The Final Reunion
My wife and I are attending the Final 80th Reunion of the 12th Armored Division — the Hellcats from World War 2. Her dad attended the 1st reunion and we are attending the last one in honor of Haig.
Blood Soaked Land
I toured a lesser known World War 2 German prisoner of war camp in Landsberg, Germany, March 6th, 2026. If you watched the HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers,” then you have seen this camp portrayed before. This is my story. The tour was given by my friend Christopher Vila, who is president of the Dachau […]
The Book
Writing a book is a lot like building a house. You build the basement — in Michigan anyway — then the frame, then the roof. You’re not done there. Next, you install electrical wiring, plumbing, toilets, showers, drywall, and cabinets piece by piece. You build separate rooms and a garage. You’re not finished yet. You […]
The 78th Hellcat Reunion
ST. LOUIS, MO — I arrived in St. Louis, MO, a stranger on July 18th. I went home a Hellcat. Seventy-eight years after my father-in-law Haig Derderian attended his first 12th Armored Division Hellcat reunion at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, I took his place and attended the group’s 78th reunion in St. […]
The 80-year-old Wallet from World War 2
It’s a light brown-colored, leather bi-fold wallet measuring 4″ inches by 5″. It contains two black and white photographs and one hand-written note. The owner of the wallet was Haig Derderian, a corporal in the 714th Tank Battalion of the United States Army’s 12th Armored Division. He received it as a gift while overseas in […]
Investigating World War 2 history live from Europe
LISBON, PORTUGAL — I sat in a lounge overlooking the runway at Humberto Delgado International Airport in Lisbon going over in my head the last 12 days that I had spent in Europe. It was the morning of April 14th, and I had spent almost the past 2 weeks on a mission searching for personal […]
François Thomann and Me
Herrlisheim Pres Colmar, France — It was an unexpected meeting of a lifetime that I’m certain François Thomann and I will always remember. I met 87-year-old François at his home in the tiny commune of Herrlisheim Pres Colmar, France, at 10 am April 6th on a warm, sunny spring day. I drove down the narrow […]
A Blog from 35,000 Feet
SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN — I’m writing this blog from 35,000 feet aboard a Delta flight on April 3rd heading to Europe. I’m on a journey continuing research for my book on my Father-in-Law, Haig Derderian, and his service in World War 2 to defeat Nazi Germany. As I look out the window down […]
Unboxing the Life of a World War 2 Soldier
When I head to Europe next week, I’ll be furthering my journey into a World War 2 history project that started last December. The project quickly became my obsession the moment I opened that green, plastic storage bin in my basement. The bin contained World War 2 photos, letters from the war, U.S. Army medals, […]
7 Snapshots of World War 2
Pieces of Haig Derderian’s hidden life in World War 2 keep popping up in my basement. One day I’ll find letters in pristine condition that he sent from 1942-1945 to his parents in Detroit while serving for the U.S. Army. Another day I’ll find his Purple Heart that he was awarded after being injured fighting […]