Peter B. Gawenda
Peter Bodo Gawenda completed the German Air Force Academy and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the German Air Force. He advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel and became a member of the German General Staff, spending an administrative assignment in the prestigious Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr (Leadership Academy for German and Foreign Military and Civilians earmarked for high leadership positions) in Hamburg. He spent time in France, Holland, and Denmark and left the German military in 1981, immigrating to Texas with his family. His daughter lives in Dallas, Texas, with her family, and his son lives in Brownsville, Texas, with his family. Peter completed his education with a master's in international relations and a doctorate in education. He served as one of the vice presidents of the University of Texas at Brownsville.
This touching, true story of author Peter Gawenda and his wife Irma travels through time to catalog the start of their journey in love. It is the perfect example of what joys a marriage of people from two completely different worlds can create. Irma’s Story celebrates the strength of a decades-long, once-in-a-lifetime love.
"Always remember today's date," her grandmother said to Irma. "El diez de Mayo"-the tenth of May. After World War II, Peter, a handsome German pilot, met Irma, a beautiful Texan woman of Hispanic descent. It was love at first sight. Their meeting had been prophesized-for Irma by her grandmother and for Peter by a Gypsy-and together the couple would create an extraordinary life. Irma's Story: American by Birth, Hispanic by Choice chronicles Irma's life and the experiences of the "Texan Gawendas" during their tenure in the German military in Europe and the United States. Though Irma, accepted as an American while in Europe, faced discrimination in her home country and contended with the challenges of being a military wife, Peter's love and companionship remained constant. In his second book, Peter B. Gawenda, author of The Children's War, offers readers an insider's view of the joys that the marriage of two people-from two completely different worlds-can bring. Presenting the dynamics of racial issues against the backdrop of military life, the captivating story of Irma Lozano de Gawenda depicts a fearless, fiercely loyal woman willing to do anything for her family. Written with a passion that has spanned five decades, Irma's Story celebrates the strength of an once-in-a-lifetime love.
Books by Peter B. Gawenda
Born in the Third Reich under Hitler, Gawenda, through a child's point of view, shares his family's heartbreak, joy, humor, and cunning during the days in Oberglogau before their desperate flight from Russian conquerors to safety in Bavaria. The Children’s War shows the perseverance family in the face of war and conflict.
Peter and his brothers saw the war not as military or national history, but as the adventure of everyday living. They experienced bombs dropping, soldiers occupying their home, and prisoners of war marching through the streets-all of which seemed like mere intrusions to their childhood existence. They not only survived, but thrived, during The Children's War. The strength of family ties carried the Gawenda boys through the War and shaped the author's perspective, making The Children's War an uplifting reading experience. Gawenda draws on his childhood in Germany during WWII to reflect the impact the war had on children. Born in the Third Reich under Hitler, Gawenda, through a child's point of view, shares his family's heartbreak, joy, humor, and cunning during their days in Oberglogau before their desperate flight from Russian conquerors to safety in Bavaria.