Go Back

 

Judge Welke Announces Book Focused On Battle Of Bulge

    “It’s a labor of love.”
    Fifth Circuit judge and Eustis resident Brian Welke has announced the release of an expansive recounting of the 423rd Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division’s experience during and after the Battle of the Bulge.  The book, ‘Boys, Just Boys:  Biography of a WWII Infantry Regiment’ offers over 600 pages of the toil, and sometimes terror, experienced by those in the famous battle, at least two of which had Lake County ties.
    Welke’s interest in history caused him to cross paths with Eustis resident and veteran Fred Parks in 2011.  Parks was a survivor of the Battle of Bulge, and a subsequent stint as a prisoner of war, and noted to Welke that a book recounting part of his experience contained a factual inaccuracy.  Welke took an interest in Parks’ story, opening the door to years of broader research that led to the new book.
    “Truly, the book is for all the men of the 106th and their families,” said Welke this week.  Indeed, the book pulls from private accounts from soldiers, eyewitness reflections, and more to weave a comprehensive telling of the 423rd’s experience, including that of John Webb, who was from Umatilla and died at the battle. The book also includes dozens of photos of soldiers, their families, and life during deployment.
    The name of the book is drawn from a saying noting the youth of many of the people in the regiment. Originally enlisted into an engineering program, boys as young as 17 were later reassigned to infantry.  While they were training for war, the men were known to reflect that at their age, they were still ‘boys, just boys’.
    Included in the group was noted American author Kurt Vonnegut, whose stint as a prisoner of war after the battle led to his writing of the novel ‘Slaughterhouse-Five.’
    ‘Boys, Just Boys’ is available at major book retailers and carries a list price of $34.95.