All Came Home: A World War II story told through the letters of Boat Group Commander, Joseph B. McDevitt

All Came Home: A World War II story told through the letters of Boat Group Commander, Joseph B. McDevitt

Overview

All Came Home: A World War II story told through the letters of Boat Group Commander, Joseph B. McDevitt by Paul K. McDevitt

"All Came Home" is a true story of junior reserve officer Joe McDevitt during WWII, as told through letters mailed home to his family.

This is a quintessential American story about a youngster of German and Irish ancestry striving to achieve the American dream. Then comes WWII, and Joe postpones his driving personal ambition in order to enlist in the Navy.

He joins the Pacific Amphibious Forces where men wage war on the open water in small boats. Could the Navy really make a warrior out of him... someone who thinks of nothing else but the sea and the war?

A romance flourishes, and, like many of his peers, Joe must choose: marry now, and leave a young war bride behind, or wait to wed his true love when, and if, he returns?

At war, he endures one bloody assault after another: ground-shaking bombardments, thundering artillery and mortar barrages, and the conviction that chance alone determines who lives and who dies.

One way or another, all came home...

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780986341007
Publisher: Killian Publishing
Publication date: 05/01/2015
Pages: 350
Product dimensions: 7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Paul McDevitt is a retired professor emeritus who enjoyed research and writing during thirty-one years of university service. He is also the second son of a Navy "lifer" who began his career as a junior reserve deck officer in World War II and finished as the Navy's top uniformed lawyer.

One of Paul's memorable reads from high school was Kenneth Dodson's naval classic "Away All Boats," a riveting story-and later a movie-about American amphibious forces. At that time Paul was unaware that his own father had served on an attack transport in the Pacific during the war.

Imagine his dismay when, in 2009, he opened a musty old box, read the letters that his Dad wrote home from the Pacific, and learned that Joe McDevitt was "Boats," the Boat Group Commander aboard the U.S.S. Leon APA 48! Those letters provide the story line for this book about World War II, the U.S.S. Leon, and the making of an American hero.

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All Came Home: A World War II story told through the letters of Boat Group Commander, Joseph B. McDevitt 5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 2 reviews.
AmphibsWWII More than 1 year ago
All Came Home is much more than the story of the author’s Father and his role in the Amphibious Fleet in WWII, it is a tribute to all the men who did what needed to be done during a critical time in our history. The author seamlessly integrates letters home, historical information and commentary to create a valuable narrative that gives personal insights not available in other sources. This book is a “keeper” and one of the best I have read on the Pacific War, the men who fought it and the impact on those they left behind. As the webmaster for Amphibious Forces of WWII, over the years I have had the honor to provide material for a number of people doing research, including Paul. I am very pleased to have had a small part in the creation of this book. Russ Padden – Webmaster for Amphibious Forces of WWII and Sampson Naval Base
tdugan More than 1 year ago
What a great story; what a great tribute to a father. I am a painfully slow reader, but the book arrived mid-day on a Monday and I finished it Tuesday afternoon! I just couldn't stop reading. All of the correspondence principally saved by an aunt during Joe McDevitt's college years and beyond, was a gold mine; The frame work for a beautiful story. Between McDevitt's tenacity as a student and his propensity for making good decisions throughout his military career, I was just blown away. I met him shortly after his family moved to McLean, VA. His son Paul, the book's author, and I have been friends since 1961. It's how I became aware of the book, but has nothing to do with my appreciation for it. The correspondence that had been saved beginning in 1938 overlapped with military records beginning around 1942. Those letters and records are at the core of this story and the letters keep it all personal. Joe McDevitt's college experiences at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, led to his career in the Navy, in war and in peace. The story ends with McDevitt's appointment as Judge Advocate General of the Navy. It's truly a remarkable, inspiring story.