Why I Wasn't There

About the Book

Howard Pierson joined the US Army Air Corps to defend America against the intended exterminators of Europe’s Jews. However, he flunked navigation school and then repaired heavy-bomber machine guns. After the peace, he edited a GI newspaper in Germany, reported on trials of war criminals, and helped refugees. Decades later, he discovered to his surprise that his washout as a navigator was a “dirty trick” that a military intelligence officer had perpetrated in defiance of orders from Washington. The McCarthy era had begun early.

About the Author

After his World War II service in the US Army Air Corps, Howard Pierson worked as a journalist and then was able to earn an MA in English and education, thanks to the GI Bill, one of several acts of Congress supported by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt for the purpose of helping veterans to return to civilian life and become successful citizens. He taught in New York City and Long Island schools, rising to chairman, dean, and principal. He then wrote a dissertation on a controlled experiment in teaching writing and completed the requirements for a Ph. D. degree. He also was an instructor and associate professor in literature and composition at several colleges. Prentice-Hall issued his book Teaching Writing in the 1970s, and he had a number of articles published in professional journals. After becoming a civilian again, Howard married a young woman who had come here from Poland with her family as a child; her many other kin were later murdered by Nazis during the war. The Piersons have two grown children, one a director of services for those with impaired vision, the other an elder care manager. In retirement, he studies birds and participates in the Nature Conservancy and a local Audubon society. He also edits a newsletter for retired school administrators and supervisors.