Veterans book includes Sandusky man's combat memories

SANDUSKY — A new book that covers American history through the stories of 26 military veterans includes the story of a veteran from Sandusky who survived Japanese suicide bombing attacks in World War II. "Learning to Live from Those Willing to Die," is written by retired Navy Capt. David E. Grogan, a native of northern Ohio. The just-released book is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and as an ebook, and signed copies can be ordered from the author's website, davidegrogan.com. The book includes the memories of Sandusky resident Ed Collins, who served in the Navy on board the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30). He participated in every major Navy battle in the Pacific from 1944 to 1945. The book states that from his duty station on the flight deck, he watched Japanese kamikaze attacks unfold against his ship. Collins turned 100 earlier this year. Describing the dangers Collins faced in combat, Grogan's blog explains, "During April 1945 in operations supporting the Marines landing on Okinawa, Ed remembers a kamikaze heading for the ship until it was hit by the ship's anti-aircraft fire at the last minute, shooting off a wing. The plane missed the ship by only fifty feet, exploding as it hit the water. Debris from the kamikaze landed on the flight deck and had to be removed to allow air operations to continue." The blog post adds, "On another occasion, Ed was sitting in his assigned F6F Hellcat just after it had been spotted to its position on the flight deck when another plane made a hard landing and crashed into the parked planes. The ensuing chain of collisions started to push Ed's plane over the side of the ship. Luckily, the wing of Ed's plane lodged against a gun mount, preventing the plane and Ed from plummeting into the sea. Miraculously, Ed walked away from the incident uninjured." Although he did not know him at the time, one of the other men serving on the San Jacinto was George H.W. Bush, a young torpedo bomber pilot who was shot down in one of his missions but was safely rescued. Bush later became a U.S. president and posed for a photo with Collins at a 1998 reunion of the San Jacinto's crew. Originally a native of West Virginia, Collins came to Sandusky after his discharge; his family had moved to Sandusky during the war. Collins helped build the New Departure ball bearing plant and then worked there. The book features the stories of five World War II veterans, 13 Vietnam War veterans, two Desert Storm veterans, three Iraq War veterans and three Cold War veterans. Four of the veterans are women and 22 are men. "I'm passionate about preserving veterans' stories so the lessons of their lives are not lost," Grogan said. All Amazon author royalties for the book will be donated to America's VetDogs, a veteran-focused charity that trains and places guide and service dogs with veterans and first responders with disabilities completely free of charge. Grogan has been interviewing veterans and publishing their stories through his Voices to Veterans blog since 2017. He now lives in Savoy, Illinois, but he grew up in Olmsted Falls near Cleveland before going to college and starting his Navy career.