On the Bookshelf: Ralph Manley's WWII experiences shape his attitude

Now he’s taken on yet another role – as author of his autobiography, “The Sky is the Limit.”

Autobiographies by civic figures tend to be less engaging than self-congratulatory, and as a rule we’d rather eat a bug than read another one. With Manley, however, we couldn’t help ourselves. We knew a bit about the man and also thought that his making a parachute jump in 2005 at age 82 warranted a much closer look.

Our curiosity was rewarded. As the book recounts, Manley as a paratrooper in World War II fought in the D-Day invasion of France, the Battle of Bastogne in Belgium, and in campaigns from Holland into Germany. This is the heart of the book, and the result is not only highly readable, but riveting.

Manley and his fellow paratroopers were charged with jumping into enemy territory and destroying railroad lines, roads, bridges, pillboxes, tanks and anything else they could in order to stop the Nazis.

In a straightforward first-person narrative, he says, “The Germans were fighting to take over lands and enslave people. We were fighting because we knew after England, America would be next. ... We didn’t want to lose our families and our homes.”

The book is not for the timid, as Manley pulls few, if any, punches: “A buddy named Porter was hit by shrapnel, all in the stomach, cutting his stomach open … . What a horrible sight! And he said, ‘Manley, can you help me? Can you help me?’ Immediately I took the morphine supplied in my first aid kit. That was the first thing we always did, unless we could find a medic, and we couldn’t find a medic there, so we gave him a shot of morphine and put the intestines back in, and said, ‘You’re covered! We’re going to get you through this!’ and so on, but of course we didn’t; he bled to death.

“We hated to see those things, but it just let us know how fragile life is. How appreciative I am, still, for each moment of each hour of each day, not knowing how long I’m going to be here, but thankful that I am, because of having seen those guys get killed.”

Manley tells of the residual effects of war: “I had to make a transition back, from a killer to a student and to who I really was, and it took a while to do that. ... As a matter of fact, it took me 10 years to be able to sleep soundly at night. Every little wind blowing a limb or a leaf, or rattling against a screen, would keep me awake and ready to be alert. I’d have to check and make sure everything was all right before I could go back to sleep.”

Adversity, it’s said, bears sweet fruit, and Manley’s gratitude and appreciation for being alive proceeded to inform and energize a truly remarkable life.

Manley’s homecoming and hitching a ride to Springfield are touching, as are many passages in the book. It also has its humor, as when he explains that he chose the paratroopers because the Navy uniform’s 13 buttons in front were inconvenient restroom-wise and the Marine uniforms had no hip pockets.

“The Sky is the Limit” isn’t about war alone. It also tells of Manley’s early life and his astonishing list of achievements after the war, not the least of which has been building more than 2,000 houses, teaching for 20 years, and raising a family of three daughters with his wife, Jayne. He also provides a good deal of heartfelt advice on how to succeed in business, and in life. (Manley still works in his real estate business today, in addition to making 150 speaking engagements yearly, serving on the Springfield City Council, and his philanthropic activities.)

“The Sky is the Limit” is Manley’s story as told to writer Susie Knust, who deserves credit for preserving his voice throughout.

The book seems especially relevant now, with America at war in Iraq. It’s likely to be relevant forever, as a vivid account of a Missouri farm boy who found himself fighting for his life and the lives of his countrymen and emerged an enlightened man deeply committed to doing good for all. As Ralph Manley puts it today, and as his deeds in the community attest, “Everybody is important.”

“The Sky is the Limit”

The book is available for $15 plus $5 shipping from Birch Creek Publishing, PO Box 777, Marshfield, MO 65706, (417) 859-6061; for $15 from Manley’s Springfield office, (417) 889-5909; and from Borders Books, 3300 S. Glenstone Ave., (417) 881-4111.[[In-content Ad]]