The first printing of Jeremy Ämick's latest book, "The Lucky Ones," sold out in less than two weeks.
Several of those sales went to the book's subject himself before he died recently.
Veteran Norbert Gerling had been sharing copies with the nurses and security guards at the Truman VA Medical Center in Columbia, as well as with family friends.
"That's a nice affirmation that he thought I did a good job of telling his story," Ämick said.
With a fresh set of the second printing, Ämick will be at Samuel's Tuxedos and Gifts in downtown Jefferson City from 10 a.m.-noon on Monday for a book signing. Gerling's family will be there, too.
During the several years Ämick spent researching the book and interviewing Gerling, they became close.
"He was my adopted grandfather," Ämick said. "I liked basking in the glow of his rural wisdom. He had a great memory."
During their talks, Gerling would share detailed memories of places, dates and events. Ämick said he particularly was pleased at how he could verify all of Gerling's stories with other sources.
Ämick first met Gerling for one of his more than 450 articles he has written on local veterans for the Jefferson City News Tribune and the Silver Star Families of America. Every veteran's story has its own value, but Gerling's grabbed Ämick's attention, he said.
Soon, Ämick had written three newspaper stories on Gerling. That's when he knew he needed to write this book.
Gerling was one of the first Cole Countians drafted into World War II, even two months before the Pearl Harbor attack. The Eugene farmer crossed 1,200 miles of Europe in the bowels of a Hellcat tank as its gunner.
Not all of his stories were of "bloody combat," Ämick stressed. Gerling remembered rigging the radio to listen to the World Series and other slice-of-life moments from the field.
"This is the stuff you hear about in school or read about in a history book, and you never think you'll meet somebody who was actually there," Ämick said.
This 140-page book has gone from a story to a tribute.
"It's the work I'm most proud of thus far," Ämick said.
The project also emphasized the urgency in recording these World War II stories while the veterans are still alive.
Ämick has pushed back what was to be his next project on Missouri's involvement with the Spanish-American War. Instead, he will begin his research and interviews with Tipton native Jim Shipley, who was a mechanic for the Tuskegee Airmen.
"His story is unique because he was enlisted and he was a mechanic," Ämick said. "Most of what we hear about Tuskegee Airmen were from pilots."