George McGuire has touched history on more than a few occasions. To start, much of his childhood was spent in the apartment just above the Midtown unit where Margaret Mitchell was typing her epic novel.
“I was six when we moved into the Dump,” said McGuire. “I don’t remember anything about Margaret Mitchell, but my mom knew her.”
While in college during the summer of 1949, he met the widow of Civil War veteran James Longstreet, who gave him a copy of her book, “Lee and Longstreet at High Tide,” with a lengthy, hand-penned inscription. But the most historic event the 89-year-old Sandy Springs resident took part in was World War II. In 1944, just a few weeks after D-Day, a 19-year-old McGuire drove onto Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
“I can still remember the reception we got as we went through all the little towns,” he said. “They flooded the vehicles; if we stopped for a minute, they’d hug us. It was unbelievable. But being young and a little stupid, I didn’t think there was enough action in my unit, so I transferred to another and was assigned the job of going into a designated area and looking for snipers and resistance fighters.”
On one occasion, McGuire single-handedly corralled 100 German soldiers. “They wanted to surrender to a single soldier; they were afraid if they were caught by a unit, they’d be shot,” he said.
Though he never got as far as Berlin, McGuire spent considerable time in small cities along the road to the capital and made friends in most of them. He retold some of his stories to author Stephen Bull for the book “From D-Day to Victory.”
After the war, McGuire worked as a marketing executive for Reynolds Metals Company, a job he retired from in 1983. After giving up the daily grind, he launched a second career as a novelist.
His first two books were set in World War II. “A Gentle Wind Comes with Us” was published in 1990, followed by “Ariane” in 2005. He then wrote “The Decision,” a novel of the Civil War, and a few weeks ago, his latest work, a thriller of international intrigue titled “Always,” was issued. And he isn’t ready to retire his typewriter just yet.
“During the war, I was in a building near Homburg, Germany, when three shells came in below and above me, and I was unhurt because I truly believe God prevented it,” he said. “It gave me the idea for a book on war and faith that emphasizes the faith men have when facing death. God has been good to me, and I think there are more stories like that to be told.”
McGuire is also toying with the idea of making a pilgrimage to Normandy next June for the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
“I went back to Germany and visited many people I met there,’ he said. “But I’ve never been back to Normandy. It would be a great trip, and it would be a great present, since my 90th birthday is a few weeks later.”
Every other Wednesday, H.M. Cauley brings you positive stories from our community. To suggest a story idea, call 770-744-3042 or e-mail hm_cauley@yahoo.com.
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