Shrapnel

Shrapnel
William Wharton

A previously unpublished wartime memoir from the acclaimed author of Birdy and A Midnight Clear.One of the most acclaimed American writers of his generation, and author of classic novels such as Birdy, A Midnight Clear and Dad, William Wharton was a very private man. Writing under a pseudonym, he rarely gave interviews, so fans and critics could only guess how much of his work was autobiographical and how much was fiction.Now, for the first time, we are able to read the author’s own account of his experiences during the Second World War, events that went on to influence some of his greatest novels.These are the tales that Wharton never wanted to tell his children. It is an unforgettable true story from one of America’s greatest writers.

William Wharton

Shrapnel

Contents

Title Page

Prologue

1. Basic Training

Birnbaum

Williams

Corbeil

Logan

2. Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Sergeant Hunt

Water

3. Shipping Out

Doctor Smet

Need a Body Cry

D-3

4. Invasion

Sergeant Billy Dan Gray

Hide and Seek

The Galoshes Caper

Mike Hennessy

Capture

Franklin

Sergeant Ethridge

Crossfire

Court Martial

Champagne Party

5. Men at War

Russian Roulette

Rape Rap

Rolin Clairmont

A Flight of Fancy

Downhill Slide

The Great Jewel Robbery

6. Aftermath

Celebration

Flame Throwers

Massacre

7. Homecoming

Fort Dix, New Jersey

Glossary

Other Books by William Wharton

Copyright

About the Publisher

Prologue

When we had little children, four of them, they always wanted me to tell them stories and I enjoyed the telling, but there were certain tales I never told. I’d developed the storytelling habit as a young boy, less than ten, making up scary stories for my younger sister.

Most of the tales I told to our children were about a fox named Franky Furbo. I told these stories from 1956, when our oldest daughter was four, until 1978 when our youngest was twelve. Mostly I told ‘get up’ stories in the morning while they were fresh and so was I, not bedtime stories.