Rona Simmons - A Gathering of Men

PRAISE FOR

A GATHERING OF MEN

Rona Simmonss writing is a vehicle of time travel, taking us back to the senses and places of 1940s North Carolina and the battles of WWII. Vivid, beautiful and heartbreaking, A Gathering of Men is a tale of three boys who fulfill their most desired dreams while facing their most horrifying fears. With meticulous research, Simmons weaves fact and fiction into a compelling story of heart, bravery and sacrifice. For fans of Kristin Harmel and Pam Jenoff, A Gathering of Men enthralls and captivates.

Patti Callahan Henry, author of Surviving Savannah , co-creator of Friends & Fiction

Rona Simmons has written a powerhouse of a novel, combining the hearts and bonds of men at war with exquisite technical accuracy that reads like lightning from a rifle barrel. A Gathering Of Men is a sweeping epic that will keep you breathless while leaving no heartstring un-pulled. If youre looking for an ace in the genre of historical fiction, then Simmons is by far your huckleberry.

Brian Panowich, best-selling author of Bull Mountain and Hard Cash Valley

A Gathering of Men is reality shrouded in fiction, an uncommon perspective (of the unsung ground crews) and rarely discussed effects of flying their seemingly unending missions.

Michael P. Faley, 100th Bomb Group and Eighth Air Force historian

In A Gathering of Men Rona Simmons has not only well researched the details of serving in the Mighty Eighth Air Force during WWII but also accurately captured the (so often neglected) human element of serving and flying in combat. The feelings that tug at your heartlike missing home, dreaming of romance with someone left behind, like the brotherhood developed from serving together in combat or facing the uncertainty of the future and possible mortality, and questioning your own courageare all thoughts a soldier must deal with while a world away from home. Simmonss writing brought back many of the feelings I experienced in my deployments. Job well done.

Col. Brent E. Bracewell, US Army (ret.), Board of Trustees, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force

A Gathering of Men follows the lives of three best friends and their shared love of aviationfrom their first flight as children to their service in WWII and beyond. This is an absorbing read that conveys the horrors of that war and the losses that lingered far beyond the battlefield. Simmons does a beautiful job in telling this important story.

Lauretta Hannon, author of The Cracker QueenA Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life

This compelling story by Rona Simmons is a glorious tribute to the men of the 100th Bomb Group, whose sacrifice and heroism at great personal cost resonates vividly across the decades.

Robert J. Mrazek, award-winning author of T he Indomitable Florence Finch: The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs .

Rona Simmonss masterpiece, A Gathering of Men , captured me from the first paragraph and enthralled me until the last. I literally couldnt put down this gripping book from start to finish. A beautifully written powerhouse of a story that transports the reader on an emotional journey with three childhood friends who, together, brave the ravages of war. The exquisite prose propels the story and brings the characters to life. This book transcends genres and will be treasured by anyone who appreciates top-quality literature.

Sandra Stosz, Vice Admiral, US Coast Guard (ret.), author of Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters

My uncle, Leonard Coleman, was the copilot of the crew whose story Rona Simmons tells in A Gathering of Men . All of the men went through a hell that we cannot comprehend, but Simmonss book brings their experience and especially the camaraderie between the men in the face of those odds to life. This is a very good book!

Leonard Aubert, nephew of Lt. Leonard F. Coleman, copilot, 100th Bomb Group

Rona Simmons sets her fine novel within one of the most storied real-life units of World War II. The 100th Bomb Group faced some of the fiercest air combat over Europe, earning the nickname the Bloody Hundredth. A Gathering of Men brilliantly depicts the motivation, dedication, and sacrifice of these gallant crews.

Tom Young, author of Silver Wings, Iron Cross and Red Burning Sky

A Gathering of Men

by Rona Simmons

Copyright 2022 Rona Simmons

ISBN 978-1-64663-584-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021913191

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters are both actual and fictitious. With the exception of verified historical events and persons, all incidents, descriptions, dialogue and opinions expressed are the products of the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real.

Review Copy: This is an advanced printing subject to corrections and revisions.

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To the 7,000 who served with the

100th Bomb Group in the air or on the ground.

To the two men named Harry Bethea

who wore their silver wings proudly.

And to Terry Kay.

AUTHORS NOTE

A t one time, he worked as a journalistsomeone who, as they said, had a nose for news or a story. And when he took a seat opposite me, the scent of ink, paper, and book bindings drifted like dust sparkles then settled on our heads and our shoulders and the table. Anyone who has spent cherished moments deep in the stacks of a library or bookstore or who has run the tips of their fingers across the cover of a book before turning to the first page would find the scent unmistakable.

This day, Terry Kay and I sat, sipped coffee, and talked of writing and publishing and books. Books past and present and to be. His books, revered by a legion of fans, and mine, which by comparison find their place on but a shelf or two. Still, he preferred to hear of my books, because that was his manner. And so, I babbled on and on and the dialogue went where it would and eventually to a storya true storypeopled by real people, set in a real place, and capped with an extraordinary turn of events.

I finished and turned to my now tepid coffee when he, without hesitation, said, That is your next book. Go tell that story.

This is that next book. This is that story. A true story, told as it must be told with a soupon of what he would call (and I pray for forgiveness as I borrow his word) a bit of fancy.

That fancy, or imagination, extends to what may have occurred on one of the devastating flights of the infamous 100th Bomb Group and to who might have said the words of dialogue on these pages. But the major characters are authentic, in some instances the combined lives of people I have interviewed or whose stories I have read. To honor all those who served in the 100th Bomb Group, I have named many of the characters for men and women who served in the group. Brief notes about those individuals are included at the back of the book.