About the Co-Authors - Julie Whitman Jones and Thomas J. Sullivan
Home / About the Co-Authors / About the Book / The Latest - Author Events / Edmund Burke O'Connell
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Julie Whitman Jones Edmund Burke O’Connell’s step-daughter, Julie Whitman Jones and her three children, Alexander, Grant and April live in Pacifica, California. Her 25-year-old son, Alexander was born with cerebral palsy. Publication of The Last Farewell - A Journey of the Heart fulfills a personal promise made to Burke to share his very special love story.
Thomas J. Sullivan, Jr. Thomas J. Sullivan, Jr., father of two, Matthew and Sara, is a U.S. Navy veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War and former newspaper reporter. He earned his bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of Rhode Island in 1978 and is a high school U.S. history teacher. |
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We invite you to read a sample chapter: A Beautiful Stranger
FLORENCE - 1944 - "John and I rolled out our sleeping bags and slept under the stars in a city park near the Porto Romano. We decided the next morning it was absolutely essential to find a way to drive our Army jeep safely across the Arno River to the other side.
All of our film supplies and bulky camera equipment were much too heavy for us to carry across on foot given the distance to the other side of the Arno.
We could not gauge for ourselves given what few maps we had how large the city of Florence was. Our Army jeep and trailer would make us mobile and then, too, we decided, why not give the Florentines a special treat and drive one of the first Allied jeeps across the Arno.
During the summer the Arno River contains very little water and its shoulder embankments are mostly bare, dry earth. Many Florentines had cultivated small "victory"- type gardens along the sides when the war began.
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Ponte Vecchio, 1945
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During the spring of 1944, Edmund Burke O'Connell and John Mason drove across the bed of the Arno River to the other side. This photograph was taken in late 1945 by Army Signal Corps photographer Don Wiedenmayer from the center of the river shows the damage to the bridge caused by German engineers who detonated mines on both sides of the bridge to prevent its use by Allied Forces. The availability and use color print film by U.S. military was limited. This print was reproduced from Wiedenmayer's original Kodachrome slide. (Photo by Donald Wiedenmayer, 196th Signal Photo Company) |
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Closer view of the left side of the bridge shows evidence of post-war reconstruction.
Left side of the downstream view of the Arno River. The Bust of Cellini (see below) is situated in the middle of the bride. Currently, there are 10 Florentine bridges, but until 1957 there were six, modified in the course of the centuries and all, except the Ponte Vecchio, rebuilt after their destruction in 1944 by German mines. The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in the city of Florence, not only because it is the only one which survived, but also because it stands on the site of at least three precedent bridges: one in Roman times, the one that was ruined in 1117, and the one destroyed when the Arno flooded in 1333. The bridge so greatly admired now was built by Neri di Fioravante (1345), a solid but elegant structure with three arches. It is characterized by the small houses that line both sides of the bridge.. In the 14th century these rows of buildings had a much more regular appearance but as time went by various changes and additions led to their current picturesque variety. At about the center of the span over the Arno River, the buildings are interrupted by a widening of the roadway, thus furnishing a fine view of the Arno and the other bridges. |
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After the Ponte Vecchio had been rebuilt in stone about the middle of the 14th century by Neri di Fioravante, it was reserved by order of Ferdinand I, exclusively for goldsmiths. In fact, these set up their shops here and built their little houses at the back of them, projecting over the Arno. The effect of this is unique and most picturesque, so that the bridge is a must for every tourist. Under the arches of the bridge, which breaks the row of shops, a bust of Benvenuto Cellini, (right) the greatest Florentine goldsmith, has been placed. Along the upper part of the bridge runs Vasari's famous passageway. (Reprinted from Florence, Cradle of the Italian Art, Nova LVX, Giusti di Becocci, Firenze)
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AFHQ - AUGUST 22, 1944 - A ferry across the Arno River to Florence. Two lire is the charge to cross the Arno River and enter the liberated section of Florence, Italy. Ruins of Ponte Alle Grazie may be seenin the background. PWB Staff Photo - Serviced by RX to E List, NA., and IT-approved by appropriate Military Authority - RX 1893. (Historical Media photo) |
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Ponte Alle Grazie, Florence - August 1944 The original Ponte alle Grazie was constructed in 1227. It was rebuilt in 1345 with nine arches, making it the oldest and longest bridge in Florence. Two of the arches were filled in during 1347 in order to widen piazza dei Mozzi. Structures were built on the bridge, much as can be seen on the modern Ponte Vecchio but these were eventually abandoned and were removed in 1876 to make way for railway track.
In August 1944, the bridge was destroyed by the Nazi army as they withdrew before the advancing Allied forces in World War II. Following the end of the War, a competition was held to create a new design for a replacement bridge. The winning design, the work of a group formed of architects including Giovanni Michelucci, Edoardo Said, Riccardo Gizdolich and Danilo Know and an engineer, Piero Melucci, feature four slender piers with thin arches between them. The new bridge was completed in 1953.
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The memory of America's World War II generation is
preserved within the physical memorial and through the World War II Registry of
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196th Signal Photo Company Photographers - Selected Photos
These special tribute pages features some of the significant still photography of five Army Signal Corps photographers who served in the 196th Signal Photo Company. They include:
/ Cecil "Max"Campbell / John Mason / Donald Wiedenmayer / Jerry KosseffIndex to 196th Signal Photo Company - Still Photo Gallery
Known Army Signal Corps photographs attributed by Signal Corps serial number to individual members of the 3131st Signal Service Company and the 196th Signal Photo Company, Italian Campaign, 1944-1945. These photos were obtained from the National Archives and the public domain.
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Home / About the Co-Authors / About the Book / The Latest - Author Events / Edmund Burke O'Connell / Media Inquiries / Screenplay / Villa Calamai / Donald Wiedenmayer / Contact the Authors / Buy the Book
Historical Resources
O'Connell's Equipment: Bell & Howell 35mm Eyemo Camera
Captain Melvin Gillette / Architect of the Army Pictorial Service
Selected Reference Materials (Orders and Official Documents) / Army Pictorial Service - North Africa
196th SPC - Awards and Decorations
/ 196th SPC Roll of Honor / 196th SPC - Unit History/ 196th SPC - Campaign for Sicily / 196th SPC - Motion Picture Coverage / 196th - Still Photo Coverage
Bibliography / Veteran's History Project / Nauders Crossroads - 1945
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© The Last Farewell - A journey of the heart
By Edmund Burke O'Connell and co-authors Julie Whitman Jones and Thomas J. Sullivan, Jr.
email the authors: info@thelastfarewell.net
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