Mines, Mules and Mud: A Cincinnati Teenager in WWII

By Kathy H Kitts

Mines, Mules and Mud tells the true story of 18-year-old Ray Wissel, who served in Italy in the Ammunition & Pioneer platoon of the Army during World War II as a minesweeper. Ray's story takes him from Cincinnati to South Carolina for basic training, to Texas and then Virginia, where he leaves for war. Ray travels across the Atlantic to the Atlas Mountains in Africa, where he learns the dangerous art of explosives. Going by Liberty ship to Naples, Ray fights his way up the boot of Italy until he arrives in Bolzano by the end of the war. The story details Ray's unique and dangerous experiences in the Italian campaign including finding and disarming German mines for three months near Minturno. His friendship with another minesweeper, Wesley Cobb, is both heartwarming and full of sorrow. The events that Ray experiences in the infantry - packing mules and delivering ammunition to the front lines, minesweeping, creating the morning reports when he is transferred to the personnel unit, the death of a friend - all make a permanent impression on his mind. Mines, Mules and Mud is a complete war story about one teenager, beginning in 1943, but not concluding at the end of the war. The book comes full circle and ends in 2007, with 82-year-old Ray keeping a promise to always remember his fallen friend. The story, written by Ray's eldest daughter, is based on thorough research, including Ray's 265 letters home, which his mother saved for him, as well as interviews with Ray himself. The book includes excerpts from Ray's letters and reveals many little known facts about the war. But more important than dates and facts, Mines, Mules and Mud is a story about family, brotherhood, and remembrance.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 109538905X
• ISBN13: 9781095389058
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"