Seventy years ago, with memories of World War II still fresh, Americans found themselves drawn into a new war, this one against communism. The war in Korea and Mc Carthyism at home meant that young men coming of age in the 1950s and 60s were called upon to serve their country. Ten authors look back on their formative years in the fifties and find moments of fear and frustration, but also rebellion and good fun. After fulfilling their military obligations, these men went on to have diverse experiences in a variety of fields-from the Foreign Service to commercial aviation, academia, architecture, business, finance, management, and the law.
Three additional authors offer an international perspective on those years. They grew up in Switzerland with war-time scarcity and conservative values and came to embrace the social movements in Europe in the sixties, especially the increasing rights of women.
The thirteen authors in this anthology paint a vibrant picture of the forties, fifties, and beyond. They faced similar experiences, but their unique sets of ideas and talents led them down remarkably different paths. Growing up in the shadow of World War II, these authors understood the costs of war from an early age. Each one went on to contribute meaningfully to their countries and did their part to promote not just freedom and democracy, but friendship, peace, and understanding.
The anthology includes personal essays by: Ed Nef, Paul Doherty, George Proctor, Mike Dow, John Arnold, Gary Cunningham, Doug Hartley,
George S.K. Rider, William (Billy) Ming Sing Lee, Steve Young, Robert Nef, Maja Nef, and Erica Kuster-Nef.
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About Ed Nef
Born in New York City to a Swiss father and a Polish mother, Ed Nef grew up immersed in multiple languages and cultures. After a two-year detour to Stuttgart, Germany, with the US Army, Ed entered the US Foreign Service in 1959.
Starting in Dakar, Senegal, as an economic officer, his assignments took him to Guatemala, Colombia, and Canada. Breaking up his State Department tours were two stints with the new US Peace Corps. In 1976, Ed won a State Department Congressional Fellowship to work on Capitol Hill, which led to a permanent position as legislative director for Senator Max Baucus of Montana.
A career in the rigid and bureaucratic State Department and years in the hectic world of politics left Ed wanting to create something of his own. He found a promising opportunity in the ‘businesses for sale’ section of The Washington Post: a foreign language school. Ed bought the school and turned it into the largest independent language school in the Washington, DC area. Eventually, Ed opened English language schools in Japan, Mongolia, and Vietnam.
His fascination with the countries he visited-and a knack for the visual arts-led him into the world of documentary film production. He produced films on topics ranging from the post-war relationship between the US and Vietnam to the rights of women in Senegal and the mining industry in Mongolia.
In one last great adventure, Ed began a family foundation, The Ed Nef Foundation, to support worthy projects around the world. His latest effort is providing prosthetics to seriously disabled Mongolian individuals.
In the midst of his eclectic professional life, Ed managed to squeeze in another half a career as a flight instructor. Today, he lives with his wife, Elizabeth, in Northern Virginia. They have three daughters and four grandchildren.
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