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"Sacrifice Remembered"


GIKyle
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Since many should be getting Dave's new book "Sacrifice Remembered" so a thread to collect reviews, comments, and thoughts is necessary!

 

For my part, having hosted Dave for a couple sessions of photographing and passing research back and forth, I can attest for the time, energy, and effort he put forth to collect and tell the stories contained within the book. I think his detailed photos that provide clear understanding for collectors as to real medals and engraving combined with the stories of the recipients set a new standard for collector references. When Dave has time, I'm sure he can describe how many stories had to be left on the cutting room floor despite the size of the published book.

 

My thanks to Dave - I'm even reading about the Navy now!

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He spent a couple of days with me...he worked the whole time. He still owes me for hooking him up with Carolina style Hamburgers...

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Kurt Barickman

Dave came to spend an afternoon with me and photograph some of my collection and came back another time to photograph some medals from a local family that I know who was KIA in Afghanistan during the Lone Survivor rescue mission.

 

Kyle,

 

I didn´t know that there were other branches besides the sea services!!

 

Kurt

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Kyle,

 

I didn´t know that there were other branches besides the sea services!!

 

Kurt

 

Kurt,

 

The what service?!??! :rolleyes:

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Dave also spent time at my home photographing items for the book. It was great to host him and I was amazed by his portable photography studio. My ONLY regret is that I subsequently sold some of the groups that are now pictured in the book! As I said in another thread, this book is now the "bible" for KIA PH collectors and will be for some time to come. Great job Dave!

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My copy came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't put it down. I spent hours going through the various pages and read a great deal of his researched narratives. Dave is an accomplished wordsmith and he writes some compelling stories.

 

I was honestly a bit disappointed that the format wasn't larger (I would have loved one the same size as his "Red Stars" volume), but I know just how many trials and tribulations Dave had to go through to get the work printed. I agree with the others, this one is going to be "the bible" for PH collectors and historians. I think Dave did an outstanding job and I cannot wait for his next project to be printed.

 

This one is an instant classic.

 

Allan

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Thanks for the comments, all! I am very open to feedback as I am currently writing Volume 2 and am happy to make changes for the better.

Allan - you mention the size format...that's actually something I put quite a bit of time into considering. I feel that my "Blue Seas, Red Stars" is too big to use it as a ready reference...it's a massive book and overly heavy, particularly for shipping (in my personal opinion) and the resulting size/weight combination made for quite a few being returned to Schiffer or being sold as scrap books due to shipping damage (about 20% were returned due to shipping damage...and those returns are deducted from my royalty payments...not a great deal for the author). Because of this, I wanted to go with something smaller and more convenient with the intention of being able to have people take the book with them to shows and use it as an on-the-spot reference for medals. I've always admired Bender's "Call of Duty" book, as I feel it's a really handy size for an easy-to-use reference. Thus, I went for the 6x9 format.

 

On the plus side, that kept it the same footprint as Call of Duty...but then I ended up making it quite a bit heavier and thicker due to the amount of material I included. I thought about cutting down on the amount of material in the book, but in the end, I only used about 30% of the material I actually accumulated for the book, and cutting any more out would have lost some of the story as well as the reference material in the book. (I have several files on my computer that are called "Content for a smaller book" and "Content for a single volume from WW2-Present". Needless to say, I didn't write either of those books...)

 

Toward the end of putting the book together, I thought about increasing the size to 7x10, but all that would have done was made the photos larger...nice, to an extent, but I don't think it would have added much to the book itself as there are plenty of full-sized and larger-than-actual-size photos of medals in the book.

 

Additionally, adding the extra inches would have made the cost go up considerably (by about $12 a copy)...and (perhaps selfishly on my part) would have required me to manually adjust the layout on every page of the book - easily a month or more worth of work. Since I was already running up against the deadline with my work schedule (not to mention everything else going on in life) my thought process was to keep it as-is and publish in the original size format rather than delay the finish of the book until after my return from the Middle East...and now with COVID extending us until God-knows-when...a decision to wait and make it larger would have ended up leaving the book as a partially-finished computer file to this day rather than an actual book that collectors and historians can use now.

 

One thing I learned in being my own publisher...there are a tremendous amount of decisions that go into a book like this, not to mention quite a bit of risk. Since this is not a "print on demand" book, all of the copies had to be paid for up front and there are a hundred decisions that have to be made in the process. Color cover? Dust jacket? Embossing? Rounded spine? Page weight? Numbering? Hand stitching? Would some options be considered "over the top" for a book about a somber topic? How would a Gold Star family react to the book if I did X or X or X? How could I balance the needs of collectors with those of historians as well as those people who believe Purple Hearts should be in museums? I was blown away at all of the decisions that I had to make in order to translate a digital file to a real, hard-copy book that I had exactly one opportunity to get "right".

In the end, after all was said and done, I personally think the book turned out better than I thought it was going to be. There are a couple of things that I should have caught and fixed in the proofs, but they're extremely minor and do not at all detract from the actual content of the book (in fact, if I didn't mention them, no one would probably even notice...LOL). I keep the book next to my computer here at work and look at it every day...and I'm still impressed with how it came out. :)

 

Thanks again for the feedback and thanks for allowing me to address the size of the book as that is something I really did weigh very heavily and put a lot of thought into.

 

Dave

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Dave,

 

Thanks for your input, and I agree that the book in this format would make it much easier to take to shows etc. I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and I hope that you will consider a Volume 2 if your sales I where I think they are going to be. I know you have a ton of hours and a lot of expense wrapped up in the project. If this book sells well, I am sure a companion volume will also do quite well.

 

Good luck on this project, and again, congrats on the outstanding reference.

 

Allan

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Thanks for the comments, all! I am very open to feedback as I am currently writing Volume 2 and am happy to make changes for the better.

 

Allan - you mention the size format...that's actually something I put quite a bit of time into considering. I feel that my "Blue Seas, Red Stars" is too big to use it as a ready reference...it's a massive book and overly heavy, particularly for shipping (in my personal opinion) and the resulting size/weight combination made for quite a few being returned to Schiffer or being sold as scrap books due to shipping damage (about 20% were returned due to shipping damage...and those returns are deducted from my royalty payments...not a great deal for the author). Because of this, I wanted to go with something smaller and more convenient with the intention of being able to have people take the book with them to shows and use it as an on-the-spot reference for medals. I've always admired Bender's "Call of Duty" book, as I feel it's a really handy size for an easy-to-use reference. Thus, I went for the 6x9 format.

 

On the plus side, that kept it the same footprint as Call of Duty...but then I ended up making it quite a bit heavier and thicker due to the amount of material I included. I thought about cutting down on the amount of material in the book, but in the end, I only used about 30% of the material I actually accumulated for the book, and cutting any more out would have lost some of the story as well as the reference material in the book. (I have several files on my computer that are called "Content for a smaller book" and "Content for a single volume from WW2-Present". Needless to say, I didn't write either of those books...)

 

Toward the end of putting the book together, I thought about increasing the size to 7x10, but all that would have done was made the photos larger...nice, to an extent, but I don't think it would have added much to the book itself as there are plenty of full-sized and larger-than-actual-size photos of medals in the book.

 

Additionally, adding the extra inches would have made the cost go up considerably (by about $12 a copy)...and (perhaps selfishly on my part) would have required me to manually adjust the layout on every page of the book - easily a month or more worth of work. Since I was already running up against the deadline with my work schedule (not to mention everything else going on in life) my thought process was to keep it as-is and publish in the original size format rather than delay the finish of the book until after my return from the Middle East...and now with COVID extending us until God-knows-when...a decision to wait and make it larger would have ended up leaving the book as a partially-finished computer file to this day rather than an actual book that collectors and historians can use now.

 

One thing I learned in being my own publisher...there are a tremendous amount of decisions that go into a book like this, not to mention quite a bit of risk. Since this is not a "print on demand" book, all of the copies had to be paid for up front and there are a hundred decisions that have to be made in the process. Color cover? Dust jacket? Embossing? Rounded spine? Page weight? Numbering? Hand stitching? Would some options be considered "over the top" for a book about a somber topic? How would a Gold Star family react to the book if I did X or X or X? How could I balance the needs of collectors with those of historians as well as those people who believe Purple Hearts should be in museums? I was blown away at all of the decisions that I had to make in order to translate a digital file to a real, hard-copy book that I had exactly one opportunity to get "right".

 

In the end, after all was said and done, I personally think the book turned out better than I thought it was going to be. There are a couple of things that I should have caught and fixed in the proofs, but they're extremely minor and do not at all detract from the actual content of the book (in fact, if I didn't mention them, no one would probably even notice...LOL). I keep the book next to my computer here at work and look at it every day...and I'm still impressed with how it came out. :)

 

Thanks again for the feedback and thanks for allowing me to address the size of the book as that is something I really did weigh very heavily and put a lot of thought into.

 

Dave

Dave,

Don't worry about the size format so much, I read my copy and I'm still 350 pounds...

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Dave's book is already a "new classic". It is the culmination of all the research and work that has been completed surrounding WWII engraving styles and placed in one book. Its fabulous.

 

Dave's book is the first one on US medals with no glaring "questionable" medals in it. Even "Call of Duty" has some that would be considered bad, but at the time it was published, not enough information was around.

 

Great Job Dave!

 

Kurt

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Rakkasan187

Dave,

 

My copy just arrived.. I am TELEWORKING right now so I can't wait to start reading this behemoth of a book..

 

Come to think of it.. part of my TELEWORKING is conducting research and reading... I think I will justify your book as research material to get away from the computer for a few hours.. :)

 

Leigh

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I checked in on this thread earlier today which caused me to grab my copy and for the next two hours, I was consumed. Thanks for all that hard work Dave.

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Kurt Barickman

Yes, what perfect timing this book came during as I am going buggy eyes looking at a computer screen all day; its easy to get lost in Dave´s book.Great stories and data on the KIA Purple Hearts.

 

Kurt

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tdogchristy90

Received my book today. Ive only skimmed through it and I am already hooked and happy like a school kid. I think this deserve me buying a second copy. ?

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  • 2 weeks later...
dhcoleterracina

My copy arrived today, this is a MUST HAVE book even if you are just peripherally interested in the Purple Heart. Dave and I tried to get together at the Pomona show but it didn't work out. Perhaps in book 2? 

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tim novak

Like everyone else, its a fantastic accomplishment and work.  I know nothing about medals, but as most of us, I respect the service that went into the award.  I am going to enjoy the history, and hopefully learn a thing or two about the medals that represent these humbling achievements/actions.

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I echo the positive comments posted. I received the book yesterday, and have only had time to take a quick look, but was immediately impressed with both the content and presentation. In my mind, this is a must have for any collector of US WWII medals. A huge amount of work has gone into this, and the author should be commended for his contribution to the advancement of our hobby. Kevin

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Raidercollector

Great Book Dave. You did a wonderful job. You all so spent all day at my house. It was a great time taking to you and you taking photos of my Medal collection.

 

Nick

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Fantastic work Dave, got mine a few days ago and can't stay away! Everything about the book is top notch. Really enjoyed the layout and high quality pics. Having been in the graphic arts field for 45 years I can appreciate the work that went into producing it. I There is no doubt this book is already "classic" among collectors and historians. Well done!!

Best wishes,

Joe

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  • 1 month later...

I can just repeat what many collectors allready said.  It's a great book and I am still reading and studying it today. 

Unfortunately for me not much PH's to photograph here in the Netherlands,  so no meet and greet with the author. 😊

 

Regards to you Dave.

Herman

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Dave spent a few hours taking photos of my collection. Nice to see one was published, pg.74. Too bad he couldn't include some of the other documentation of this group. He said he hadn't seen some of it before. I hope he does a follow up volume. Anyway great book.

 

Ray

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  • 4 weeks later...
Mac.military

I wanted to include my earlier comments in the right thread.  I recently ordered the new book from David Schwind, "Sacrifice Remembered".  Just received it in the mail earlier this week.  Wow, I can't put it down.  For any medal collector, KIA collector like myself, anyone who is interested in World War II and the sacrifices made, this is a must read.  As a collector, this will always be at my side.  A wealth of wonderful pictures, stories honoring the fallen soldiers and a quintessential guide to collecting posthumous purple hearts and other medals of valor.  In addition, there are some very historic medal groups that David photographed for this this book (The Sullivans, Isaac Kidd, General McNair, Etc., Etc.).  The book is laid out in a specific, well thought out manner.  I have been looking for a book like this for over 30 years.  David hit this out of the park big time!!!

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  • 4 months later...

Several years ago I received an email out of the blue from David Schwind as he had seen a post here relating to my inquiry reference Edward Brahm. Edward was a friend to my uncle Gordon, and had been captured in a RPC taken a few short weeks before the attack at Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941. I was attempting to identify Ed at the time as he was an unknown individual captured in that post card, and my research led me to this forum. I had posted several pictures of my uncle's Purple Hearts which caught David's eye. David asked if he could come photograph the Purple Hearts for a new book he was working on, to which I gladly agreed. My mission since taking ownership of my uncle's collection from my father has been to ensure the story of their sacrifice is shared wherever/whenever possible, and finding my way into David's next book was a perfect vehicle on this mission. I had also contributed to and worked with a different author in the meantime, Walter Borneman on his book "Brothers Down" which came out last year that captured my uncles and others who lost their lives that fateful day. I digress, I checked back frequently on Google to see if anything had come forward from David on the progress of his book. I believe I also reached out on at least one occasion to see if there had been any progress, but did not hear back. As luck would have it, I search daily on eBay for anything related to the USS Arizona that I can add to the Shive Brother's Collection, and just a few short days ago the book "Sacrifice Remembered" jumped out from my tablet. I read the description, and in reference to chapter 12 I knew instinctively that my uncle's Purple Hearts had made it to David's book. I ordered the book immediately, and waited impatiently for the few days for it to arrive at my doorstep. I received my copy yesterday, and very carefully opened my box to reveal a beautiful book. I carefully opened to chapter 12 so as not to break the books spine to find my uncles Purple Hearts displayed at pages 420 and 421. Also included were the telegrams and a broach my grandmother wore that David took interest in that had 2 Gold Star's and service pendants. I want to take this moment from the bottom of my heart to thank you David, for honoring the memory of my uncle's Gordon and Malcolm in your book. My mission since my dad gifted these items to me has been to share their story of sacrifice where ever I can, and your book is yet one more vehicle in accomplishing this mission. As I told my wife yesterday, I need to order yet another book to remain unscathed in my uncle's collection to be passed down to my son in the hopes he will pick up the mission and carry on their memory into the next generation. In this way I can then love on my current book without worry of bending pages or stretching the spine. David, if there were a way to get a personalized signed copy please reach out to me, otherwise I shall buy yet another from eBay. I'm including a picture of the RPC that really started it all, as well as a snap of the Shive Brother's contribution to David's book here. For those so interested, I have created a Facebook org site that I have scanned or photographed the collection as handed down to me from my dad, and I continually added to over the past several years at "Sons of The USS Arizona". Merry Christmas and God Bless, Gary Shive

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