Albert F. Pishioneri

Me, Mom, and World War II Albert F. Pishioneri

Hanging beneath a B-24 Liberator in flight, in - 40 to - 60 degree weather, bringing his own oxygen and heat with him in this hostile environment; a moving target for enemy fighters, gives one a unique perspective from which to ponder who and what it's all about. The author, a veteran of 35 bombing missions over occupied Europe during World War II, recalls his experiences illuminated by the insight of a Bachelor of Science in American History and 37 1/2 years of teaching Social Studies. A veteran storyteller and talented artist, he weaves his story by chronicling the historical events and personal experiences of his service life between the actual letters he wrote home that were preserved for him by his mother. His original sketches further enrich the tapestry of this unique historical rememberance of one soldier's tour of duty in WW II. In Me, Mom and World War II, the reader steps back in time to experience life as the middle child of a large Italian-American family growing up in a small steel town in Western Pennsylvania. The loss of their father, and living through The Great Depression followed by "the emergency" brought on by the bombing of Pearl Harbor forged within them a strength and courage that held them together.