Never Give Up the Jump
Pretoria Fields Brewing is honored to host a very special meet & greet Sunday, November 12th from 2-5pm EDT, to celebrate these local authors and this remarkable book of “Combat, Resilience, and the Legacy of World War II through the Eyes and Voices of the Paratroopers, Wives, and Families of the 508th PIR”
Please RSVP, as a limited amount of signed copies will be available at the event. Knox Press, publisher. Distributed to online booksellers by Simon and Schuster.
Never Give Up the Jump
About the Author
Susan Gurwell Talley is the daughter of Lt. George Gurwell, an original member of the 508th PIR and the HqHq Executive Officer in WWII. Susan Gurwell Talley is a retired office manager. Her daughter served two tours, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, as an officer in the US Army Reserves, and is married to a retired US Marine Corps officer. Susan and her husband Jack share a passion for competitive sports, favoring WWII-era rifles and the M1 Garand in particular since 2004. They were shooting members on teams that won the National Match Winner plaques for the high M1 team in the National Team Infantry Trophy Match for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011 (record score).
Jack L. Talley and wife Susan share a rich history of familial and personal involvement with the US military. Both have volunteered with the Patriot Guard Riders and American Legion Post 304. A Georgia-licensed Ph.D. psychologist with over thirty years of post-doctoral experience, Jack has specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of veterans with PTSD since 2014.
Lt. George Gurwell of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment and his wife Jeane were prolific letter writers during WWII. The war time letters of Susan’s parents are unique. Their correspondence numbering over 1000 letters provides the timeline for their journey through WWII. The collection covers the time frame of the start of the 508th PIR at Camp Blanding Florida to the final victory and occupation at the end of the war. As an officer in Regimental Headquarters Company, Lt. George L. Gurwell was assigned to send on the personal effects of soldiers that had been wounded or killed in action. As such he had the opportunity and desire to ship personal materials home such as Jeane’s “old” letters that few enlisted men or officers had. This war-long correspondence provides a glimpse of the give and take between a paratrooper officer and his wife. Our biggest surprise was the number of letters George wrote reporting what we now know as PTSD symptoms after he was wounded on D-Day. In addition, a group letter containing 48 letters of other officer wives give a unique picture of life on the homefront for paratrooper wives, especially the letters from 11 of the women who lost their husbands in battle.
