Publisher's Synopsis
The life story of Marion Richardson's mother, Charlotte, had been a closed book for almost seventy years. Only recently had the layers that veiled the unturned pages of her childhood begun to unfold. This is the story of a young child in Belgium born to German citizens. Their lives were interrupted when the Nazi regime entered their peaceful village temporarily robbing her family of their father and war-aged siblings. Life was disrupted when she, her brother, and mother were evacuated to their homeland border by way of panzer tanks. All seemed stripped away when as refugees, they found themselves relocated in the Red Cross city of Celle, Germany with no home or belongings. As this story unfolds it takes little Charlotte and her family through life in a coal mine town of Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge, and the final days of the Third Reich. Here are the intimate first hand memories from her childhood First the path is divulged that set the stage for the celebration of the American dream that a little girl from Belgium disclosed. The book then takes a turn as post-war events including the Berlin Airlift introduce the young airman, Jack, onto the scene. The fullness of the story emerges as they marry, move to America, and experience life under the direction of the United States Air Force. This is a triangle of a love story where two individuals from seemingly incompatible backgrounds unite with Lady Liberty under the banner of the flag of independence in this heart warming tale, "Ich Bin Charlotte."
