Mike and Lorain Kurlya were some of the first people I met when I was on assignment for Mens Journal magazine; I had no idea I was about to meet people who would change me-- our-- life, or that I would write In Harms Way. Mike passed away October 3, 2009; Lorain November 28. When we met in the lobby of the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis, I asked Mike how he had survived the sinking of this ship, and the story he told, standing next to Lorain, and surrounded by other survivors and their families, brought tears to his eyes and mine. The depth of the feeling was monumental and I wondered: How did he survive? And I learned that Mikes story was Lorains, too, as was true of all the wives and the families of these WWII veterans. I remember a lunch at the Union League Club in Chicago when Mike stood up to talk and the room was still, silent as the floor of the sea, yet warm and comforting. Do you know the courage it takes to admit ones fears, to describe ones hopes, to honestly claim who you are? In this journey Mike and Lorain alway seemed to stand side by side. Thank you, Lorain, for all the warmth you and Mike showed Anne and I, and my parents and my family.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 12:05:52 +0000