A Seed Falls On Okinawa: A Soldier's Story (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780971177451)

Peter A. Hewett (1908 - 1992) was born and raised in the city he cherished, "The Immigrant City", Lawrence, Massachusetts. Married to Marie Francis McNamara Hewett, they were blessed with four children, Mary, Eleanor, Peter Jr., and Ann Marie. Peter was the oldest of ten children. Mr. Hewett's mother was widowed when he was 17 years old, leaving Peter to help her raise his siblings, a responsibility in which he took great pride. He held a number of positions, including mill worker, laborer, salesman, construction worker, grocery store clerk, and automobile assembly line worker, His work history culminated in a profession he loved, serving for several terms as secretary (the equivalent of Chief of Staff) to Lawrence's Mayor, John J. Buckley. Mr. Hewett retired in the mid 70's and spent his remaining years devoted to his first love - his family and friends and to his second love - reading and writing. It was during his time and experiences as a civilian construction electrician working with the Navy Sea-Bees in 1946, building up the infrastructure for the United States Military on the Island of Okinawa that the inspiration for A Seed Falls on Okinawa was first conceived. Mr. Hewett was very much a self educated man. He was a voracious reader who was blessed with the gift of near total recall. A prolific writer of short stories, he was well known to the editors and readers of the Lawrence Evening Tribune for his op-ed and opinion articles. He was active in local civic and religious organizations and was a recipient of a Freedoms Foundation Award for his writing and civic participation. He was beloved by his large extended family of which he was the patriarch. It is his son's assessment that the essence of his Dad's character is well captured in the poem his Dad insisted that he commit to memory as a young boy. The poem is titled "ABOU BEN ADEHM" by James Henry Leigh Hunt. That same essence of the man, the author, is also reflected in the beauty and beautiful simplicity of his novella -- "A Seed Falls on Okinawa".