A Gathering of Men Quotes

“They were said to be suffering from battle or combat fatigue, or being “flak happy,” a condition we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Most recovered from the stress when removed from combat. Some, however, carried it with them the rest of their lives.”
― Rona Simmons, A Gathering of Men

“And this is their story. One of boys becoming men and waking to the prospects of life. One of flight. Of breaking ties to the earth and gliding over the hills of western North Carolina and over cities with unfamiliar names, like Schweinfurt and Regensburg, and through skies thick with flak. Of touching the clouds, the moon, and the stars. One of enduring friendship, duty, and honor.”
― Rona Simmons, A Gathering of Men

“At day’s end, when released from their chores, they fastened earmuffs under their chins, stole their mothers’ scarves to wind around their necks, and boarded wheeled vehicles they had fashioned from crates and boxes. Without engines or wings, the contraptions were earthbound, but, as they bumped their way downhill, the summer air breezed past the boys’ sky-angled faces, and if they dared close their eyes, they swore the crates took flight.”
― Rona Simmons, A Gathering of Men