1,271 Days a Soldier Details the First-Hand Experiences of Colonel H. E. Gardiner During the Second World War

Jillian Murphy
706-864-1556
jillian.murphy@ung.edu

• 1,271 Days a Soldier is the journal record of Gardiner’s military experiences over four years
• The book features previously unpublished photographs from the Gardiner family collection.

Dahlonega, GA—The University of North Georgia (UNG) Press is pleased to announce our latest AUSA Book Program title: 1,271 Days a Soldier: The Diaries and Letters of Colonel H. E. Gardiner as an Armor Officer in World War II, releasing January 19, 2021.

1,271 Days a Soldier is one soldier’s record of the Second World War. Henry E. Gardiner’s collection recalls the first-hand experiences of an operational level ranking officer from the prelude of war to fighting in the African and European theaters, from the shock of the initial volley of violence during the December 7, 1941, Day of Infamy radio broadcast to the final days of the war while operating on the soft underbelly of Hitler’s Europe. 1,271 Days a Soldier is written with all the emotion of someone who endured nearly four years of high-intensity conflict coupled with long periods of boredom and interjected with periods of frivolity. Detailed footnotes, photographs, and maps throughout the diary provide context for each journal entry so readers and historians gain a better appreciation of the full spectrum of war that was unfolding at any given time in the work.

Editor Colonel Dominic Caraccilo (Ret.) culminated a 27-year career as the Deputy Commander of the 101st Airborne Division. His 65 months of combat during multiple deployments included Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Kosovo, and a series of deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Caraccilo’s other works include Achieving Victory in Iraq: Countering an Insurgency (Stackpole Books, 2008), Beyond Guns and Steel: A War Termination Strategy (PSI, 2011), and Forging a Special Operations Force: The US Army Rangers (Helion & Company, 2015).

H. E. Gardiner was called to active duty on November 25, 1940, when Troop “C” of the 106th Cavalry was inducted into Federal Service. He served as a battalion commander and regimental executive officer until his discharge at the rank of colonel in October 1945. In February 1943, then-Lieutenant Colonel Gardiner was awarded the nation’s second highest combat award, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).

As partner to the AUSA Book Program, the UNG Press will aid AUSA’s educational mission by producing high-quality books addressing such subjects as military land power and land warfare history, technology, combat, and strategy and tactics. This curated collection will serve to help and educate members of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, the AUSA, U.S. government officials, and the general public. To further these goals, AUSA will promote these titles by linking them to AUSA’s website, listing them in AUSA publications as a member benefit, and reviewing them in ARMY magazine or other AUSA publications.

1,271 Days a Soldier (978-1-940771-82-3) costs $24.99 and is a 6-by-9-inch perfect-bound paperback. Wholesalers can purchase copies from Ingram; individuals can purchase copies from their favorite independent bookstore and other major retailers. More details can be found at the UNG Press’s website. The UNG Press is a scholarly, peer-reviewed press that serves as an extension of our sponsoring university, the University of North Georgia. Our primary function is to promote education and research with a special emphasis on innovative scholarship and pedagogy. Through our partnership with Affordable Learning Georgia and eCore, the UNG Press is the leading press in Georgia for producing Open Educational Resources and Open Textbooks.