Owasso Author Writes Unique Book About World War II

Some experts predict in another five years, there will be very few World War II veterans surviving.

An Owasso Author is on a mission to make sure their story is told with a unique new book. It's called "In the footsteps of Valor."

It's been said every person has at least one good book in them. Henry Bodden, who has worked in the grocery business and property management, never really thought much about it. Then, a new chapter was written in his life.

"It wasn't work at all. It was something I thoroughly enjoyed," Bodden said.

Bodden has always enjoyed travel, photography and history. A developed love of research and writing led to a new book about World War II called "In the Footsteps of Valor."

"They're all condensed, short stories. It's not laborious reading," Bodden said.

In the Footsteps of Valor is a book 18 years in the making. Bodden has always taken a lot of pictures while traveling worldwide to historic World War II military sites.

When he heard personal firsthand accounts from veterans of the Bataan death march, and Iwo Jima, he decided to put his photos, their stories, and more into book.

"We just can't forget these guys. Because we owe them so much," he said.

In the footsteps of valor has 700 pictures. Some from the national archives, others Bodden took personally from the exact same vantage point, during trips to Europe and the Pacific. He looked at 5,000 national archive photos, and did countless hours of research.

"I'm not a computer person. I just discovered email six months ago. But I love Google, I love research and I can do that and that's how I wrote the book," he explained.

Bodden says in 1942, Germany and Japan occupied two thirds of the entire world. The world would be a much different place, if the greatest generation hadn't stepped in to make a difference.

Bodden says it's a story that needs to be told and shown and what prompted him to become an author for the first time.

"That's what I want to do with my book is to keep their story alive and in front of the public," Henry Bodden said.

The book is only for sale on Bodden's web page. In the Footsteps of Valor is mostly about World War II, but there's also a section about Bodden witnessing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.