inspiring read."

Carrie @ www.readingtoknow.com

"This one gets three stars. It was well written and genuinely captured the stories and personalities of the soldiers. The variety of stories and experiences recorded was truly amazing! It is important that these stories are told and it is quite nice that they are included in a single volume. It certainly made me wonder about the vets in my own community."

bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com

"Today would have been my dad's birthday. And as a World War II history buff, I would have wanted to give him this book. He would have loved it. I was glad when this date was offered to me to participate in a book tour for World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware because, for me, it's a good way for me to remember not just the sacrifices of men and women who fought for our country, but also to remember my dad.

This book does focus on heroes from a specific area of the country, but they might as well have been from all over the place for the stories that they have to share and to tell. Originally published as a series of newspaper articles, James Diehl compiled all of the stories together in book form for easy reading and distribution.

What you'll find within these pages are testimonies of courage and bravery of 50 people, 48 men and 2 women. These people served in a variety of ways during the second World War. Some saw action, some did not. Some simply "did their job" in payroll and served there as well. Each played an important part in keeping American troops operational and helped fight to end injustice and defeat the enemy. Each person in this book seemed to think very little of their individual roles, but saw themselves as a collective unit - a united force, working together. The people in this book didn't even know each other but they were part of a team and share a common bond as a result of fighting in a remarkable and defining point in history.

World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware is a quick and easy read, because it was originally published as a series of newspaper articles. Each "chapter" represents one individual and one story. The stories are proceeded by a picture of the World War II veteran as they look now, as well as pictures of them from their days in the service. We read about chaplains, men in charge of finding entertainment for the troops, and men like Bill Martasin who served in Patton's Third Army. Martasin also found himself on Midway Island, using "gooney bird" nests as foxholes. Fascinating stories from around the world, and yet conclude somewhere in Southern Delaware. African Americans, white men and women, serving in a myriad of ways: Army, Navy, and the Coast Guard.

Yesterday I introduced the book Franklin & Winston to you, which talks about two men who made decisions as to where to send their armies to fight against Hitler. World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware talks about the men who were sent. Personal life stories are shared within these pages and they are beautiful to hear. If you have a World War II buff on your Christmas list, I highly recommend this book of true stories, told by the men and women who served, as an educational and inspiring read."

Carrie @ Reading to Know Blog

“When the Seaford and Laurel Star newspapers decided to run a series of articles on World War II veterans, we were excited about the opportunity to preserve a part of history that would be lost forever, if we did not take action: the personal experiences of our local veterans. Through his interviews and research, James Diehl allowed us to share with our readers the amazing stories of the courage and sacrifices of our local heroes. Diehl put his heart into this assignment and his reports represent some of the best journalistic efforts I have read in my 37 years of newspaper involvement. We know readers of today and tomorrow will enjoy learning more about this tumultuous time in the history of the world from a local perspective.”

Bryant Richardson
Publisher
Morning Star Publications, Inc.

"Mr. Diehl does an exceptional job at getting to the heart of long ago war stories that live on in World War II's reluctant heroes."

Anonymous Judge
Maryland/Delaware/ D.C. Press Association
2007 Editorial Awards
(First Place Award Winner)