Frequent General Aviation News contributor Bill Walker’s latest book, “Dearest Mama, The Lost Letters of a Fallen Soldier and the Stories of Those He Left Behind,” has been published by the University of South Carolina Press.
The book tells the story of Private First Class Fletcher “Bud” Blanton, who served with the 104th Infantry Division in Europe and was killed during the Battle of The Bulge in Germany in January 1945.
Blanton left behind seven siblings and his mother when he fell in battle near Aachen, Germany. During his time on the front line, he wrote home almost daily, but because of a delay in the military mail, most of his letters were received by his mother after his death, according to the publisher.
She chose to put the letters away, storing them in a cardboard box inside an antique cabinet for nearly 70 years. They were discovered in 2022 by the author, whose mother was Bud Blanton’s sister Clarise.
Walker transcribed the letters and researched the life of his uncle. In the two years of research, he found that seven other friends and schoolmates of his uncle were also killed in the war. He researched their lives also.
The book is available for $24.99 from USCPress.com and other national book outlets.
