When he was growing up, Kenneth Tucker dreamed of flying airplanes. Years later, after retiring from teaching, his daughter, Wanda Tucker Goodwin, had dreams of becoming a writer. This week, Goodwin's dream came true with the release of a memoir of how her father's dream evolved some six decades ago. Father and daughter have collaborated on "Last Roll Call," a 184-page paperback chocked full of vintage photographs of Tucker's adventures as a tailgunner on a B-17 bomber flying out of Italy during World War II.
Together they were able to combine Tucker's detailed recollections with his daughter's loving capture of her 84-year-old dad's humor and insight. Before attempting the writing process, they pored over every memoir they could find that had been written by bomber crew members, especially gunners. But they often found them tedious and dull, overloaded with minutia and obscure details. Goodwin told her father, "Dad, we're not going to write another boring memoir." But, when Goodwin tried to liven things up a bit, Tucker refused to compromise when it came time to author his story. Still, the result is a compelling story told with the enthusiasm of a teenager transformed by loyalty and respect.
Excerpt from the Panama City News Herald - Monday, November 2, 2009 - by David Adlerstein
I always felt that I had a story to tell. One of my first objectives was to emphasize the role of the 15th Air Force in ending the war. In doing so, I did not want to take away any of the glory given to the 8th Air Force out of England because they certainly deserved all the credit they received. I did, however, want to inform readers that the 15th Air Force out of Italy played a huge role in ending the war in Europe by concentrating bombing runs on the German's petroleum supply. I have always believed that the accomplishments of the 15th were overshadowed by the huge amount of publicity given the 8th by the war correspondents and touring dignitaries who would never have set foot in the pitiful environment we lived in.
My story isn't just about me; its about my crew. Without them, I wouldn't have a story to tell. By getting to know the members of just one bomber crew, I can only hope that readers will come to understand and appreciate the sacrafices that so many thousands of young men made for our country.
When this book is published, my daughter and I plan to attempt to locate the children of some of my crew. I would especially like to find the families of our pilot, Louis Dunigan and our flight engineer, Clyde Dwight. These two characters certainly provided me with lots of quality material for "Last Roll Call." What a thrill it would be for me to personally present their children a copy of the book in honor of their fathers.
Ken Tucker