Veterans Recount Tales of Romance and Adventure in Two Wars and Beyond

March 30, 2011 - PRLog -- As Time Goes By, a new book by George Eddy and Lewis O’Rourke, brings readers true tales of romance and adventure as lived by two veterans.

The pair met as residents of an assisted living facility in San Francisco and decided to combine their talents in this memoir than spans nearly a century. In addition to war stories, each author tells his personal tales of women and family and civilian life in various cities and endeavors.

Part of the Greatest Generation, Eddy, now 90 years old, shares tales of his early days in the Chicago area during the Depression and his adventures after volunteering on December 8, 1941, as an Aviation Cadet for Northwestern's "Flying Wildcats" squadron. Graduating as an Ensign and Naval Aviator, he first instructed dozens of young pilots, then was trained to map Japan off a carrier in a souped-up Corsair Fighter.

Eddy also recounts his romantic wartime romance with his wife of 67 years, along with their sailing adventures, including a trip to Castro’s Cuba.

This is the fourth book that Eddy has written and published since retiring from an active career that included serving as publisher of Sailing World magazine for The New York Times.

"After retiring," says Eddy, "writing became a way to share my rather unusual life with family and friends. But I've found that many others enjoy relating to the adventures I've had. And, I’d like to point out that my newest book was published before President Obama appeared on the Oscar’s awards show citing 'As Time Goes By' from the classic film Casablanca as his favorite song from the movies!”

His fellow author, Lewis O'Rourke, now 75, is a graduate of UCLA and the California culture of the Beach Boys. He chose the military as his first career, and in the book he tells of his unusual duties in post-war Germany and his two exciting tours as a Reserve Colonel in Vietnam.

After this war, O'Rourke earned a law degree on the GI Bill of Rights, which eventually led to a career as a Subcontracts Manager with the giant Bechtel construction company. Now he is settling into a new career as a writer, spinning stories of his fascinating life.

As Time Goes By, written by George Eddy and Lewis O’Rourke, is available at www.Amazon.com.