Volume 8

A writer, Wouk had a varied career: he wrote gags for radio star Fred Allen, wrote ads for war bonds for the U.S. government during World War II while serving in the Navy, and co-wrote a musical with pop singer Jimmy Buffett. But he’s best known for his historical fiction, coming to prominence with The … Read more

In 1943, Begaye dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Marine Corps for World War II, and was put to work on an interesting assignment: Navajo-born servicemen got together in classes to develop a code to help the military communicate without their messages being intercepted. The Navajo language didn’t have military terms in … Read more

Born in London, Spooner’s father was the picture editor of the Daily Herald newspaper. He sometimes took her to work, where she met his staff photographers. Ned Spooner bought his daughter a camera from Woolworth’s for 5 shillings when she was 8 years old, and that directed her entire life: she became an avid photographer, and … Read more

Growing up poor, Henson took whatever jobs he could get: hairdresser, dishwasher, nightclub bouncer, trench digger, and a paratrooper in the British Army. In 1967 he finally found his calling when he was hired as a stunt man for the James Bond film Casino Royale. At least 100 movie stunt jobs followed, from five more James … Read more

Born in New York’s Brooklyn borough, Adler graduated from New York University with a degree in English literature. After a stint at New York newspapers, and as the Washington Correspondent for the Armed Forces Press Service during the Korean war, he owned four radio stations and a TV station, and then formed his own public … Read more

As a child in Dayton, Ohio, Cole would ride his bicycle a few miles to the Army Air Corps test base at McCook Field to watch the pilots, including the legendary Jimmy Doolittle — and, of course, decided he wanted to be one too. He also read about pilots, and pasted stories in a scrapbook: … Read more

Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, during World War II Bertony joined the French navy to study naval engineering at Saint-Tropez, and was recruited there into another job: spy. He was twice captured by the Nazis, but escaped both times, once by jumping off the train taking him to a concentration camp. General Charles … Read more

A photographer, Westcott spent most of his career working for one particular employer: the U.S. Government. His most notable assignment: he was the only employee allowed to have a camera within the tightly controlled town of Oak Ridge, Tenn., during the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb during World War II. They thought of … Read more

A photographer, Kaplan specialized in wildlife until something else caught his attention: the construction of the twin World Trade Center towers in New York City. Despite being afraid of heights as a youngster, in 1979 he accepted the challenge of going to the top of the north tower to photograph the installation of its 447-foot … Read more

As a boy, Thompson saw a movie about a riverboat gambler, and decided he wanted to be a cardsharp and started working on his skills. But “the truth began to dawn that no one wanted to play poker with a 12-year-old cardsharp,” he said later. But he already had developed some skills — especially palming … Read more