Born on September 7, 1920, in the small town of Leesburg, Florida, James Ramsey Golden would live through both the Great Depression and WWII, arguably two of the most impactful events that shaped the United States we know today.
Golden served in World War II as a fighter pilot, and after parachuting out of his damaged airplane on D-Day, he spent eleven months as a German prisoner of war at the infamous Stalag Luft III. While surviving the trials of warand flourishing afterwardmight be considered sufficient for one lifetime, Golden's path would take him through many more pivotal events of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The tumultuousness South of the 1960s, adding the country's 50th state, hosting ambassadors, befriending future president Jimmy Carter, and being among the first Americans invited to China in the late 1970s are but a few.
Through it all, James Golden remained a kind and genuine man who loved family and country, grateful forand a bit bemused byhow his life unfolded. In the warm and friendly pages of Missing in Action Over Frances: A Life Well Lived, Golden takes you on his life's storysometimes alarming, sometimes powerful, often humorous, and always interesting.
About the Author
James R. Golden was born in Florida in 1920, and he married shortly before heading to England to serve in World War II as a fighter pilot. Golden spent the last part of the war as a German POW, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Prisoner of War Medal. After the war, Golden served on Capitol Hill for ten years as a legislative attorney and worked to obtain statehood for Alaska.
Following his government service, Golden joined the Ford Motor Company where he would become Director of International Governmental Affairs and accompany Henry Ford II to China in 1978. Over his career, Golden traveled all over the world and became lifelong friends with President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. After "retirement" in the mid-1980's, Golden was highly sought after as a consultant and continued to be active well into his eighties. He died on December 14, 2011, at age 91 and was inurned at Arlington National Cemetery.
Christie Golden is the youngest daughter of James R. Golden. She is an award-winning author of over sixty books and has appeared on The New York Times Bestseller list. Proud and grateful to be Golden's daughter, she thinks of herself as more of a steward of his memoirs than an editor. She is pleased that his story can now be enjoyed by readers beyond friends and family.