The new book Searching for John Dewitt is about how Dewitt's grandson and the writer of this work, Dr. John Chase, found 80 hidden letters that his grandfather wrote during World War I; and how these letters are representative of the honor and courage these soldiers exhibited during their time in battle. Throughout, readers are made a privy to the letters and Chase's analysis of the correspondences, and there is no doubt Dewitt reveres his family member, who indeed was a hero and deserves accolades; however, at the same time, Chase's deconstruction gets in the way of the emotional connection one can feel when reading the documents. Also, some photos of the actual letters would have enhanced the personal nature of what was being presented.

WW I seems to be the forgotten World War. Whether it is because that generation has left us or the media records were so ancient compared to our current standards, there are experiences and life-threatening situations that I could not imagine if I tried. Dr. Chase gave us the opportunity to see the war through the eyes of his grandfather, and the entire book felt like a lovely afternoon with a friend honoring the memory of that larger than life man. The book touches on the themes of what memories those before us take with them, and what a beautiful blessing it can be to find their thoughts and desires written down in their own words. A great testimony to journaling your life for those who come behind you.

Fantastic piece showing first hand experiences of the 20th Century's first great conflict. These personal accounts show the horrors of combat, the comraderie among soldiers and the dark side of politicians who believe war is a viable solution.

Really interesting and compelling. It feels like actually being in the trenches. The author really want all-in documenting this book, and It shows. Besines, the family connection makes It even more moving.

John Dewitt’s story is magnanimously one of the lost interesting and captivating that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC, very appreciated.

I found this book somewhat repetitive with numerous references to John H Taber's "The Story of the 16th Infantry" and Robb's "The Price of our Heritage". Much of the information was taken from American newspapers where, no doubt, it was written about more than in less partisan writings. This is one of many first-hand accounts from WWI but shows the pride of the author in his grandfather's memoirs.
My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

John Chase is the grandson of the title character, John DeWitt, and the love for his grandfather shines in every word written. Dr. Chase was bequeathed a stack of letters his grandfather had written home to Iowa during his front line service in World War One. John DeWitt wrote mostly to his mother and kept his missives generally upbeat and pleasant. We all know that the trenches of that war were anything but pleasant. And as a trench runner John DeWitt faced many extra challenges. Given the positive spin to the letters it took sleuthing to fill in the gaps. Dr. Chase used many resources to determine troop movements and actions encountered. It makes for a fascinating study of the Great War from an American who saw it firsthand.

Dr. Chase spends a fair amount of time setting the scenes of home, family, training and troop movements. None of it is groundbreaking but it isn’t meant to be. You get exactly what you’d expect, an accounting of the experiences of war by one who has been there. And you get the
Love of a grandson for his grandfather.

Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Please see my full review at Independent Book Review here: https://independentbookreview.com/2024/09/09/book-review-searching-for-john-dewitt/

This moving book describing a grandsons’ discovery of his grandfather’s World War I military service that was never talked about, is particularly poignant to me as I have still to discover my own grandfather’s service history in that same conflict. When the family discovered the bundles of letters that his grandfather wrote from the beginning of his journey to initial military training through to his hospitalization and return to the USA, this allowed a story to emerge of a short but remarkable experience of a country boy volunteering to go to war and enduring the trials and horrors of the trenches on the Western Front.
Like so many survivors of widespread conflicts, John De Witt did not talk about his experiences on his return, but the family knew he had been wounded and gassed as a ‘battalion runner’, one of the most dangerous roles in the front line with a short life expectancy. On his return, he had a period of recuperation before resuming his education and becoming a lawyer and it was during that time that the young grandson remembered him but was unaware of his time in France.
A very human story that allowed the family to understand John’s early life that made him the pillar of society he became.