What the Central Indiana Writers’ Association had to say about the book.
CMSgt (ret.) George J. Matta Jr. is the son of the subject of this book and collaborated with his father in the writing of it. He graduated early from high school and joined the Air Force at the age of 17.
He is a Vietnam-era veteran who also served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. George Jr. rose to the highest enlisted rank of CMSgt, served three overseas tours, and retired after a 20-year career. While in the service, he attained three college degrees related to the computer field, including an MBA in Computer Science Technology.
His father dreamed of writing the story of himself and his fellow POWs. But he was convinced that his lack of formal education made him unqualified because he dropped out of school during the Great Depression, as a 6th grader, to help support his family.
George Jr. considers himself the “as told to” co-author. He organized the stories and bits of stories his father had handwritten. Some memories were contained in single sentences on scraps of paper, others in full paragraphs. His parents also kept newspaper and magazine articles, as well as military papers gathered over the years.
George Jr. fleshed out the details through many lengthy conversations with his father. His research also included the transcript of detailed testimony his father and fellow POWs made to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Korean War Atrocities in 1953.
The book reflects what my father wanted to share with the world. The men and women who served in Korea have been referred to as the Forgotten People of the Forgotten War.
Let’s prove this wrong.
George Jr. is currently writing a second book about what it was like for the families of POWs and MIAs.