Overview

This captivating memoir of a World War II Red Cross volunteer recounts the touching stories of American women and men who served their country abroad Based on richly detailed and beautifully written letters and journal entries, this engaging memoir of an American Red Cross volunteer's brave service for the Allied Forces tells the unfolding love stories of Rosemary Norwalk and her friends as they served their country in England during World War II. Brimming with vibrant characters, Dearest Ones is a charming celebration of the men and women who rallied together and made a difference in the outcome of the war. Rosemary Norwalk (Seattle, WA) served as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II and was based in England. While abroad, she met and fell in love with an American officer also stationed in England. They recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

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9780471379461

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It wasn't all blood and guts - coffee and doughnuts played a part in the story of WWII, as related in these letters and journal entries from au American Red Cross worker based in England during that war. Norwalk joined the Red Cross in May 1944, only a month before the Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day). The volunteers were issued helmets, uniforms, and instructions on what to do if they were captured by the enemy. Their day-to-day lives involved fighting shortages of personnel and equipment and the British propensity for stopping everything - including troop movements - for tea. But also, says Norwalk, We were expected to be the friend, the girl next door, the kid sister, the funny aunt to the US troops en route to France and Germany, even as Nazi bombs destroyed military and civilian targets in England. In less than five months, her Red Cross crew saw two million American soldiers debark from South Hampton, England, to Europe. This book is also a love story - or more precisely, several love stories, as one by one, she and members of her crew fell in love with young servicemen. She chronicles her romance with the blue-eyed major who was such a good dancer; they married and lived happily ever after in Seattle, recently celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. After WWII, the Red Cross volunteers with their ubiquitous coffee and doughnuts were often parodied. This story recalls that their cheerful faces, willingness to sing, dance, listen, write letters, and lend a hand with personal problems was invaluable in what was then called the war effort. No Saving Private Ryan drama and mayhem here, but a low-key story of courage and dedication to duty whose reward was this: We were vitally alive, living at full speed, working together for a cause we believed in. (Kirkus Reviews)

A remarkable memoir that chronicles the life of an American Red Cross Girl during World War II, compiled from letters and journal entries. Langheldt leaves behind a good job in a Californian store for unknown duties overseas. She is sent to England and her view of the clash of cultures at first hand is one of the book's chief strengths. The confines of war forge some enduring friendships and it is here that Rosemary meets her future husband; a love affair that serves as a tender counterpoint to the stark realities of war. Bursting with life and irradiated with an unquenchable optimism, this book has immense appeal, both as a highly individual story and as a testament to the courage of the Red Cross volunteers. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

ROSEMARY NORWALK married in 1946 and pursued a career as a fashion buyer in St. Louis and then in advertising and public relations in Seattle, where she still lives with her husband, Bob. They recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

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