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The Kid From The 313th: My Boyhood Years From The Streets Of Chicago To D-Day Plus 8

by Jim and Dorothy O'Neil

273 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #06-0451; ISBN 1-4120-8695-7; US$21.95, C$25.24, EUR17.11, £11.34

The remarkable memories of a runaway boy from the streets of Chicago who joined the army at age 14 and fought with the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division throughout WWII.

About the Book

A true story about an extraordinary time in history from the remarkable memory of a boy who was there. Jimmy O'Neil experienced both the Great Depression and the Greatest War ever fought. Written in his own words by his wife, Dorothy, it is the story of an orphan boy who found a family with the men of the 313th, his recollections of some of those men, some who lived and some who died, and how his experiences affected the rest of his life.

It begins with his memories of growing up in a tough Irish Catholic neighborhood in Chicago, St. Joseph 's Home for the Friendless, St. Mary's Training School, and the farms of rural Wisconsin and Iowa; how he joined the Army at the age of 14, and his experiences during World War II.

One of the youngest members of the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division, he fought under Field Marshall Montgomery, Commander of the 21st Army Group during the invasion of Normandy; General Bradley, Commander of the First Army; General Patton, Commander of the 3rd Army; General Patch of the 7th Army; and General Simpson of the 9th Army.

Wounded twice, he fought from D-Day plus 8 until the end of the war and describes his experiences during the Battles of Utah Beach, Cherbourg, Bloody Hill, the Forest of Parroy, Launeauville, Embermenil, Rosieres, Strasbourg, Hagenau, Bischwiller, Lauterberg, Soufflenheim and Riepertswiller; the Crossing of the Rhine; the Ruhr Valley Operation; the capture of Alfred Krupp; Kettwig, the last battle of the war; the surrender of Germany; the occupation and the Atom Bomb.

Reviews

"..There aren't enough adjectives for me to express how much I thought of your book: wonderful, amazing, very personal, sad and touching, masterfully written and very eloquent with vivid and meticulous descriptions. It had the right amount of everything and came across as a proud and patriotic story as told by a humble participant who found himself smack dab in the middle of the greatest invasion and war in all of history.  Steven Ambrose might not have written much about the 313th and the 79th, but you have preserved Jim's memories for all eternity.  Your book will be required reading for my children."

Joseph Sullivan, retired from the Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh PA
and son of a veteran from the 313th

"..Jim...I am reading your fabulous book and am absolutely in awe of how your descriptions of your early life, the army and the war so simply, but with tremendous impact, affect me. There are some parallels in our early lives, but your actions in A Co are inspiring; but still, you do not brag or call undue attention to yourself.  I hope you wrote it slowly, cause I am a slow reader (joke). I hope to finish it in a day or two, but it is going on my shelf of books to keep forever."

J.B. SIEGFRIED,
a fellow veteran of the 313th, Cannon Co.

".. This is one amazing book, something for all ages. First of all, how Jim could remember the details of his upbringing, and what challenges he overcame. Most of us would have given up at an early age. On top of that, his memory of war time experiences with his buddies was absolutely amazing. That coupled with Dorothy's ability to piece it all together, in an order that flows so well. It is a compelling read.This book is very well written, easy to follow, and a definite page turner."

Aileen Schacherer, PhD.

About the Authors

Jim O'Neil, a retired airplane mechanic, and his wife Dorothy have raised eight children, have twenty-four grandchildren, and have been married for thirty-nine years. They started writing down Jim's boyhood memories when they met Steven Ambrose, the author of D-Day and many other books, in Normandy at the 50th Anniversary of D-Day, but did not get it done in time to include them in Mr. Ambrose's book.

Jim, a runaway boy from Chicago, joined the Army at the age of 14 and was only 15 when his Infantry Regiment landed on Utah Beach. He took part in many campaigns throughout the war and received two Purple Hearts (a P.H. and Oak Leaf Cluster) and the Bronze Star among many others.

It took them ten years, with Dorothy writing whenever they had some quiet moments. Sometimes they wrote every day and sometimes months or a year would go by before they started again. After attending some reunions of the 313th Infantry Regiment, they were given a copy of The Cross of Lorraine, the History of the 79th Division. Dorothy was amazed that Jim had remembered all of the battles and almost all of the names of the small towns they had fought in, only getting some of the order of battle mixed up.

Realizing what an amazing memory he had, she was determined to document his experiences for their children, grandchildren and the men of the 313th, and began to put his memories into book form, trying to keep it in his own words as much as possible, and finally was able to publish what she calls her labor of love, The Kid From the 313th.

Excerpts