Like many young men during World War II, John Denkler wanted to serve his country. Enlisting in the navy's flight training program, Denkler was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended.
WWII's sudden conclusion didn't prevent Denkler from serving. He spent three years flying from aircraft carriers as part of an anti-submarine squadron, although his main contribution would be intellectual.
Noticing Denkler's aptitude for puzzle-solving, the navy ordered the young man to learn Russian to become a code-breaker. For the remainder of his thirty-year military career Denkler lived in the shadowy world of cryptology, intercepting and deciphering coded messages.
Denkler's greatest challenge, however, came after retirement. As his wife's Alzheimer's disease worsened, Denkler refused to have her institutionalized. In spite of his own physical problems he honored a promise: that he would stay by her side.
By turns uplifting and somber, humorous and heart-wrenching, Beyond Buntyn chronicles one man's extraordinary life and dedication.
About the Author: The father of six children, John Denkler grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Eager to serve his country, he joined the US Navy at age seventeen, to train for the expected invasion of Japan. The war ended with Denkler still in the aviator training pipeline.
After a thirty-year naval career, Denkler worked as a senior member of the Federal Reserve Board staff and later in the position of Federal Reserve system project officer on the US currency anti-counterfeiting redesign board. His greatest challenge came after retirement, when he assumed the role of caregiver for his wife Audrey after her Alzheimer's diagnosis.
