Surviving Hiroshima by Anthony Drago and Douglas Wellman - Book Tour
SURVIVING HIROSHIMA
Anthony Drago & Douglas Wellman
Biography
From Russian nobility, the Palchikoffs barely escaped death at the hands of
Bolshevik revolutionaries until Kaleria’s father, a White Russian officer,
hijacked a ship to take them to safety in Hiroshima. Safety was short lived. Her
father, a talented musician, established a new life for the family, but the
outbreak of World War II created a cloud of suspicion that led to his
imprisonment and years of deprivation for his family.
Then, on August 6, 1945, 22-year-old Kaleria was doing pre-breakfast chores when
a blinding flash lit the sky over Hiroshima, Japan. A moment later, everything
went black as the house collapsed on her and her family. Their world, and
everyone else’s changed as the first atomic bomb was detonated over a city.
After the bombing, trapped in the center of previously unimagined devastation,
Kaleria summoned her strength to come to the aid of bomb victims, treating the
never-before seen effects of radiation. Fluent in English, Kaleria was soon
recruited to work with General Douglas MacArthur’s occupation forces.
_____________________
At 09 15:15am Tinian time - 08 15:15am Hiroshima time - the bomb drop
sequence counts down to zero and Little Boy falls free from the bomb
bay. Major Ferebee announces, “Bomb away,” but the everyone already knows
that. Suddenly no longer struggling with its nearly 10,000 pound load, the
Enola Gay has leaped upward, jolting the crew. Tibbetts immediately
pulls the aircraft into a 155 degree right turn to put as much distance as
possible between them and the blast site. They will have some time to make
their escape. It will take Little Boy 44 seconds to fall to its designated
detonation altitude of just under 2,000 feet.
In 44 seconds the future of warfare will be inalterably changed.
In 44 seconds tens of thousands of people will witness a horror never before
seen.
In 44 seconds a 24-year-old Russian émigré, Kaleria Palchkoff, will be in
the center of a horrendous conflagration never before unleashed in human
history.
_____________________
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Anthony “Tony” Drago was born in Camden, New Jersey and spent much of
his early childhood at his paternal grandparents Italian grocery store. From
a young age, his mother, Kaleria Palchikoff Drago, would tell him the
captivating story of her journey from Russia to Japan and then to the United
States. It created Tony’s foundation for his love of history—especially his
family’s history—bringing him to write this book.
After retiring in 2006, Tony doubled down on his passions—flying his
airplane, restoring his classic car, and traveling the world with his wife,
Kathy. Tony and Kathy have been married for forty-five years. They have
three adult children and enjoy spending their days on the beach in their
hometown of Carmel, California with their eight grandchildren and dogs, Tug
and Maggie. For more information about Kaleria and the book, visit
http://www.survivinghiroshima.com.
Douglas Wellman was a television producer-director for 35 years, as
well as dean of the film school at the University of Southern California. He
currently lives in Southern Utah with his wife, Deborah, where he works as a
chaplain at a local hospital when he isn’t busy writing books.
For more information on Doug and the books he has written, visit his website
at
http://www.douglaswellmanauthor.com.
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