"The soldiers were getting reports from their loved ones: 'What are you doing there?'" (Video Interview, 19:52)

Abel Kessler

War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Unit: 441st Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion Service Location: Camp Stewart, Georgia; Camp Davis, North Carolina; Pentagon, Washington, DC; India; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater Rank: Captain

Brooklyn native Abel Kessler rose through the ranks to become a reporter at the New York Times. His background in journalism led to his assignment as an information officer for the Army in India. The sparse numbers of U.S. troops in the CBI made his newsletter an important lifeline for the men who were so far away from each other and so disconnected from events going on in the rest of the world. Kessler's appreciation for the Indian people is exceeded only by his deep admiration for the men he served with.