“Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack” Reveals Details About “Other” D-Day in Real Time

CHICAGO - June 7, 2015 - PRLog -- CHICAGO, June 6, 2015  --  The actual events of D-Day at Iwo Jima  are revealed in real time through the eyes of a  young American sailor stationed on a minesweeper in the critically acclaimed non-fiction book, “Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack.”  Written by Crystal Lake, Ill., author, Laura Lynn Ashworth, the book is the true dramatic tale of the relationship between two teens, one on a minesweeper and the other back home in Chicago, during the final climatic years of WWII.   Ashworth has pledged to donate ten percent of her proceeds to the USO and VFW.

“Growing up, I always thought of D-Day as being the invasion of Normandy.  I guess that was because D-Day is  officially celebrated on June 6 when the invasion of Normandy took place,” said Ashworth.  “But when I ran across these letters, which were written by a young WWII sailor named Sal, it was clear that many important military initiatives, also called D-Day, were taking place, each one of them critically timed and central to our success in WWII.”

The book is comprised of both letters and a historical narrative. Through them, readers experience how massive and dangerous these military maneuvers were and how young and brave Sal and his shipmates were.

“They took everything in stride and with a sense of humor.  It’s really quite amazing,” Ashworth added.

Excerpts regarding D-Day at Iwo Jima are below:

February 13, 1945
The USS Signet heads north and then west. Only one hour before departure does the crew know that they are on their way to Iwo Jima.

February 16, 1945
The crew of the Signet gets its first view of Iwo Jima at daybreak. Reveille is early that morning because minesweeping is to begin at 0700. The crew starts sweeping on schedule with the ship at general quarters and everyone wondering when the Japanese on the beach will open fire. The tension eases off a bit in the afternoon and the sweeping continues without incident. Around 1600, the Japanese on Mt. Suribachi fire a few rounds at the Signet. They miss her and her fire support ships put them out of action. The crew is glad when their minesweeping for the day is completed and they can get a little further away from the island.

February 21, 1945
The crew sees its first air raid. “Our ships at Iwo Jima really took good care of themselves.” Several Japanese planes came down in flames that night. The crew picks up a pilot just after dark who had run out of gas and had to land his “Hellcat” in the water just ahead of the ship.

R. Alan Lewis, President of Ground Zero Books, Ltd., who specializes in the procurement and sale of rare, military books, says, “We have been in the book business for nearly 40 years, and I have never experienced a book with the warmth, sensitivity, insight and humanity in a wartime setting as have been presented through these letters.  There has probably not been a sense of shipboard life since Mr. Roberts.  Through the letters one can also capture to a greater degree than I have seen before, a sense of the impact of the war on the nearly adult on the home front.”

Laura Lynn Ashworth is an author of historical, romance novels that focus on teens and young adults.  She consistently delivers tales of outrageous romance and redemption to passionate readers of romance and history books alike.

“Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack,” is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and  e-bookstores.  Orders can also be placed at:  http://LauraLynnAshworth.com.  Special discounts are offered for military, veteran, library, school, book club, and bulk orders.