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A previously unpublished wartime memoir from the acclaimed author of Birdy and A Midnight Clear.One of the most acclaimed American writers of his generation, and author of classic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.