Granddaugher Memorializes Founder of The Stars and Stripes

Guy T. Viskniskki was the founder and first editor-in-chief of The Stars and Stripes, the newspaper for the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Virginia G. Vassallo is his granddaughter and based much of her book upon his unpublished memoirs and family history. This is a book that weaves the struggles to establish The Stars and Stripes with a portrait of the man who was dynamic enough to accomplish the task.

Dedicating her book to the grandfather she never knew, Virginia G. Vassallo has compiled the memoirs of Guy T. Viskniskki and unraveled the true story of how The Stars and Stripes began. It began as a search for the man she heard about, but never knew. It evolved into a book that exhibits her vast and intense pride in the grandfather who, not only fought in the Spanish-American War with Teddy Roosevelt, but enlisted in the First World War even though he was over the recruitment age. It took a letter from Roosevelt himself to overcome the age barrier and gain a place in the Army. Wishing to fight on the front lines and declining the Medal of Honor because he did not, Guy started the newspaper that lifted the spirits of thousands of men and is still in existence today.

The book is replete with the history of a true patriot who served his country, worked for William Randolph Hearst salvaging newspapers that were operating in the red, was a friend of Governor Thomas E. Dewey, started his own successful newspaper and yet, despite his many absences from home, enjoyed the love and devotion of a faithful, light-hearted wife. Many hilarious sidelights to the austere man of courage.

Virginia’s family hails back to the days of Jamestown, William Penn and the American Revolution and has a rich military history including two brothers, separated for years who found each other on a military battlefield during the Civil War. Not a moment of suspense or history will be lost to the readers who purchase this book. It is indeed a gem.

ORDERING INFO: Unsung Patriot can be ordered from GTVisk@msn.com, www.krazyduck.com,, www.Amazon.com, for $21.95 plus shipping/or free shipping.

. Discount information available to military personnel or installations.

Contact Information: Virginia G. Vassallo at GTVisk@msn.com or 606-787-2571, fax 606-787-8207, on the web at http://www.krazyduck.com . Price $21.95 ISBN 978-0-9776739-2-6.
Release date: Immediately