America's Legacy of Great Courage

About the Book

America’s sixteen years of Depression and Wars… Lieutenant Del Duckworth covers the time period of the Great Depression and World War II. He writes about the cause of the Depression and its effect on the people of that time. Lt. Duckworth shares personal stories about how people lived and suffered during these twelve long years, the last two leading up to World War II.

The cause of World War II and the character of Adolph Hitler and the German people are explored in America’s Legacy of Courage. The ground war and air war stories are told to express the personal trials of the infantrymen and the pilots. Stories of fighter pilot training and two original poems add a personal touch. Florida State University has recently included America’s Legacy of Courage as part of the Tom Brokaw Collection at their Institute on World War II and the Human Experience. The Institute will enable students, teachers, and researchers to broaden their knowledge and understanding of this important period in time. The National D-Day Memorial Foundation of Bedford, Virginia is using America’s Legacy of Courage to educate students who attend their history classes. Lt. Duckworth grew to adulthood during the Great Depression. He attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana on a baseball scholarship and left college in his junior year to enlist in the Army Air Force. He took pilot officer training in World War II and graduated as a Fighter Pilot Officer (single engine). After the war, Lt. Duckworth played professional baseball for three years. His best year was in Durham, N.C. Following Minor League Baseball, he had a long career in the personal insurance business, training agents and building clientele. Lt. Duckworth lived in Kendall, Florida for 46 years. He coached Junior Legion Baseball for nine years. Four of his players reached the Major Leagues.

Lt. Duckworth is humbly grateful for an intelligent and gracious wife. He has been happily married to his high school sweetheart for 58 years, and has four daughters and eleven grandchildren. Three of his four daughters and one granddaughter are graduates of Florida State University. Now a resident of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, Lt. Duckworth is a member of St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington, Florida and the Kiwanis Club of West Palm Beach, Florida.

About the Author

Lt. Del Duckworth grew to adulthood during the Great Depression. He attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, on a baseball scholarship and left college in his junior year to enlist in the Army Air force. He took pilot officer training in World War II and graduated as a fighter pilot officer (single engine). After the war, Lieutenant Duckworth played professional baseball for three years. Following minor league baseball, he had a long career in the personal insurance business, training agents and building clientele. He went on to coach the Junior Legion for nine years. Four of his players reached the major leagues. Lieutenant Duckworth has lived in Florida for almost 53 years. Now a resident of Niceville, Florida, he is a member of the Kiwanis, Presbyterian Church, Officers Association, American Legion Post 12, and is past President of the Coral Gables Kiwanis Club. He as been married to his high school and college sweetheart for 60 years and has four daughters and eleven grandchildren.