Back From Combat February 21, 2013

Charles "Norm" Stevens flew as a bombardier on a B-l7 in the 8th Air Force at Polebrook, England during the summer and fall of l944. His tour of duty consisted of 34 bombing missions over Germany, occupied France, Belgium and Holland. On Thursday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m. he will discuss his latest book Back from Combat, which begins with his return to the U.S. from combat. With the war still raging, he had to decide what direction his military career would take. Would he become an instructor? Return to combat? Or receive training for other duties? Training during this period was full of its own perils with aging military aircraft and inexperienced inductees.

Charles Stevens grew up in Inglewood, California. At 18 he joined the Army Air Corps, serving during World War II from 1943 until 1946. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. Following the war he graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He was a teacher in secondary schools for 32 years. He earned a master’s degree in English at California State College at Los Angeles, in English and American Literature. Besides Back from Combat, he has published, An Innocent at Polebrook: A Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier and The Innocent Cadet: Becoming a WWII Bombardier. Copies of Mr. Steven’s books will be available for purchase.
You won’t want to miss this intriguing look at World War II and a fascinating career.