David Schwind is another special guest author who will be attending to present his new book “Blue Seas, Red Stars, Soviet Military Medals to U.S. Sea Service Recipients in World War II”. At the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union decorated 217 men of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine who had performed “heroic acts” during convoy and anti-submarine duties in the Atlantic. For the last decade, David Schwind has made it his mission to identify and track down every remaining medal and capture the stories of these brave men. This book is the culmination of that quest. Based on extensive archival research and in-person interviews with over 100 recipients or their families, Schwind takes the reader on a photographic and biographical odyssey exploring the lives of each recipient, illuminated by over 600 never before published photographs of exceptionally rare Soviet and American medals, photographs, and related documents still in the possession of the veterans and their families today. Schwind spent 13 years as a U.S. Navy officer, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander and serving in Japan, Maryland, and Virginia. Prior to joining the Navy, he worked in Russia for the RIA News Agency and for the Moscow Department of Education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Regents College, SUNY, and holds master’s degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College.
