Overview

In Mail Call, David W. Newcomer IV takes readers on a journey of discovery through over 60 letters written by his father, Lt. (j.g.) David W. Newcomer during WWII to his wife, Pamela Harrison Kinney. After years of transcribing and research, Newcomer IV navigates us through his father's experiences in the Pacific Theater while he served with a Top Secret Navy Unit, Argus 11. Along with Kansas City's juicy gossip, readers will experience the perils of one landlubber's journey as he adjusts to shipboard life, receives his King Neptune polliwog initiation for crossing the Equator, and navigates intense jungle battles. Entertaining accounts of programs, films, radio, and a visit from Eleanor Roosevelt are outshined by a father's desire to return home. His words expound on dreams for the future for his newborn son and his beloved wife connected through their lifeline of almost daily letters. Each day of war brought a heavy weight, but anticipating news from home lifted a combat soldier's spirits with two life-saving words: ""Mail Call!"" Mail was no easy thing in 1943. Letter writing and delivery were extremely difficult in wartime across vast distances. Paper letters were heavy and easily damaged. A procedure called ""V"" mail turned handwritten letters into microfilm negatives. They were developed onto specialized paper and delivered. During this process, censored information was literally cut out with actual scissors. David IV fills in the historical blanks behind his father's 1943 letters. Through his research of declassified documents, he shares what truly went on behind the scenes and includes over one hundred images of handwritten letters, maps, documents, and photographs of both the war and the Newcomer family: a fourth-generation business from the founding era of Kansas City. Newcomer IV shares how the little-remembered Argus groups turned the tide for the US in its war against Japan, alongside the story of his all-American family legacy and how his father's life influenced his own journey. He wants to inspire future generations to remember how our words shape relationships and who we become as people, as families, and as a nation.

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9781970151855

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Reviews

This book is MYTHIC; readers become part of the journey of a son's revelations, the love and dedication of a husband and father serving his country while sharing day-to-day stories, describing the people he served with, including the wisdom that comes when facing life or death. Not only is this book a testimony to those who make sacrifices to serve our country, but also shows the power of memoir. As readers, we are left in AWE. Mail Call: A Combat Soldier's Lifeline exemplifies the power of letter writing. Through his father's letters sent back home during World War II, David W. Newcomer IV offers what...no news article can capture...how Newcomer became a sleuth in discovering the stories behind the stories from the letters, adding declassified documents and research to learn the story that his father didn't share while he was alive. Dennis Etzel Jr., Poet, teacher, and author of Everything is Ephemera These World War II letters of Lt.(J.g.) David W. Newcomer III, discovered and shared by his son, David IV, are an ENDEARING TESTAMENT of this experience. As David's father travels from the United States to the far-flung reaches of the Solomon Islands, we share in his loneliness, his yearning for home, and the solace he finds in even the smallest bit of news. His writing is also interspersed with humorous events as he relays his experiences while stationed in the jungle. These letters are treasures to be read, reread, and savored. They are a BEAUTIFUL, STIRRING tribute to a complex man serving his country. They are a must-read for anyone who appreciates the power of letters to bridge distances, both physically and emotionally, because they capture a deeper understanding of those who lived through one of history's most trying times. Charles L. Templeton, Author of Boot: A Sorta Novel of Vietnam.

Author Information

David W. Newcomer IV, like his father, David III, also served as an officer in the United States Navy and served as president of Funeral Security Plans, a division of D. W. Newcomer's Sons, for over thirty years. He served on the board of Capital City Bank and its Trust and Trust Investment Committees for fifteen years. ""Mail Call"" is Newcomer's first book. He has previously published articles in trade publications, including his story in the respected Veteran's Voices magazine honored with the WFW Auxiliary, Department of Kansas prize about his time as an NROTC midshipman.

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