According to the novel’s fictional premise, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt created a covert unit to aid in the British prosecution of the war in 1939. The unit was a R.O.O.R.D. unit, the acronym standing for “ Reconnoitering, Observation, Opposition Resources, Destruction.” It was funded by America and staffed by Americans recruited to serve under Churchill’s direction. The Americans soon redefined the ROORD. acronym to stand for The Royal Order of Rubber Ducks. They named their seven B-25 Mitchell aircraft accordingly — for example, Rubber Ducky, Duck Butt, Duck and Cover, etc. Only two of the planes survived the war. This free event by ‘Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is co-sponsored by the Seattle Public Library and will take place Thursday, January 9th at 6 PM at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 9010 35th Ave. SW in West Seattle.
The three authors: writer Rodger Pettihord, taught English to members of the military overseas and was a Presbyterian pastor; Jim Rubin, a retired Army warrant officer and military historian; and David Ward, a retired military and airline pilot worked together on the stories that wound up as this book. Rubin provided technical research and Ward oversaw flight authenticity. The three men are good friends and say their book was written for anyone who enjoys a good story but the story has also become a labor of love as they wrote about the WWII generation. All three men had family in that conflict, and all have friends from that generation of the military. The authors wanted to end up thinking of these stories as a good read and a tribute to those who were there.
Covering the years 1939-1946, the novel engages the major events of the European Theater of World War II. In that sense, it is the story of the war itself. Readers will finish the novel with a heightened picture of the war’s arc but the novel also engages the realities of service in that war. If the major events of the war form the skeleton of the novel, the individual stories provide its heart and soul.
The novel does not paint the European Theater in simple black and white colors — Nazi brutality and barbarism are confronted with no assuagement, but German bravery and honor are also acknowledged. While the novel joins history in condemning all things Nazi, it also joins in the postwar desire to recognize those Germans who refused to wear lock-stepped jack-boots and instead tried their best to remain human.
‘Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories’ presentations are scheduled for the Second Thursday of each month at 6 PM at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library. Next month on February 13th, Alki resident and historian, Phil Hoffman, will provide a provocative presentation on Alki’s earliest days.
You can catch previous WW&SWS programs on our YouTube Channel
