Author Talk with Howard Mansfield: “I Will Tell No War Stories”

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force’s monthly Author Talk series is proud to present Howard Mansfield, who will be discussing his book I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid about World War II. This program presented by the museum will take place on September 12th at 6:30 pm at the Skidaway Island Community Church, 50 Diamond Causeway, Savannah, GA, 31411. The event is free to the public, but registration is required. CLICK HERE to register.

About the Book

When Howard Mansfield grew up, World War II was omnipresent and hidden. This was also true of his father’s time in the Air Force. Like most of his generation, it was a rule not to talk about what he’d experienced in war. “You’re not getting any war stories from me,” he’d say. Cleaning up the old family house the year before his father’s death, Mansfield was surprised to find a short diary of the bombing missions he had flown. Some of the missions were harrowing. Mansfield began to fill in the details, and to be surprised again, this time by a history he thought he knew. I Will Tell No War Stories is about undoing the forgetting in a family and in a society that has hidden the horrors and cataclysm of a world at war. Some part of that forgetting was necessary for the veterans, otherwise how could they come home, how could they find peace?

About the Author

Howard Mansfield is the author of 13 books, including The Sam Ax, Twice, In the Memory House, Turn and Jump, Chasing Eden, and, most recently, I Will Tell No War Stories. In 2023, his books were honored with the Ruth and James Ewing Arts Awards for Literary Arts. Masfield’s work has been honored with a Gold Medal for Commentary for City and Regional Magazines, a Silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and as a Feature Story Finalist in the National City and Regional Magazine Awards. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Franklin Pierce University.

About the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force

The museum educates visitors about the character, courage, valor, and patriotism of the brave individuals who fought in the Eighth Air Force, the largest air armada in history. The museum uses films, exhibits, artifacts, and archival materials to tell the stories of individuals who served in the Eighth Air Force. Their sacrifices made victory in World War II possible. Museum highlights include a fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress, and the multimedia “Mission Experience,” an immersive simulated bombing mission in a special theater utilizing actual combat footage. The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is located at 175 Bourne Avenue, Pooler, GA. Operating hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. www.mightyeighth.org.

Emma Quedzuweit

Emma Quedzuweit is a historial researcher and graduate school student originally from California, but travels extensively for work and study. She is the former Assitant Editor at AOPA Pilot magazine and currently freelance writes along with personal projects invovled in the search for missing in action aviators from World War I and II. She is a Private Pilot with Single Engine Land and Sea ratings and tailwheel endorsement and is part-owner of a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. Her favorite aviation experience was earning a checkout in a Fairchild PT-19.

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