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MWSA Review
Berkshire Heroes in WWII: with Courage and Honor by Dennis G. Pregent tells the stories of 26 men and 2 women who all are associated with 3 Berkshire towns at some point in their lives. All played significant roles in various branches of the service during WWII and were involved with most of the major WWII battles. Each story begins with the hero’s family, then describes their military service as well as details about their specialties. For example, communication specialists who support artillery units used sound ranging to figure out where the shelling was coming from. Then each story describes the hero’s life after military service. In most cases, they contributed significantly to their communities. In one case. A Seabee machinist’s mate who was quite an entrepreneur built a retirement village in the 1950s with “a giant water display … featuring over two hundred colored lights and hundreds of water jets that shot water ten stories in the air.” (pp 281-2). This over 40 years before Bellagio in Las Vega.
Each of the 28 stories is told separately and divided by the three towns: Adams/Chesire, North Adams, and Williamstown. Each section has its heroes listed alphabetically by last name. In the cases of brothers or a married couple, their stories are in the same “chapter” but the people are listed individually. So, for example, Charles and George Haley are listed separately in the Table of Contents, but both are covered in the same story.
There is a wide range of positions in these stories: artilleryman, bombardier, communications, fighter pilot, gunner, infantryman, machinist mate, navigator, nurse, paratrooper, radar operator, radioman, rifleman, tail gunner, truck driver. One of the nurses was a combat nurse who also had training in neurosurgery; the other was a psychiatric charge nurse. There is also a wide range of geography: Africa, Sicily, over the Himalayas, across the Pacific. They were involved in battles of Normandy, the Bulge, Okinawa, and Peleliu. There are many personal photos included.
This book is best read over a period of time so that each story can be savored. The book is rich in details and will not disappoint those interested in the reality of WWII. The author’s summary states it well: “… it is a testimony to the uncommon valor of ordinary men and women responding to their country’s call – with courage and honor.”
Review by Nancy Kauffman (May 2025)
Author's Synopsis
Berkshire Heroes in WWII- With Courage and Honor chronicles the harrowing stories of twenty-eight men and women who endured some of World War II's most dire conditions. They served from Africa to Sicily, over the Himalayas, and across the vast expanse of the Pacific and found themselves in the consequential battles of Normandy, the Bulge, Okinawa, and Peleliu.
The reader will meet a paratrooper, a PT boat radioman, combat nurses, bombardiers, artillerymen, a tail gunner, and others.
The book is a testimony to the uncommon valor of ordinary men and women who answered their country's call.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 392
Word Count: 104,000