This search opens a lot of doors to anyone who has lost a service man

books:

	• Finding a Fallen Hero: The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner Bob Korkuc University of Oklahoma Press, 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Research and poetry go hand-in-hand

You might read the last chapter of Bob Korkuc's book, Finding a Fallen Hero, and think 'but how does he know? What gives him the right?' The right, that is, to re-create the last day and last minutes of the crew of his uncle's B-17 Flying Fortress, as it goes down in flames over Germany in 1944. But aside from his disclaimer, that this is his own "dramatic portrayal," he has done the work and he has earned the right. Years of exhaustive research, correspondence with surviving crewmembers and their relatives, government records studied, and personal interviews, have brought him as close as anyone could be to the last moments of that plane and that bomber crew. He has taken all the research, all the facts, and masterfully tempered them with poetry . . . his take-off point is a poem written after the war by one of the surviving crew members who was haunted by the deaths of his crewmates. But Korkuc generates his own poetry in his re-creation of the last day. He does it with such sensitivity, such a light touch in the chaos of the plane's final minutes, that if I were a family member of one who died, I believe my overwhelming reaction would be "thank you. . . . thank you for that gift." The research detailed in the twelve chapters that precede that last poetic chapter must have been daunting to do . . . and can sometimes be daunting to read. But Korkuc ties it all together in such a moving way that you can't help but feel the poignancy of those lost lives, and the relevancy to what's happening in the world today.

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Finding A Fallen Hero - Incredible

I am not a huge history buff, but I do enjoy learning about the past and the effects on the people of the time. After reading this book, I felt like I was the one who tracked down the facts and met the people in this book. The author did an amazing job describing not only his path to locate facts and data, but the individuals that were affected by this piece of history. It was a great read and I'd recommend anyone who is interested in either WWII, the people of the time or trying to locate a past individual involved in the military to read this book.

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The perfect tribute to a fallen warrior

Few books are done this well.

This is an example of superb reporting, the painstaking attention to meticulous detail to create a great story that soars above any slips in writing or inattention in editing.

I've flown in a B-17, roaming from the nose to the waist gun positions. I didn't have the nerve to get into the ball turret or the tail gun position. On the ground, a B-17 looks huge; inside, it's as cramped as a coffin. Unlike a coffin, a B-17 has no smooth edges or soft surfaces; it's as raw an airplane as was ever made.

Crew members must have felt they were on a ducking chair at a county fair, being blasted by unseen shotgunners. There's nowhere to duck, nowhere to hide, nowhere to run for shelter or safety. Korkuc does a great job explaining the nature and nerve of those who did mission after mission.

Thus he describes the raw guts of war. But the gem of his book is his seven-year search through official records and sometimes still shaken memories of airmen and civilians in Germany and the U.S. about the fate of the specific B-17 on which his uncle served and died. This is Ken Burns style of reporting at its very best.

It's a superb story, something almost never seen in today's news reports. It's great history; we already know who won the war, this explains what it took to win. It provides a very human touch to otherwise often impersonal records.

If I were teaching journalism (or history), this book would be mandatory reading. Students would need an "A" to graduate as a reporter or history major. This is as good as it gets, for history or news reporting.

One minor point: If I were editing, I'd want to know how anyone would know a person's final thoughts just moments before death. It's a minor glitch, one I've seen even seasoned journalists make. Nonetheless, Korkuc makes it sound believable because of the detail he gathered.

To sum up, seldom has a better tribute ever been written about the victims of war.

There's a good reason it's received unanimous (as of July 4) reviews -- they are well earned and deserved.

Korkuc tells a beautiful story.

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"Captivating"..."Hard to put down"..."thoroughly enjoyable"

'Captivating'...'hard to put down'...'thoroughly enjoyable' - all apt descriptors of Bob Korkuc's "Finding a Fallen Hero: The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner". Clocking in a 242 pp. (inclusive of Notes), "Finding a Fallen Hero" is a real page-turner, one easily gotten through even by a slow reader like this reviewer in one sitting. Not only is the story told engagingly (we'll come back to this shortly), but Korkuc is also a talented writer who conveys his prose with an economy of words. Too many historical authors - even some of the better ones - get distracted with side stories and irrelevant facts, not so with Korkuc. It's refreshing to read a book centered on happenings of the Second World War that stays on track and is contained but still grows the reader in having read it.

The basic story told in "Finding a Fallen Hero" is that of Staff Sgt. Anthony (Tony) Joseph Korkuc's (the author's uncle) final flight as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress (42-37786; unnamed) in the 532nd Bomb Squadron/381st Bomb Group. Tony Korkuc was KIA near Willmandingen, Germany on 25 Feb 1944 while returning from a bombing run to Augsburg, Germany. Although initially buried in Willmandingen, his remains were later relocated to the U.S. Military Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, and finally interned in a group plot with three other men in Arlington National Cemetery (Virginia). While the story itself is relative straightforward, the path taken by Bob Korkuc to bring his uncle's story to life was far from effortless and took several years of diligent research and some personal discomfort to accomplish. The author's trek to discover the why's and how's surrounding his uncles death and multiple internments began simple enough on a trip to Arlington National Cemetery with his father in 1995 when the latter asked: "I wonder how Tony's remains got from Germany to Arlington?" With this simple question Bob Korkuc embarked on an adventure of investigation and discovery that was to finally bring peace and closure to a long mystery, both for the Korkuc family and possibly the families of the other five men of Staff Sgt. Korkuc's flight who perished that winter day over enemy territory. Thankfully for the reader Bob Korkuc has documented this journey for us to enjoy.

"Finding a Fallen Hero" is much more than a piece of Second World War non-fiction: it's a detective story that reads like an Arthur Conan Doyle novel; a tale of strong brothers-in-arms camaraderie; a story of self- and familial discovery; and a touching account of rememberance and healing of a handful of men who gave much of their youth in defense of their country. Few books this reviewer has read in the WWII genre ever come close to touching so many facets of life then and now. "Finding a Fallen Hero" should appeal to a broad swath of readers, not just those interested in history. Moreover, Korkuc shares with the reader how he went through his process of discovery and exposition in such a way that others can take similar treks if mysteries in need of solving exist in their family histories. Thanks Bob for your insights and thoughtfulness!

In his researching and writing of "Finding a Fallen Hero" Korkuc appears to have found what he was looking for and in doing so has given us insight into his life, his family and glimpses of war in the air over Germany during the Second World War. This reviewer cannot recommend this book highly enough - 5 HUGE stars, two thumbs up.

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This search opens a lot of doors to anyone who has lost a service man

On a B-17, Flying Fortress, the hottest hot seat aboard was usually filled by the smallest member of the crew. That would be the ball turret Gunner. On this particular B-17, on his last mission, on February 25, 1944, was a ball turret gunner, Anthony "Tony" Korkuc, who at 27, was the oldest man in the crew of ten. His was the squadron's only plane shot down that day.

He is reported missing in action. It wasn't until 1995 he was reported to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

This is the story of Tony Korkuc, as seen through the eyes of his curious nephew, Bob Korkuc who went on a seven year quest to find what happened to Uncle Tony.

The book is a fine blend of World War ll combat in the air, leading up to Tony's death and the education and growth of his nephew, who learned compassion and understanding while interviewing the various survivors of the flight. Both Tony and Bob grew in stature. In a manner Bob finished Tony's last mission.

This search opens a lot of doors to anyone who has lost a service man. There are fewer veterans to interview, but the trail is still inviting, and Bob Korkuc points the way.

Richard N. Larsen
Reviewer

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reviews: page 1, 2

Finding a Fallen Hero is a compelling story that blends a wartime drama with a primer on specialized research. Author Bob Korkuc initially set out to learn how his Uncle Tony came to rest at Arlington. In the process, he also unraveled the mystery of what occurred over the skies of Germany half a century ago.

Korkuc dug up military documents and private letters and interviewed people in both the United States and Germany. He tracked down surviving crewmembers and even found the brother of the Luftwaffe pilot who downed the B-17. Dozens of photographs help readers envision both Tony Korkuc's fateful flight and his nephew's dogged search for the truth.

A gripping chronicle of exhaustive research, Finding a Fallen Hero will strike a chord with any reader who has lost a family member to war. And it will inspire others to satisfy their own unanswered questions.

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