Colorado Springs veteran becomes author, teaching others about World War II

Nick Cressy insists every veteran’s story is unique.

“There’s a million stories from World War II. Everyone has a story, I have a story,” Cressy said.

World War II has always been a fascination of his, partially because of a family tie.

Decades ago when he started his military service he was compelled to learn more about his uncle.

“I wanted them to make sure they remember him for what he went through,” Cressy said.

So he visited the National Archives in Washington, D.C., researched online, and eventually found mission reports and crew rosters. Then he started piecing it all together.

And his personal motivation turned professional.

The Army veteran became an author, wanting to teach others about history.

He especially focused on his uncle’s 44th mission as a bomb group overseas in the U.S. Army Air Force.

“I wanted to find out what he did, where he trained, how he got overseas, what missions he flew on, the experience of those missions,” Cressy said. “And document what I could, how he spent his last days.”

It led to his book, “Back from 44.” He wrote it from the perspective of his uncle using the documents he found, as the crew struggled to get back to their base in a crippled B-26.

Admittedly, this was personal for Cressy. But he hopes it’s part of a growing appreciation for military history.

“You never forget your friends and what others went through. You just don’t want others to forget that sacrifice,” he said.

The book is available online and Cressy has a dedicated Facebook page to military history.