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World War II historian John Wukovits regaled Grosse Pointe Rotarians at their June 17 luncheon meeting by telling the heroic, and tragic, story of the Samuel B. Roberts, a destroyer escort that charged a Japanese destroyer off the Philippines during WWII. The story of the Samuel B. Roberts is the subject of Wukovits' newest book, "For Crew and Country."

 
After the smaller escort was destroyed, Japanese sailors lined the rail, saluting the survivors in the water. Wukovits also told the story of how one of the Samuel B. Roberts' sailors swam repeatedly from a ship's life raft, pulling survivors from the shark-infested water. The sailor was eventually taken by a shark himself. "When I write about a battle like this," he told the Rotarians, "I select a few main characters to focus on to make it easier for them to read. Human beings rely on stories." Wukovits is author of seven books on WWII, as well as a book on Gen. Eisenhower. He has also appeared many times on The History Channel. He was introduced by Program Chair John Conway. At a book-signing following the meeting were, from left, past War Memorial President Mark Weber, Wukovits, David Allard, Dick Allison and Ted Everingham. Rotary of Grosse Pointe meets Mondays at noon at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Lunch costs $15, and the public is invited.