Avid readers of war history all enjoy the tales of heroic warriors on the front lines, entrenched against a deadly enemy, sometimes for days, even weeks without respite...Dug into the volcanic sand, reloading their weapons time after time against the waves of enemy warriors, sworn to drive them back...During lulls in the action, they drink from their canteens, nourish themselves with what ever rations they brought, binding the wounds of those struck down...As this goes on, and days drag into weeks, often months on the sometimes uncharted islands, what happens when rations run low, fresh water runs out, the wounded beg for attention, ammunition becomes scarce...
They look to their supply lines behind them, without which the battle would end in useless defeat...Their heavily armored equipment, with its mighty firepower would become scrap metal without the un-armored, and for the most part unarmed ships, aircraft and trucks coming up behind them with fresh supplies...Those manning these vehicles risk their lives behind nothing thicker than a steel helmet and a flak jacket to replenish what is needed in battle, and then carry away the wounded...
Headlines, glory and medals for heroism go to those on the front lines as they battle their way forward, kept alive by the almost unnoticed, yet expected supply lines extending behind them for thousands of miles..."APc-48" is the story of a small wooden coastal transport ship and its crew of brave, but unheralded men who, for three years in the Southwest Pacific during WWII, risked their lives quietly slipping in and out under the noses of a determined enemy to serve the needs of their brothers-in-arms on the uncharted islands where enemy soldiers waited to kill them...
One of Truckman's uncles went to war on this tiny vessel, eventually joining the millions of others in victory, even staying afterwards in the occupation of the enemy's homeland during an uneasy peace...As he did so other members of his family served in similar fashion, sacrificing their well-being both at home, and in faraway places in the joint effort to restore peace..My uncle talked very little of his years in the Pacific, preferring to get on with life rather than rehash old memories...This unstoried segment of the war left little information concerning the activities of those who spent the war years in supply and logistics, and Truckman's research led to the many connected stories told in his usual seemingly disconnected style...
It is hoped that my readers will enjoy this effort of bringing into focus the activities of members of my own family whose service was intermingled with many more memorable names...The book is lavishly illustrated with illustrations and photos, many never before published...It is hoped that a new appreciation is felt by many, just as I have also learned of those who quietly went about their jobs to restore peace to a shattered world...
Truckman's hat is off to all who served...
EDIT: The book is also available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, for those prefer to pay extra, and wait longer for delivery...If you order from the Truckman Book Store, be sure to look for additional discount codes...
EDIT: The book is also available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, for those prefer to pay extra, and wait longer for delivery...If you order from the Truckman Book Store, be sure to look for additional discount codes...
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