Onalee

I am the eldest daughter of Max and Floris Guger and currently live in Traverse City, Michigan where I was raised. My first published work is a historical collection of letters, journal entries and news reports written by my father while he was in the Navy aboard the USS Yorktown “The Fighting Lady” in 1944 and 1945. My mother preserved all of Dad’s wartime memorabilia in a little metal box—a treasure chest of love, history and memories. Dad signed all of his letters “Love & Kisses, Max.” We have all read many stories about war, but I wanted this story to be about our family and the effect war has on all families. Read “Love & Kisses, Max” and think about my family, the families of all those P.O.W.s, and your own family at a time of war. Do you recall the fear we all shared after September 11? I call that fear the essence of war. I lived it as a three-year old child during WWII. It is still a vivid memory seventy years later. Understanding how the aura of war impacts families will give us greater appreciation for the sacrifices our military families make to preserve and protect our freedom.