As we have released of the audio version of Love Letters from Heaven, beautifully narrated by Sharon Cline, I thought I would share part of the inspiration behind the story with a couple of examples. Keep in mind though, I have more! Lots more...
Though the men laughed, they must’ve taken him
seriously, for later that afternoon, when an unexpected battle presented
itself, the men asked the Captain to give him a duty elsewhere. The Captain,
having a fondness for the private as well, complied. However, George would have
none of it. “I came here to do my duty and although I know I
shall be killed I shall go in,” he said.
Alongside his comrades George proceeded to climb
the mountain. Fighting was intense. About half-way up, he was struck by a
bullet. Just as he said, the bullet took his life.
And then we have William St Leger, a lieutenant
serving with the 2nd Coldstream Guards during World War I. He had two
dreams that foretold his impending death. In one dream he saw himself mingling
with the officers and men of his regiment who had been killed. In the second
dream he was struggling in hand to hand combat with a very large and
overpowering German soldier. As he awoke he had the impression he would not
live past the spring. He died at the battle of the Lys in the spring of the
following year.
My Uncle Robert Buskirk served his country during
World War II. There were many stories told of men in his regiment who knew they
wouldn’t be coming home. One in particular was a young man by the name of Private Forbes.
One day, just behind enemy lines, they were tasked with digging yet another foxhole.
He asked one of his companions in another squad if they could swap places for
the night. “I’d be glad too, he said, “as long as the lieutenant gives us
permission.”
As the day wore on, the lieutenant had failed to return from a previous duty. When Forbes’ companion alerted him of this fact, Forbes simply shrugged. He said not to worry, that is was okay and just to forget about asking for the favor. “It’s not going to matter if I’m in your foxhole or mine. I’m not going to live through the night,” he said. He didn’t.
There are many such stories out there and each one tugs at the heart. In my latest novel, Love Letters from Heaven, our ghostly hero, Sergeant William Malloy Griffin, also knew he wouldn't come home from his service during World War II. This, of course, is going to make it all the more difficult for him to win his very mortal soul mate...
So, do you think soldiers who are destined to die on the battlefield are given some kind of advanced notice? Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear it.
Those are shivery examples. In many ways I hate to think of soldiers carrying that knowledge in their hearts, as if it would be better not to know.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited about your new release, and am off to grab it from Amazon now. Would you like to do something on my blog? I've missed you and would love to have you back!
And a huge congrats on the release!
I've thought about it and truly, were I in the place of those soldiers, I don't think I'd want to know. Anyway, thank-you, I would love to visit, and I have missed you too!
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