"A WWII soldier's rosy letters home are juxtaposed with his recollections of combat's harrowing on-the-ground reality in this immersive debut memoir...With its unique vantage point, this is a noteworthy addition to the literature of WWII." — Publishers WeeklyIn 1943, eighteen-year-old Walter Stitt enlisted in the U.S. Army, ready to serve his country. From his time in basic training at Fort Polk in Louisiana, throughout his time as a tank gunner in the 33rd Armored Regiment, to his post-injury service in England, he wrote home to the family he had left at home.Unbeknown to him, his mother carefully numbered and saved the letters, treasuring them until her death. This book brings together the very different two versions of Walter’s war: the version that a teenage soldier could reveal to his parents and younger siblings without scaring them or invoking the censor’s pen, and the full and often terrifying details of serving as a tank loader and gunner in...