"A Soldier's Story" was transcribed from audiotapes of John T. “Jack” Scannell’s recollections of his WWII infantry service in Europe, supplemented with contemporaneous conversations. It is offered as one soldier’s personal narrative of an historic war that profoundly affected a generation whose experiences pre-dated the automatic recording and routine documentation of day-to-day life that we now enjoy in this internet age.

"A Soldier's Story -- World War II and the Battle at Sessenheim, France" offers a gripping personal account of one soldier's combat experiences on the bloody battlefields of France and Germany during the months preceding the Allies' 1945 victory in Europe.  John T. "Jack" Scannell was a staff sergeant with the 411th Infantry Regiment of the 103rd "Cactus" Division.  He was decorated with the Silver Star for his heroic rescue of wounded US soldiers from a French farmhouse under siege of German fire. Defying a threat of court martial and braving enemy attack, he returned to the farmhouse where the wounded men had been left behind, honoring his promise to them that he’d come back.  Five decades later, after relentless searching, one of those men would locate him and be able to thank him finally.

The author currently lives in Michigan with his wife, Norma.  He is the father of twelve children, and the grandfather (so far) of fifteen grandchildren.