When Duty Called
Copyright 1998 Magnolia Press
Athens, Alabama
These remembrances of World War II are excerpts from When Duty Called, a compilation of Limestone County, Alabama, veterans war stories by Athens attorney Jerry R. Barksdale, which he published in 1998.
They were a natural outgrowth of the reverence Barksdale held as a child for his Uncle James Burch, a WWII veteran:
“At my insistence, he would climb the ladder into the attic, open his dusty Army footlocker, and bring down his war relics for me to see. I remember a German Luger, bayonet, Hitler Youth dagger, a large Nazi banner and various medals. Uncle James used the dagger each fall when he butchered hogs. Of course I understood nothing of the cause, nor immensity of the war that consumed 50 million lives worldwide. I only knew that Uncle James was my hero. He still is today.
“He finally told me his story on the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. He told me he had served four years in the Navy, most of the time aboard the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma, which later went down at Pearl Harbor. He was discharged from the Navy in 1940 and then drafted into the Army. He served in the Third Army under Gen. George S. Patton, who pinned him with the Bronze Star. I was hooked. I wrote his story and it was published in our local newspaper.
“Over the next four years I interviewed dozens of WWII veterans. I listened to their stories, many I sensed were being revealed for the first time. I witnessed them shake and sob. I loved them all. May their deeds live forever in the hearts of free people.”
Part of the proceeds from the sale of this book goes to benefit the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives.
When Duty Called
Soft cover
484 pages
Indexed
$24.95
Order by writing
Jerry R. Barksdale,
Magnolia Press, 212 S. Marion St., Athens, AL 35611
or call (256) 233-0525.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be directed to Jerry R. Barksdale, 212 S. Marion St., Athens, AL 35611