Not even three months since its official release, local author James Diehl has announced that his book honoring Sussex County war veterans has begun its second print run.
Strong retail sales in late fall and early winter have propelled an earlier than anticipated print run for “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware.”
“I am very excited and encouraged about the reaction so far to this project,” said Diehl, who is currently working on the second installment of the series.
“I want more than anything for people to pick up this book and read about the sacrifices made by the men and women of the 1940s. The choices they made then still affect how we live today, and we owe them all our gratitude and our respect.”
Featuring more than 48 profiles that originally ran in the Seaford and Laurel Star newspapers in 2007-2008, the book is published by DNB Group, Inc., Diehl’s company, and is available for sale throughout the county and online at www.ww2-heroes.com.
In addition to writing the profiles that will become “World War II Heroes of Coastal Delaware,” Diehl is also working with Milford-based Watermark Productions on a documentary about the war, scheduled for release sometime this fall.
“I can’t talk too much about the documentary at this point because it is still very much in the production phase, but keep on the lookout for that sometime after Labor Day,” says Diehl, a native of Sussex County. “It’s shaping up to be something pretty special. I think it will be very telling, very emotional and a special keepsake for our brave veterans who served during World War II.”
“World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware” tells the stories of 50 men and women with ties to southern Delaware, but it is not about the nation’s first state. The book is about the war zones, the personal encounters and the first-hand accounts of a heroic group of Army soldiers, of Navy seamen, of United States Marines and others.
A first-place award winner in the 2007 Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association’s editorial competition, the series recounts stories from battlefields in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as accounts from those who stayed stateside in support of the war effort.
“World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware” can be purchased at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, at Bethany Beach Books, at the Delaware Technical & Community College bookstore, at the Marvel Museum in Georgetown and at the Seaford Museum, or at www.ww2-heroes.com.
Diehl is also seeking veterans of World War II from the county’s resort areas for inclusion in “World War II Heroes of Coastal Delaware,” slated for a 2011 release. To nominate someone for the second book, please email Diehl at james@dnbpublicrelations.com or send him a message at www.ww2-heroes.com.
