BRAIDED IN FIRE is the stirring author's search to understand the
drama that unfolded between the Italian peasants and African-American
infantrymen of the 366th Infantry Regiment whose lives were lost, or
changed irrevocably by a village battle in Tuscany during the Battle of
Garfagnana.
Cultures and relationships are intertwined to become BRAIDED IN FIRE
in Sommocolonia, a medieval Tuscan village in the Apennines directly on
the highly fortified Third Reich's 'Gothic Line' stretching across
northern Italy. Only at Sommocolonia did attacking German troops break
through that formidable line, with dire consequences to the inhabitants
and their defenders, a handful of black GIs, who were outnumbered three
to one by the Axis troops. In the desperate fight, Lt. John Fox
sacrificed himself with supreme heroism. (He was posthumously awarded
the Medal of Honor 52 years later.) Although the military action, (and
tragic inaction of certain senior white officers), is described in
detail, BRAIDED IN FIRE is not just military history, but tells of the
human toll of war: the drama, the folly, the heartache - all present in
grand measure for two peoples marginalized over the years for reasons of
race and economic circumstances.
BRAIDED IN FIRE is a celebration of human dignity in desperate
circumstances. This book is painted in a narrative befitting the beauty
and rich hues of the Tuscan hills and its people, juxtaposed by the
toils of a segregated America in black versus white, even while in Army
green. Together these two worlds are BRAIDED IN FIRE with all of the
passion, heartbreak, and violence of war, ultimately providing the
reader with a redemptive peace, and cultural harmony.
Praise for BRAIDED IN FIRE
Braided in Fire tells the story of Lieutenant John Fox, a forward
artillery observer and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, who directed
friendly artillery fire on his own position as German troops overran
Sommocolonia, Italy, on December 26, 1944. Fox's selfless sacrifice went
unrecognized by the U.S. government for half a century simply because he
was black. Solace Wales has invested decades in researching this
instance of forgotten valor, producing a rich tapestry that interweaves
the experiences of the black GIs and Italian villagers caught in the
hellish maelstrom that engulfed Sommocolonia the day John Fox died. The
result is a moving meditation on the cost of war and a tribute to the
African Americans who fought for a country that treated them like
second-class citizens. Gregory J.W. Urwin, Professor of History,
Temple University, author of Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake
Island
Braided with Fire vividly recounts the intertwined histories of the
small Italian town of Sommocolonia and the black 366th Infantry
Regiment, which intersected during the German Winter Storm Offensive in
December 1944. At the center of Solace Wales' story are the brave Biondi
family and forward artillery observer Lieutenant John Fox, who won the
Medal of Honor for his heroism in Sommocolonia. Thoroughly researched
and dramatically retold, Braided with Fire adds a valuable new page to
our understanding of the Second World War. Ian Ona Johnson, P.J.
Moran Assistant Professor of Military History, the University of Notre
Dame
Solace Wales contributes a remarkable, unique account which is not
available anywhere else. . . Because of her gracious literary style, she
vividly captures the ways in which the African American soldiers and the
Italians of Sommocolonia's lives became intertwined. The book breaks new
ground. Carolyn Ross Johnston, author of My Father's War: Fighting
with the Buffalo Soldiers in World War II
