I just finished reading Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot, Bruce and Andrea Leiningers’ (with Ken Gross) account of their son, James’s, experience with the reemergence of WWII Navy Lieutenant (junior grade) James McCready Huston Jr’s soul. It brought tears to my eyes.
On the first of May, 2000, when James Leininger was barely two years old, he began having nightmares that caused him to kick and scream into the night. Little did the Leiningers realize that in their quest to be good parents and try to quell these episodes that they would break open a whole new world of hurt to some of their long-held and rock steady beliefs. What they discovered was that their young, two-year-old son was the reincarnation of the abovementioned WWII fighter pilot.
There’s no “seems to be” modification of “was the reincarnation of” here. Even the staunchly religious Bruce had to modify his view of the afterlife.
There will always be those who disbelieve something…ready to take issue with pretty much anything…and after having read this 256-page book, and the Leiningers’ intense six-year investigative journey, I would love to say that the only ones who do not see the obvious are those who are rigidly close minded…but I pull back on that statement. I suppose there could be any number of reasons why one does not believe what the Leiningers went through to be real. I suppose fear and apprehension could be one, resistance to change, another. Sheer surprise, and the need to internally and spiritually assimilate? Possession of a mental construct that simple does not allow such a structure to intrude? Sometimes the most obvious is the answer. This book is powerful and moving. It details things that a child of two or three or four or five or six years of age has no possible way of knowing—I don’t care what all the skeptics rant and rave about. Skeptics, by definition, question everything. “Investigating” everything and “questioning” everything are two very different things. This book details an incredible trail of facts and events that should give everyone hope that there’s more beyond this world than “meets the eye.” All before he was six years of age, the following samples of behavior were exhibited by James:
—Shouting “Airplane crash! Plane on fire! Little man can’t get out!” over and over at two or three years of age.
—Knocking the props off every toy airplane he was ever given.
—Insisting on familiarity with Corsair aircraft.
—Signed his name as “James 3” on all his drawings, which were of aircraft strafing and bombing runs.
—Mimicked the act of putting on a leather flight helmet before he’d ever seen one (in this life).
—While still in diapers, corrected his mother about what she thought was a “bomb” was actually a “drop tank.”
—Naming the G.I. Joes he got the names of dead friends of James McCready Huston Jr.; G.I. Joes that also just “happened” to look like these dead men.
—Correcting documentaries about incorrectly identifying a Japanese aircraft being shot down as a “Zero,” when it was really a “Tony.”
These are just some of the actions James exhibited on his way to six years of age.
Everything comes and goes to and from somewhere. Soul Survivor gives us yet another peak behind the veil of death, and it is nearly exact in structure to Jenny Cockell, and her re-experiencing of another life she lived as Mary Sutton, in early 20th-century Ireland. She, too wrote a book (a couple in fact), titled, Across Time and Death: A Mother’s Search for her Past Life Children. In Jenny’s youth, she, too, had been assaulted by intense images she could never get out of her head…images of a bay, children, an abusive husband—drew pictures as well—and one day, she, too, took matters into her own hands and did some research. Even revisited her own children from that life, who were still around, though well into their eighties! I very well remember hearing about both Jenny and James over the years, and was absolutely captivated by them. I’ve always believed in past lives, and have had my own experiences, one of which is detailed on my website, but reading and hearing about them always powerfully affects me. I’ve even written a novel manuscript about a severe case of what I call, “reincarnational angst.” Heck, Ray Bradbury has even spoken about meeting a magician, a Mr. Electrico, at a carnival when he was a kid in 1932. This magician told Mr. Bradbury that he (Ray) was the reincarnation of his best friend, who had literally died in his arms in the Battle of the Ardennes, in 1918.
So, there are many people out there who have had similar experiences—perhaps not as intricately detailed—but experiences, nonetheless. It is curious, however, that the above detailed existences all involved violence. Perhaps there is something to be said for that? The emotion at work “at the end”? So, the work of Bruce, Andrea, and Ken Gross is to be lauded. They put in the footwork. The blood, the sweat, the tears. Had a powerful experience to relate.
One passage, of Soul Survivor, on page 217, was of the last person to ever see Lt (j.g.) James McCready Huston Jr. alive, Mr. John Richardson, a gunner on a TBM Avenger during the same bombing run on Futami Ko, Chichi-Jima. His description of that moment really struck me, because I could really, really picture that moment. Mr. Richardson related how he’d seen Huston flying alongside his own plane, about 30 yards away, and how, at one point, Huston had turned to look him directly in the eyes, and how there’d been a connection…and in the next moment, Huston’s plane had been hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he went down in flames to his death.
Now as moving and poignant as all the above is, I was even more curious about areas that were not better explored—or at least questioned. But it is understandable, given any number of reasons, from simply being overwhelmed with the surface issues being addressed above, or a publisher’s need to fit a book to a useable size and format, given budgets, etc.:
—I wondered if Bruce and Andrea had ever given any thought to their own reincarnational existences. Had they ever had any inklings or odd thought intruding that they tended to ignore and brush aside? Any that might have been even somewhat related to what was unfolding before them?
—The “finding” of Bruce and Andrea as his parents, at the “Big Pink Hotel,” in Hawai’i, before James was born into the Leininger family. It would have been fascinating to learn more about the soul at that point in time, had a little more coaxing been involved. Why had James picked them? What was it like at that point in his journey back to physical life? Why had James picked this time period? Why did he come back? Did he meet any of his dead brethren while in-between lives?
—Was he aware of any kind of “Oversoul” guiding him in his journey to return to physical existence?
To me these would have also been some exciting avenues to pursue, but perhaps things were just overshadowed by the current life experiences and dealing with James’s activity.
But I loved this book. It was riveting and powerful. Put a smile on my face more than once and a tear in my eyes. I would love to read this book again. Like the Civil War, WWII is an crucial, affecting period for me. I can’t say enough about this book (but should finish up this post!)—it will have you thinking about things differently if you don’t already. Like their website says, this book challenges traditionally held beliefs about the afterlife.
Go ahead, crack its cover. I dare you.
Donnell says
Frank, thanks for this reference. and what a great review. I’ll check it out.
fpdorchak says
Donnell–please DO! I really want to push this book, the Leiningers really did an outstanding job in ferreting out the information they found. I’d love to see their efforts rewarded.
Thanks for stopping by, Donnell! :-]
Bruce Leininger says
I appreciate your passion about our book and have asked questions I did not ask. The journey of discovery about what James told us was one of many fits and starts. It was like putting together a jig-saw puzzle without the picture on the box. Along the way when pieces were found we did not exactly know where they fit.
The realization of what happened when the pieces all fell into place also took some time to sink in. So, I hope you understand why so of the now obvious questions you raise were never asked.
On the other hand, my wife Andrea thought I was nuts or maybe a slow learner. She was already at the destination I struggled to reach. It became increasingly difficult to push for more. For instance, that plane still rests at the bottom of Futami Ko. The last remaining physical piece lies there unconfirmed. I have the bureau no. of the aircraft. Wouldn’t it be thrilling to dive to the aircraft to verify that the cockpit is jammed shut?
My dear wife would shoot me.
I want to reaffirm how much I appreciate what you have written. It is humbling to read how our story has touched you.
Bruce Leininger
fpdorchak says
Mr. Leininger:
Thank you.
I was impressed with your work and thoroughness in the investigation this experience. I do not slight you in any way—it was just the direction my thinking went (I do think about this kind of stuff more than the average person, I think)—but, once I thought about THAT…it was obvious why those areas were not pursued. I hold nothing against you or anyone else. You investigated the uncomfortable, you put reason—and your beliefs—to the test. You found things that simply could NOT be explained away nor swept under a rug. Facts…are facts. And you attacked it all, head on. I am extremely impressed with how you handled this, and yes, I would love to dive that wreck and see what exists—but whether or not the cockpit is still jammed would just be one more “data point.” It could have become unstuck over the years from corrosion? I don’t know. But last I knew from diving, such is the law surrounding watery graves—to leave them undisturbed. And…we can only handle so much at one time—like you say, you certainly had your hands full! Sometimes we don’t even know the questions to ask with the variables presented. Totally understandable. I hope this new-found understanding helps you in other areas that might arise from this experience.
Mr. Leininger, thank for taking the time to read and respond to my post. I hope to someday meet all of you. I also hope you are no longer having employment issues and things are “right” in that department! I hope your book is doing well, and I’ll certainly do my best in promoting it!
F. P. Dorchak
Margaret Y. says
Thanks for sharing your reading with us!
fpdorchak says
Margaret, I hope you get a chance to read this book, if you haven’t already. It should at least raise an eyebrow or two! Thanks for stopping by! :-]
CHRISTIAN says
Ever read “Walter’s Purple Heart” by Catherine Ryan Hyde? It deals with the subject of reincarnation in a most-interesting and fictional way. Good stuff!
fpdorchak says
No, have not read it (see link, at http://www.amazon.com/Walters-Purple-Heart-Catherine-Ryan/dp/0684867230/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262367402&sr=1-1). Sounds interesting. Curiously, I haven’t read a lot of reincarnational FICTION, though have seen a handful of movies and TV shows on the subject. Seems I’m always and usually spending so much time on RESEARCH reading for my own manuscripts!
One a these days….
Thanks for stopping by!