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Gregory A. Freeman is an award-winning writer with more than 25 years experience in journalism and nonfiction. Known for writing narrative nonfiction that makes a true story read like a gripping, fast paced novel. Freeman's books include The Gathering Wind: Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea; The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys; Troubled Water: Race, Mutiny and Bravery on the USS Kitty Hawk; Fixing Hell; The Forgotten 500; and Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It. Freeman's work also appears in Reader's Digest, Rolling Stone, World War II, American History, and many other publications.
Freeman's books are scrupulously researched and entirely factual, yet they read more like novels because he weaves the personal stories of his subjects into a compelling narrative. Freeman has won more than a dozen awards for his writing, including the coveted Sigma Delta Chi Award for Excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists -- twice in five years.
World War II stretched across the globe – consuming all of Europe, Africa and the far reaches of the Pacific. When the United States was forced into the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor, American men and women responded dutifully to protect the United States and our way of life.
School teachers became bomber pilots, farmers became paratroopers, the bank manager found himself in the sands of northern Africa facing Rommel’s Panzer division, the shop owner from Iowa became the lieutenant charging up a mountain on a Pacific island he didn’t know existed a week earlier.
There are countless stories that exemplify those to whom this WWII monument memorializes. Join us for just one - that of Benjamin Lewis Salomon, a dentist, who at 29 years old found himself in one of the most brutal battles of the Pacific, 8 days after D-Day, on the tiny island of Saipan.
BOOKS BY GREGORY A. FREEMAN
The Forgotten 500:The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II (2008)
"“A literary and journalistic achievement of the highest order, a book that illuminates, thrills, and reminds us that heroes sometimes do live among us. It will take your breath away.”—Gregg Olsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Deep Dark
"Greg Freeman has written a riveting account of the greatest escape during World War II. It is a remarkable adventure story of courage and daring that is superbly told.”—Anthony C. Zinni, General USMC (Retired)
The Gathering Wind: Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea (2014)
The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys (2012):
"The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys is the gripping and insightful story of the Wham Bam crews first and last combat mission. Meticulously researched and masterfully written, Gregory Freeman expertly weaves the history of the crew with the historic events that followed after they were shot down and captured. This is a fascinating and engrossing book that will be read for many decades."— Brigadier General Don Harvel, Deputy Commander, Texas Air National Guard
“Even though the U.S. government continues to deny it, Gregory Freeman has dug out the true hidden story of the first mutiny in the history of the U.S. Navy. You'll enjoy this high seas thriller.” ―James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, and The Imperial Cruise
Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It (2004):
Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib
Co-Authored with Larry C. James
Lay This Body Down: The 1921 Murders of Eleven Plantation Slaves (2002)
"A horrifying tale of the Old South. . . . Freeman walks the reader though the eleven murders and their aftermath with cool detachment. The book is scrupulously researched, with an eye for the telling detail. A good true-crime story, with far-reaching implications.” —Kirkus Reviews