About This Tender Man – My Father’s Story by Rich Nelson
“My father nearly died of malaria in the jungles of World War II New Guinea” – the opening sentence of This Tender Man – My Father’s Story – the journey of an ordinary man thrown into war and forever affected by its cruel aftermath. It is a story of a Midwestern boy lovingly raised by Swedish immigrants, an adolescent coming of age during the early years of the Great Depression, and a young adult whose innocence is shattered by war in the tropics of the South Pacific. A man selflessly committed to family and community in his post-war years, though haunted by the demons that followed him home, and, in his final years, a hellish descent into Alzheimer’s. He carried throughout his life the characteristics of the “Greatest Generation” – service, hard work, and humility.
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Author Bio:
Rich Nelson is a retired college instructor and social worker who resides in Muskegon, Michigan. He has written a collection of essays – “With Fresh Eyes” – taken from his columns in the West Michigan newspaper the Norton/Lakeshore Examiner. He recently contributed to the “Damfinos” (the Buster Keaton International Fan Club) online magazine “The Keaton Chronicle” with the article “The Lure of Bluffton.” Rich dabbles in photography, continues to write, kayaks Michigan rivers, and invests his time in environmental and community organizations.