In the Author Spotlight:
Dan Oja,
Author of Ordinary Heroes

 

Since he was a child, author Dan Oja has heard the story of the Koski brothers and always felt they were very representative of "America's Greatest Generation." It soon became clear to him that if someone didn't document their story, it would soon be lost forever. In his new book, Ordinary Heroes, he tells the true story of one family, six brothers, and a world at war.

"At a certain point in our lives, I think all of us start to assess our own lives and what we have or have not accomplished," Dan explains. "I've accomplished some things in my life, but I'm at the age where it seems reasonably clear that I won't be doing anything of particular importance--at least I'm not going to cure cancer or bring peace to the mid-East. But I know some people who did participate in significant events--people like the Koski brothers and all the brave young men who fought and won World War II. During some of the darkest days of history, they literally saved the free world. I'm not going to save the world, but at least I was able to tell the story of some young men and a generation who did."

Telling this story became Dan's challenge. He spent many years on research and writing. "I believe I started initial research back in 2000 or maybe even 1999, mostly working on it during the summers," he says. "I would estimate that I spent about 18 months in research and preliminary outlining over a period of approximately 5 years."

That research included general WWII research and research into the specific experiences of the Koski brothers, including many interviews with the surviving brothers, family members, and veterans who served with them. "I was very fortunate in that I was able to obtain detailed unit histories for several of the outfits in the brothers served," says Dan. "I was also able to locate and interview many veterans who served with them. For example, for the brother who served with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division in Italy, I was able to locate and interview his squad sergeant, his platoon sergeant, and many veterans from his platoon and company."

That detailed information and first-person interviews made it possible to for Dan to reconstruct their experience in a very detailed and compelling manner. "It's difficult for us as civilians to fully appreciate what soldiers have to do," he explains, "but I believe that those who read this book will get a glimpse into the heart of the WWII generation, they'll get a glimpse of what it means to be a soldier."

During the course of his research, Dan collected numerous documents, photos, and video interviews that was eventually used in the documentary video and the multimedia digital versions of the book. " It's one thing to read about a battle--it's another thing entirely to read the chapter, then watch a video clip in which a veteran talks about that battle in his own words, he explains.

Ordinary Heroes isn't just the story of the six Koski brothers, it's the story of an entire generation, the story of America's fathers and uncles and grandfathers. "This is part of the story of America--who we are and where we came from," Dan says. "It was a book that needed to be written. It was a book that was worth writing. Of all the books we've written, this is probably the one book that people may still read in the future, long after we are gone."

Dan is married to June Jamrich Parsons and lives in St. Thomas, USVI with one dog. The two work together on college computer textbooks and related projects. In addition to writing, he spends quite a bit of time programming, developing computer software related to education or digital publishing. Dan would like to work on another historical non-fiction book at some point in the future, if the opportunity arises.

Ordinary Heroes: Six Stars in the Window is available as a printed book, but it's much more than a book. Each copy of the book includes a multimedia digital version of the book bound inside the front cover. That Book-On-CD combines the best features of books, video, and the Web, providing a very unique and compelling reading experience. A 28 minute documentary video to accompany the book is also available.

The book and DVD are available at http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/02556.htm.

For more information, visit the Web site www.sixstarsinthewindow.com

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