After 10 years of research and writing, C. James Quann, WSU registrar emeritus and coordinator of veterans research, is finally telling the heroic stories of WSU veterans.
Quann’s new book, titled “WSU Military Veterans: Heroes and Legends,” recounts stories of WWII, Vietnam, Korean and Persian Gulf war soldiers with strong ties to WSU. His research took him all over the country as he tracked down veterans with stories to tell.
“There were numerous accounts of heroism on the part of WSU Cougars,” Quann said during his book reading on Oct. 14 at the New Holland Library.
Quann has been interested in veteran recognition for years. He was a leader in the construction of the WSU Veteran’s Memorial, which was completed in 2000.
During his time at WSU, Quann took the stories he heard around campus and stored them in his memory bank. Ten years ago, around the time of the 50th anniversary of D-Day, he recognized the stories needed to be recorded.
While Quann successfully recorded stories of 39 veterans, he knows there are more stories he missed. Quann urges people with stories of WSU veterans to contact the Veteran’s Affairs Office so their histories may be recorded in the future.
The book is on sale at the Bookie for $26.95, where there are several signed copies available for purchase. Transcripts of the 39 interviews can be found at the Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections area of the New Holland Library.
