**This is an online purchase and it will be shipped to you. 
 
Letters to Home - New Prague’s Contribution to World War II, written by Tom Vanasek,
depicts an era when this community and the surrounding area all came together and sacrificed, some with their lives, to help overcome a common enemy.
 
During the war, the New Prague Times made sure any soldier who wanted to, received a copy of the paper no matter their location in the world. In turn, the soldiers would write letters to the paper indicating where they were stationed and insight as to their experiences. The paper would also extensively report on all the things people back home were doing to aid the war effort.

These letters and the commitment folks back home made to help ensure victory in the war are all chronicled in the book.
 
Local businesses would close, so they could help collect any scrap iron or other materials vital for the war effort. School children would raise enough money to buy a Jeep, gas for vehicles was rationed to 16 gallons per month. As the war dragged on, soldiers letter’s began describing combat experiences, and their longing to return home. But because of the newspaper, they could see the town fully supported them, which boosted their morale and kept them going.
 
If you have any connection to New Prague and its surrounding area, you will likely recognize many familiar names mentioned in the book. Over 800 names of service men and women, and those who ‘served from home’ are highlighted.
 
Those born in the Baby Boom Generation, were fortunate to grow up in an idyllic childhood setting that New Prague provided. But kids of that era had no concept whatsoever how different New Prague would have been just a decade or two earlier when their parent’s generation, the town and surrounding area endured the hardships of WWII.
 
This book sheds some light on that time, to remember and honor that generation, who by their common sacrifice helped shape the New Prague area ever since.