Julie, I no longer have your current email so am sending you a message this way. Ireadin this mornings Register your story. Wow!! I thought it was great!! Marcia
I love reading the comments of those Iowans who read your dad's work over many years. He sounds like a gifted reporter and columnist and a wonderful person.
Stan and I remember Gordon Gammack and read his columns. We are 79 and 80 years old. Our parents would talk about him and highly respected him and his views. Thank you for sharing and pray for the Ukrainians and help them defeat the Russian attack. Starve the Russians and collapse their economy. Ban them from buying any thing from the USA or owning any thing in the USA<
War, the worst behavior of humankind. Your dad had a mighty pen. Praise to these journalists who sacrifice much to show us the price of government failure.
I am a Vietnam vet, and I have your dad's book-Columns from Three Wars. And I still remember him and the stories he wrote about Iowans serving their country.
WOW! Both for what he witnessed, and for your longing for him! I too think about my dad all the time, and there are so many things I wish I could discuss with him and questions to ask. He died when I was 30 - more than half my life. And I still have the instinct to turn to him for advice.
I can't even imagine some of the scenes your dad may have witnessed during his tenure with the Register. I had remembered his name from the pages of the Register yet did not know he was a war correspondent. His job certainly involved a lot of courage to cover those stories of conflict.
I can only imagine the horror he felt being a witness to such atrocities. My Dad opened up about some of his experiences just several years ago, but not a lot of detail.
Your Dad’s column was always a favorite in my family.
I’m sure I’ve told you before, Julie, but I’ll tell you again. I remember my dad reading your dad’s column in the Tribune and I remember it being one of the first things I read on a regular basis. I loved it for bringing the world to me, sitting there in Newton, Iowa knowing so little of the world. I am deeply grateful for all the journalists who are covering the war in Ukraine and for the people everywhere who are supporting them.
Journalists are heroes, and your dad was one of the best. I remember reading his column in the Tribune even when I was very young—all those years when we watched the Viet Nam War play out on the news each night, and we read about it in your dad's words. He brought such humanity to his writing. Even at an early age, I knew that his column was something special and important. He gave all of us a sense of Iowa pride and a much deeper understanding of the world.
Deb, he wrote about war from a human interest perspective. I naively believed, at age 24, that if I could get his columns in book form - the stories of Iowa kids at war - we could better understand the consequences. I had big dreams of the book being required reading in J-schools. Alas. ISU press ran about 5,000 copies, I think. Every once in awhile, Gordon Gammack: Columns from Three Wars, pops up on E-bay. Still, getting that published is my proudest accomplishment. Ever.
Thank you for this story and reminder. The war crimes never seem to end, but we need bright lights upon them.
Julie, I no longer have your current email so am sending you a message this way. Ireadin this mornings Register your story. Wow!! I thought it was great!! Marcia
THANKS, MARCIA!
I love reading the comments of those Iowans who read your dad's work over many years. He sounds like a gifted reporter and columnist and a wonderful person.
He was. And he lived in a time when newspapers were the predominant source of news and information.
Stan and I remember Gordon Gammack and read his columns. We are 79 and 80 years old. Our parents would talk about him and highly respected him and his views. Thank you for sharing and pray for the Ukrainians and help them defeat the Russian attack. Starve the Russians and collapse their economy. Ban them from buying any thing from the USA or owning any thing in the USA<
War, the worst behavior of humankind. Your dad had a mighty pen. Praise to these journalists who sacrifice much to show us the price of government failure.
He was wonderful
Thanks, Katie
I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been. Didn’t know u were following in the footsteps.
I don't think I ever saw that picture. Our dad standing over bodies piled on top of bodies in an open grave.. .
Hard to remember that you were only 24 when he died..
Thanks Julie
Someone sent it to me a few years ago. Horrible.
This is impactful...thank you!
I am a Vietnam vet, and I have your dad's book-Columns from Three Wars. And I still remember him and the stories he wrote about Iowans serving their country.
Thank you, Ron
WOW! Both for what he witnessed, and for your longing for him! I too think about my dad all the time, and there are so many things I wish I could discuss with him and questions to ask. He died when I was 30 - more than half my life. And I still have the instinct to turn to him for advice.
Oh, Barb, I would love to talk to your dad, too. He was a pioneer.
I can't even imagine some of the scenes your dad may have witnessed during his tenure with the Register. I had remembered his name from the pages of the Register yet did not know he was a war correspondent. His job certainly involved a lot of courage to cover those stories of conflict.
Yes, indeed
I can only imagine the horror he felt being a witness to such atrocities. My Dad opened up about some of his experiences just several years ago, but not a lot of detail.
Your Dad’s column was always a favorite in my family.
I’m sure I’ve told you before, Julie, but I’ll tell you again. I remember my dad reading your dad’s column in the Tribune and I remember it being one of the first things I read on a regular basis. I loved it for bringing the world to me, sitting there in Newton, Iowa knowing so little of the world. I am deeply grateful for all the journalists who are covering the war in Ukraine and for the people everywhere who are supporting them.
Journalists are heroes, and your dad was one of the best. I remember reading his column in the Tribune even when I was very young—all those years when we watched the Viet Nam War play out on the news each night, and we read about it in your dad's words. He brought such humanity to his writing. Even at an early age, I knew that his column was something special and important. He gave all of us a sense of Iowa pride and a much deeper understanding of the world.
Deb, he wrote about war from a human interest perspective. I naively believed, at age 24, that if I could get his columns in book form - the stories of Iowa kids at war - we could better understand the consequences. I had big dreams of the book being required reading in J-schools. Alas. ISU press ran about 5,000 copies, I think. Every once in awhile, Gordon Gammack: Columns from Three Wars, pops up on E-bay. Still, getting that published is my proudest accomplishment. Ever.
We need that book today.
I liked and admired him so much...felt privileged to get to know him a bit..