Red Wells

by Sharon Wells Wagner

Book Overview

Sharon Wells Wagner makes her literary debut with the story of her father, Red Wells - a man who has seen hardship, joy, and adventure. Telling the tale through his eyes, she takes us on a remarkable... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0983331006
• ISBN13: 9780983331001
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: Aperture Press
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Uniquely Fascinating Absorbing Memoir

How this book came to be is as fascinating as the story within its pages. Eighty-one year old Red Wells always felt the need to share his life story, especially his experiences during World War II. Likewise, his daughter Sharon always wanted to write a book, and learn more about her father's service during the war. In the time honored method of oral tradition, dad and daughter would spend leisurely hours together, drinking coffee, fishing, or going for a drive in the country. Red would tell stories, Sharon would listen, mentally take notes, and frantically try to organize them later sitting at her computer. It was a last minute decision to attend the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington DC that prompted both Red and Sharon to agree to turn their efforts into book form. The result is one of the most beautifully written testimonies to emerge from the soul of a greatest generation hero through the diligent hands of a loving, caring, sympathetic daughter. Writing in the first person, Ms Wells-Wagner turns Red's childhood and teen years into a captivating adventure, every bit, if not more interesting that his later war exploits. Diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis as an infant, Red spent the first years of his life in a body cast, confined to a hospital bed, hundreds of miles from home. His physical defect would eventually heal itself, but not in time to save his parent's marriage. Wells-Wagner's choice to use such un-politically correct phrases as "crippled children's hospital," and "Tubercular Sanitarium" brings the bleak reality of those trying times to light. Red's mother died prematurely and Red was sent to live with a series of relatives. Wells-Wagner's pen flows effortlessly as she introduces a cast of real life characters all struggling against a backdrop of hard times. All, especially aunt Margret treated Red as their own but having missed out on those formative years of nurturing made Red feel not wanted. By age fourteen, like a depression era Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, Red was fishing the local streams, wandering the streets of Reading, smoking Bull Durham cigarettes, and sleeping at a local mission. Red soon ran away from home, lived a Hobo's existence, hopping trains and sleeping under bridges from New Jersey to Kansas. Along the way he honed the survival skills he had developed on the streets of Reading. A stint in Idaho with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) would give Red a taste of the structure he so desperately needed in his life, and would soon find in the Army. The United States was not yet at war when eighteen year old Red joined the Army in the summer of 1941. Red was assigned to the 33d Infantry Regiment stationed on Panama Canal duty. Red alternated between guard duty aboard ships passing through the canal, and jungle warfare training in the hot insect infested jungles of Panama. From there it was on to Port of Spain, Trinidad to build a base, and more jungle warfare training. The aut

Good story and an easy read

This book is much more than an accounting of a soldier's action in World War 2. This book is a life story of Red Wells and it's an incredible story. The story begins with a family history, the birth and early childhood of Red Wells. The childhood portion of the book is just so inspiring. The teenage years and his many adventures at such a young age really set the stage for what the next 10 years of his life would be like. Basically it's adventure after adventure. The World War 2 portion of this book is very introspective. If you want graphical descriptions of gore and mayhem you'll need to look elsewhere. What is covered are lots of descriptions of what he saw and how he felt about it. This really shows you the emotional side of the soldier and is something missing in many books. In brief, here's what I liked most. The book is VERY well written. The narrative flows like a novel. The length of the chapters is short, only a few pages each so I could read a chapter or two each night before bed. The material is so interesting that you just want to keep reading. And it's all true. I highly recommend this book.

An inspirational journey.

I finished this book in one day because I was drawn in by the important, inspiring, and dramatic story. This is the history of an American soldiers life and how he was profoundly changed by WWII. We have much to learn from the personal sacrifice of the people that lived and served in our armed forces during this era. From the beginning of this book I realized the Patriot Red Wells had given much to a thankful country. His life was one of hardships and numerous trials. One of his defining moments in life was when he decided to join the military. From his various experiences during training, to the development of his many strong friendships, to the accounts of the horrific realities of the battlefield, I along vicariously learned from Red's life journey. The journey is itself is amazing but the master story teller Sharon Wells Wagner, Red's daughter, kept me en-rapt with each page. Red's journey demonstrated to me valuable life lessons including: 1. No matter how bad a situation could be it could always be worse. The guy with his leg shot off in the battlefield is having a worse day than the soldier who is still walking. 2. Friends are important in our life and cannot be taken for granted. Red discovers the bad news of his military buddy losing his life during a battle. This story which caused me to reflect on the friends I need to kept in touch with. 3. As Red mentions he is very much a survivor. Through his actions during battle and in his personal life I learned that we must rely on others to succeed. Most importantly we must rely on our self determination. Most people from a strained familial relationship with no permanent father figure normally do not succeed in life. Red Wells proves that you can overcome many obstacles, but most importantly you can become successful even if you don't have the best start in life. I enjoyed hearing the stories of Red's life because I am able to vicariously through him. More importantly I may learn from Red's life lessons without having to live them myself. Red Wells is a noble man for sharing his life experiences, even if those experiences are painful to relate. It takes a truly brave man to let us live the triumphs and pain in their life, such has Red Wells has done in his history. It is important to have people we can look towards and continue the legacy of this proud and diverse country. We need more heroes like Red Wells to stand up and tell their story. Red Wells has become one of my heroes. I will always remember the story of Red Wells, An American Soldier In World War II, and an American hero.

Amazing resilience

Very simply written, as a simple recitation of the facts, this book is amazingly emotional. Mr. Wells's life is almost unbelievable in the number of obstacles thrown in his path from infancy onward. His very survival is remarkable, much less his bouyant attitude. All of us should be inspired by having such a man as a fellow American. History buffs will be enlightened by his very personal story of his life as a soldier throughout World War II. There is no better reference than the personal story of a participant. And all of us should be made aware of the trials facing ordinary people during the Depression, before the welfare, social security, unemployment compensation, or workers' compensation that we take for granted now. This should be put on recommended reading lists in schools throughout America.