Larry Linderman
With a few exceptions, our Roundtable presentations have centered on a specific event in World War II. For example, the attack on Pearl Harbor or the Battle of the Bulge or the use of the atomic bombs against Japan, etc. From time to time, members have asked me why no one has covered a larger scope of the war so that those not familiar with the history of unfolding events could get a better grasp of how the war proceeded from near-defeat to victory on two fronts for the U.S. and her allies.
Which brings me to my Roundtable talk, which will be on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at 1 p.m. in the DesertView Theater. I will present a timetable of sorts, touching on events that led up to the war, the progress of the war, major events that influenced the war’s outcome, the leaders on all sides, and happenings affecting the Home Front. I’ll also touch on Holocaust atrocities, Hitler’s biggest mistake, Hollywood heroes and zeros, civil rights and the war, and more. Obviously, I have a limited time, so this talk will be a mile wide and an inch deep.
So, what’s the reason I’m doing this? I’ve always said that the Roundtable’s best speakers were home-grown, right out of SaddleBrooke. I am hoping my presentation will stir folks in the audience to say: Hey, my dad was involved in such and such battle, or my uncle worked on the atomic bomb, or my mother often told me how her mom struggled to provide her family with nutritious meals in an era of rationing.
So, I hope to see you on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. in the DesertView Theater.