Something We Had to Do: A Memoir of War

by Robert Fowler, Ted Neill

Something We Had to Do is a harrowing and heartfelt account written by Major Robert Lewis Fowler. Fowler served as a Sargent in the 35th Division as part of the 134th Nebraska Regiment of the National Guard. Something We Had to Do channels Major Fowler’s unique and humble voice, who along with his fellow guardsmen of the 35th Division, landed in Normandy in June of 1944. The 35th Division, and the 134th especially, were instrumental in one of the bloodiest and most critical battles in the European The Battle of St. Lo. The first half of Fowler’s memoir depicts the years of the great depression and the lead up to World War II. He introduces the everyday men who would serve with him in those pivotal days in France, cherishing the friendships and comradery built over the years of training. The second half of the memoir zeroes in on the days of battle June 14th to 27th 1944, when the 35th Division and the 134th Infantry Regiment fought valiantly against well a well-entrenched enemy—an adversary that knew the stakes and was determined to hold St. Lo at all costs. This edition has been edited by Fowler’s grandson, author Ted Neill. (See his other work at tenebraypress.com)

89 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2018