Drew Neville's father didn't like to talk about his World War II experiences with the revered 45th Infantry Division, which included the heroic battle against overwhelming German forces at Anzio.

Jack Neville's son learned much of what he memorialized in his new book, Jack's 45th, through researching the lives of his father and his mother, Leota, who worked in a defense plant, and their Great Generation.

"I've always had a real keen interest in World War II and American history," Drew said. "My dad fought all 511 days of combat with the 45th Infantry Division, and lived to tell about it. But I never could get him to talk about it. "

He said men like his father may have seen too much horror and death.

"That chapter of their life was over," Drew said. "They didn't want to relive it."

Jack died in 1998, Leota in 2000.

Going through their home to clean things out, Drew found two scrapbooks his mother had kept of newspaper articles detailing the 45th's movements during the war.

"I saw those scrapbooks and I said, 'You know, I've got to do something,'" he said. "I said, 'I just need tell this story. '"

Drew said what he learned about his father and the 45th is a real-life lesson for today.

"They didn't care about race, color or creed," he said. "Although we had a segregated Army in those times, there were blacks in the 45th Infantry Division. "

He said it also included men of Jewish, Irish, Catholic and other diverse heritages and faiths, and backgrounds ranging from coal miners to bankers and lawyers.

"All they cared about was getting the job done," Drew said. "Of course, a lot of that was motivated out of the fact that they were trying to stay alive. "

Jack Neville came from a large farming family in Adair, in northeastern Oklahoma. They also owned a general store, which was lost during the Great Depression. The family had to split up, part to Missouri, part to Oklahoma City.

Jack went to war six months after he and Leota married. She lived with her parents during the war, and worked at the Douglas Aircraft plant at Tinker Air Force Base along with hundreds of other women.

"They went to work to assume the men's role during the period of time that they were gone," Drew said. "I think a great lesson is learned about how they dealt with that."

That didn't include whining about their lot in life or wartime deprivations.

"I think lost in a lot of World War II history is the fact that the women of America took care of America in the war years," Drew said. "They were the backbone of the work force. They were the backbone of fundraising for the war, when there were war-bond drives. "

At Anzio in February 1944, Drew said, the 45th was surrounded by 10 German divisions and 200 tanks.

"They were outnumbered and literally had their backs to the Mediterranean Sea," he said.

Had the critical beachhead been lost, he said, the entire invasion of southern Europe could have failed.

On the last day of battle, Drew said, the division had to strip down its forces and put cooks, ordinance people and others on the front lines.

Sergeant Jack and his fellow soldiers dug in at a place known as the Overpass to hold the line, declining an opportunity to leave the beachhead.

"They beat the Germans back on Feb. 18, three times," said Drew, adding that the 45th played a critical role in the military operations that resulted in the later invasion at Normandy.

Jack was with division artillery.

Jack's 45th is complete with details of some of the sergeant's more colorful exploits.

"He got busted twice for drunk and disorderly," Drew said. "I think he stole a jeep when he was drunk once. "

Drew also pointed out that there were women in the service at Anzio and Salerno, serving as nurses. He said Anzio became the location of the military hospitals.

"They were in serious danger, because the Germans constantly shelled the beachhead," he said.

Drew, a partner in the Hartzog Conger Cason and Neville law firm, has written legal articles, but this was his first crack at a book.

"I think it's very hard to write," he said. "The difficulty of it is finding the time and keeping your focus, and kind of disciplining yourself to do it. "

The book started out as something for the family, but ended up being published by the Oklahoma Heritage Association.

"It was a real labor of love," Drew said. "I thoroughly enjoyed it. "