Flint Whitlock is an award-winning writer and historian who has authored or co-authored 16 books and scores of published magazine articles on topics mostly related to American military history. After serving in the Army,  he worked as public relations director for the Denver Dynamos of the now-defunct North American Soccer League, and later as a copywriter, art director, and creative director for several major Colorado advertising agencies. He lives in Denver with his wife, Dr. Mary Ann Watson, a clinical psychologist and retired professor of psychology at Metropolitan State College of Denver. 

SunLit: Tell us this book’s backstory. What inspired you to write it? Where did the story/theme originate?  

Flint Whitlock: Because of my interest and involvement in soccer (I played in college and in West Germany when I was stationed there with the U.S. Army in the 1960s), I met German-born Dr. G.K. “Joe” Guennel, the “father of Colorado soccer,” when I moved to Colorado Springs in the early 1970s.  We subsequently became good friends after I moved to Denver to become the public relations director for the Denver Dynamos, Colorado’s first professional soccer team.

Near the end of his life, Joe gave me his writings, artwork, and photographs in hopes that I could complete his autobiography during his lifetime. Sadly, that did not happen as he died in 2013 and the book, “Life Is A Game,” was not published until 2022.

The excerpt I have chosen was written by Joe after he had been drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and was stationed at the University of Missouri as a member of the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). 

SunLit: Place this excerpt in context. How does it fit into the book as a whole? Why did you select it?

Whitlock: The book has four main parts. The first is about Joe’s life growing up in Germany (he was born in 1920) and then living through the first three years of the Nazi regime, when life became more and more precarious. 

The second part is about Joe coming to the U.S. and becoming “Americanized” to the point that he gave up his love for soccer and became a baseball standout in high school.  He was drafted into the U.S. Army and, because German was his native language, was assigned to a prisoner-of-war interrogation team.

UNDERWRITTEN BY

Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.

The third part is about his experiences in World War II—traveling with infantry units and interrogating POWs. After the war, he was called upon to interrogate high-ranking generals and Nazi officials prior to their going on trial for war crimes.

The fourth covers his post-war life and his intense drive to introduce soccer to as many people as possible—starting out with the boys and girls of Colorado.

SunLit: Tell us about creating this book. What influences and/or experiences informed the project before you sat down to write? 

Whitlock: I saw my role as confidant and editor of Joe’s original manuscript. Because of our 50-year-long friendship, mutual love of soccer, and deep interest in World War II, I wanted to do his work justice. Oftentimes his memoirs, which were written over a period of many years, would have incomplete or contradictory information, so I would need to do research and, as much as possible, try to determine which of the conflicting versions were the most accurate. Since he was no longer alive to consult with, this became quite a challenge.

SunLit: Are there lessons you take away from each experience of writing a book? And if so, what did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding of your craft and/or the subject matter?  

Whitlock: This was my 15th book; each one presents new and different challenges. In many ways, this book was one of the easiest, because I was basically just editing what someone else had written.  It was also difficult because, as I mentioned, Joe was no longer around to help me interpret what he had written or get further clarification and detail.

It was also my task to fill in gaps for readers not familiar with the history of World War II; hence the several timelines included in the book that give context to what was going on during the war during the time period covered by the book—the “big picture,” so to speak. But I love these sorts of challenges!

SunLit: If you could pick just one thing – a theme, lesson, emotion or realization — that readers would take from this book, what would that be?

Whitlock:  I think it would be how driven Joe was to succeed at whatever he set out to do — whether it was to be a student, an athlete, a scholar, an artist, an interrogator of POWs, a paleobotanist, or his life’s calling—to become the “Johnny Appleseed of soccer” and spread his love of the game (still in its infancy in the U.S. by the time he began his journey) far and wide.

“Life Is A Game”

>> Read an excerpt

Where to find it:

SunLit present new excerpts from some of the best Colorado authors that not only spin engaging narratives but also illuminate who we are as a community. Read more.

SunLit: In a highly politicized atmosphere where books, and people’s access to them, has become increasingly contentious, what would you add to the conversation about books, libraries and generally the availability of literature in the public sphere?  

Whitlock: The current politicized environment is very frightening. I’m sure that if Joe were still alive, he would look back on his early life in Nazi Germany and equate the book banning that is currently going on in parts of the U.S. as being frighteningly similar to the book burning that went on in the 1930s. I would agree.

SunLit: Walk us through your writing process: Where and how do you write?

Whitlock: When I’m involved in a writing project—whether it be a book, an article, or editing my magazine (“WWII Quarterly,” published in Virginia), I generally go down to my writing suite in the lower level of my house in the morning and put in several solid hours of uninterrupted (if possible) work. I also have a large home library with a thousand or more books, mostly on World War II, that I use for research (in addition to the internet, an incredibly valuable tool).

I’ve often had two books going at the same time; if I get bogged down on one, then I shift to the other.

SunLit: Why is military history so interesting to you? 

Whitlock: It has everything that good literature should have – heroes, villains, bravery, cowardice, action, tragedy, suspense, exotic locations, and sometimes even romance. 

SunLit: Tell us about your next project.  

Whitlock: My next project is already underway — a history of Colorado’s contributions to victory in World War II.

Quick hits: A quirky collection of questions

SunLit: Do you look forward to the actual work of writing or is it a chore that you dread but must do to achieve good things?  

Whitlock: Never a chore as long as the words are flowing. I like the research part (especially actually visiting the places where the story took place) as much as the writing.

SunLit: What’s the first piece of writing – at any age – that you remember being proud of?  

Whitlock: I wrote a poem in 7th or 8th grade titled “Ode to a Bedstead” – it was so good that my teacher thought I had plagiarized it!

SunLit: When you look back at your early professional writing, how do you feel about it? Impressed? Embarrassed? Satisfied? Wish you could have a do-over?  

Whitlock: I sometimes re-read some of my books and surprise myself with how good they are – like reading someone else’s work.  (“Did I actually write this?”)  Sorry to brag.

SunLit: What three writers, from any era, can you imagine having over for a great discussion about literature and writing? And why?  

Whitlock: Wow, good question.  I think I would like to sit down with Joseph Heller, William Manchester, and Philip Roth (and maybe a fourth — Tom Wolfe) and just listen to them talk. I just admire their work greatly and have learned so much about writing from reading their works.

SunLit: Do you have a favorite quote about writing?

Whitlock: I don’t recall who said it, but probably my favorite is: “The secret to good writing is re-writing. After you’ve written what you think is the greatest sentence or paragraph ever written, put it away for a week or two then re-read it. You’ll change your opinion. More importantly, you’ll see what’s wrong and will be able to fix it.”  

SunLit: What does the current collection of books on your home shelves tell visitors about you?  

Whitlock: That I’m nuts about military history.

SunLit: Soundtrack or silence? What’s the audio background that helps you write?  

Whitlock: I always have classical music (but not opera) on in the background. Can’t stand silence.

SunLit: What event, and at what age, convinced you that you wanted to be a writer?

Whitlock:  I couldn’t decide whether to be an artist or a writer, so I became both.  Haven’t painted since the 1980s, though; writing is less physically taxing and you don’t get paint on your clothes.

SunLit: As an author, what do you most fear? 

Whitlock: That someone will say that I got some fact wrong.

SunLit: Also as an author, what brings you the greatest satisfaction?  

Whitlock: Awards and recognition are nice, but I most like receiving letters or emails from people who say that my writing touched them in some way. I once had a reader who thanked me for “giving us our father back.” The story is too long to go into here, but if you want to chat about it…