Bluebird in Belgium

The Daily Advance, Elizabeth City, NC ^ | April 2004 | MARJORIE BERRY

[meadsjn]

Luton’s 'Bluebird' takes wing

By MARJORIE BERRY

Local author John Luton wanted to tell the story of his father's life when writing "Bluebird in Belgium," but the novel also tells of the struggles we all face.

"Bluebird" is the first novel written by Luton, an assistant professor of mass communications at Elizabeth City State University. He will hold a book-signing on Wednesday at Page After Page Bookstore.

The bluebird of the novel’s title is John Elwood Luton, John Luton’s late father.

"My grandmother called him her bluebird," said Luton, "because of his vivid blue eyes."

Luton’s book recounts the Depression-era Weeksville of his father’s childhood. In that hard-scrabble world, life consisted of hard work and simple pleasures and family was everything.

"I wanted to tell my father’s story," John said. "It’s largely based on fact. But I had to fabricate some things, like conversations that took place long before I was born. I used some artistic license here and there."

Along with John's father, the book include John Elwood’s brothers Relfe and Earl, who both still live in Weeksville. Their sister, Thelma Luton James, wife of the late Senator Vernon James, passed away earlier this year. Another sister, Martha Luton Lingard, has lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for many years.

Earl Luton is featured prominently as John Elwood’s worshipful younger brother. The young Earl is a handful. By turns feisty and touchingly innocent, his character lends humor to the novel. In one scene he attempts to explain Easter to a Sunday School class, saying that, "Easter is when Jesus rose from the dead and walked right out of the tomb and scared everybody half to death."

A poignant moment occurs when 8-year-old Earl stands at the open grave of his mother and baby sister. He doesn’t understand the tradition of mourners tossing clods of earth onto the casket, and turns to his big brother in horror: "Oh, John Elwood! They’re throwing dirt on our mama and little sister. Make ‘em stop! Make ‘em stop!"

Luton’s prose is clear and descriptive. He foreshadows events with a light touch. It is a novel about both the pain of loss and the good found in humanity.

In the book, 1940’s Weeksville is juxtaposed with the killing fields of Europe as John Elwood enters World War II. He looks death in the face as his comrades are killed, and he learns that he, too, has the capacity to kill. When his best buddy is picked off by a sniper’s bullet, he again feels the ache of loss.

And on a frozen night in Belgium in 1944, John Elwood experiences grace through a local family. He is within an inch of freezing to death when they take him into their home.

"If Daddy had gone to the house next door, he would have been turned in to the Nazis," says Luton. "The family next door was German."

The village was Malmedy, Belgium. The family’s name was Ducomble.

"I could spout those names before I was old enough to read," said Luton. "I had heard the story so often, it was larger than life to me."

A strong bond of friendship reached across a wide ocean after the war ended. John Elwood corresponded with the French-speaking Ducombles and hoped to return to Malmedy one day.

That day came in 1973.

"I had just finished ninth grade and had one year of high school French under my belt," said Luton. "And my daddy said, ‘John, you can speak enough French to get by. We’re going to Belgium.’"

The trip was magical. The village lauded John Elwood as a hero and welcomed his family with open arms. Luton knew the trip was cathartic for his father.

"When I looked in Daddy’s blue eyes, I knew he was seeing the sights and hearing the sounds of Malmedy 30 years before," said Luton.

Luton begins and ends "Bluebird in Belgium" with his father’s death of cancer in 1981. John Elwood was laid to rest beside his first wife, who died when Luton was three years old.

The book ends with Luton standing at his father’s grave. There he forms the question that is the crux of the novel:

"Would there ever be enough good to outweigh the bad we all have to encounter?"

Luton looks into the eyes of his young son, another blue-eyed John Luton, and knows the answer is "yes."

"Bluebird in Belgium" is not just about the blessing of friendship, or even the bonds of family. It is about life itself — struggled for, and worth the struggle.

---

Regent University News

REGENT HOME

Regent alum wins award for novel, "Bluebird in Belgium" by Andrea D. Hicks March 5, 2004

BACK TO NEWS & PR SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND   Signup to receive Regent News Headlines! E-mail Address:

John Luton and his wife, Cheryl VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.—Dr. John Luton, a Regent University School of Communication & the Arts alum, recently won an editor’s choice award from iUniverse, Inc. for his first novel, “Bluebird in Belgium.” According to iUniverse.com, “Bluebird in Belgium is a heartwarming tale of childhood innocence, the love of family, and a search for meaningful existence during war and peace.  It is also a tale of joyful encounters, painful separations and the miracle of memory.” Luton, who grew up captivated by his father’s childhood and wartime adventures, decided to preserve those memories in a book.  “Bluebird in Belgium,” which takes place in Elizabeth City, NC and Belgium, is a fictionalized account of John Elwood Luton’s life. “Daddy encountered…tragedies during this life, but his faith in God, and the love of family, continued to keep him centered,” Luton said.  “Although daddy’s been gone for more than 24 year, his stories fill my heart and mind--and his wonderful Christian example continues to inspire us.” The narrative begins with John Elwood’s death during the blizzard of 1980. From this point, the story unfolds through the miracle of memory.  John Elwood, who was nicknamed “bluebird” by his mother for his beautiful blue eyes, was a North Carolina native who joined the U.S. Army to fight during World War II.   The story follows the “bluebird” and his adventures in Belgium during the 1944 “Battle of the Bulge.” Luton's award-winning book “While there, he is befriended by a wonderful Belgian family [the Ducomble’s] who help to preserve his life while unforgettably touching his heart,” Luton said.  At the end of “Bluebird in Belgium” the narrator returns to the starting point and tells how the experiences shaped the outlook for the future, Luton said. Please join Luton at on March 24 at Page After bookstore,  111 Water St., Elizabeth City, N.C. for his first book signing. “Bluebird in Belgium” can be also purchased from the publisher, iUniverse at www.iuniverse.com and will soon be available from all major online distributors, such as Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million.  Luton is a 2000 Ph.D. graduate in Communication Studies at Regent.  He currently serves as an associate professor of mass communication at Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, NC.  He and his wife, Cheryl, reside about three miles from the setting of most of his novel. <![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]> For more information about Regent University, call 1-800-373-5504 or visit www.regent.edu.  Also, be sure to sign up at www.regent.edu/news/signup to receive electronic news headlines from the Regent University Office of Public Relations.   | Back to Top |   PR/NEWS CONTACT: BAXTER ENNIS Director of Public Relations Phone (757) 226-4093 Fax (757) 226-4434 e-mail: bennis@regent.edu   Regent University © 2004 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 Toll Free: 800-373-5504, Phone: 757-226-4127, Fax: 757-226-4434 General Contact Email, Contact Webmaster

 

[meadsjn]

The World War II veteran depicted in Bluebird in Belgium was such a quiet, gentle man that few could have guessed his history during the war. John Elwood Luton fought in the North Africa campaigns and then shipped to England for the D-Day invasion, and continued through the Battle of the Bulge.

As a child, I knew him as a farmer, family man, and quiet-natured citizen, but only heard bits and pieces of his service during the war. Like most WW-II veterans in the area, he just came back home and lived a good life to the end. I am glad to hear that his son, John W., got his story down in writing.

[Support Free Republic]

Without your donations, Free Republic would be

Doomed!

Click the photo to see the FedEx ad. FedEx is not associated with Free Republic. It's just a darn cool ad.

And FR is a darn cool site. Please consider making a donation!.

[Travis McGee]

Yep, it's good to get these things down for posterity!

[meadsjn]

Any day now some enterprizing writer will probably start hitting the VFWs, American Legions, and nursing homes trying to collect stories from the few WW-II veterans left.
I'd bet there's still a lot of untold stories among them.

[jluton]

Thanks so much for the kind words entered in my father's behalf! This is a great site. I've just started exploring and I'm really glad you told me about it.

[meadsjn]

You're very welcome. If you ever get Earl's stories in print I'd have to get that one also.

[meadsjn]

John, the story is simply awesome, although I suspect there was much more that he never told anyone. The combat engineers had a tough job in those beach landings.