Growing up the son of a war veteran, Chris “C.J.” Kelly was intrigued by military history and its many compelling stories.

Such a lifelong passion for all things World War II has moved the Auburn man to write about it – in particular a significant chapter in American military history, the pivotal Battle of the Bulge.

To compose a partly fictionalized and enlightening saga of actual events, Kelly went through intensive and consuming research to accurately portray the U.S.-German battlefield in the winter of 1944-45 and its combatants. To personalize the drama, he brought to light the dichotomy of two men – both American soldiers and survivors of an intense and brutal war in the Ardennes forest.

For Kelly, earning the respect and confirmation of his many researched veterans was important in order to authentically craft his first published work, “The Lion’s Path” (iUniverse.com publishing, $19.95 softcover, $6 e-book).

Unable to serve himself, Kelly wanted to serve veterans with his military account, the first of three World War II novels he hopes to bring to life in the near future. A nonfiction version of “The Lion’s Path,” titled “Red Legs of the Bulge”, is due out in the summer.

So far, the reviews have been promising. Veterans have given Kelly’s creation a genuine thumbs-up.

“It had to be (accurate in detail). It had to be on the button,” said Kelly, 41, a native of The Bronx, N.Y., who moved to the Northwest with his wife. Kelly works as an assistant state auditor. “I wanted to make it realistic and entertaining. … I didn’t want them to relive it, but to shed them in a real, accurate light.”

Not to mention, honor the soldiers’ duty and sacrifice.

The book is a special tribute to U.S. Army soldiers of the 106th Infantry Division, the “Golden Lions” artillery unit that fought a courageous battle against the German offensive, and the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, an African-American unit that suffered more casualties during the Battle of the Bulge than any other artillery unit in the Army Corps.

“It’s a story that needed to be told,” Kelly said without hesitation. “I wanted to portray them the right way. … I wanted my book to pay tribute to those who fought there … and I wanted my book to pay tribute to the black soldier.”

Growing up, Kelly met many war veterans, even a Holocaust survivor, in his Bronx neighborhood. Many of his family members, including several uncles, served in wartime. Such observations, such conversations made an impression on Kelly, compelling him to write about those who experienced the challenges and horrors on the battleground.

“It was something that was real to me,” Kelly said. “It was real to me every day.”

His father, John J. Kelly, served in the Army during World War II, touring North Africa, Sicily and France. His father was rotated off the front line of his company, the 9th Infantry Division, in France, before the unit was nearly decimated by German forces.

“That stuck with me,” Kelly said while searching for more information on his father’s wartime service, which led him to expand his research into other units’ histories.

The author’s inquiries progressed into an investigation of the missteps that befell the 106th Infantry Division at the opening of the Battle of the Bulge. Many of the personal stories that run throughout the novel are based on real events through interviews conducted with survivors along with others’ written accounts.

The book, set in December 1944, details and follows a raw American infantry division and its baptism of fire in the Battle of the Bulge. Caught up in battle are two very different Americans. Lt. Brendan Green is a battlewise but reluctant officer who fights not only the Germans but his own past as well. The other man, Emmett T. Jackson, is a well-educated sergeant who yearns to break through the wall of race that separates him from so many.

“Trapped behind enemy lines, they experience the horror of war and a humanity borne of sacrifice,” Kelly describes.

The men are different yet similar. Halfway into the novel, the two meet while escaping the Germans. They become friends isolated and caught in the throes of war.

“I found them to be very much alike, driven by events out of their control,” Kelly explained. “Both are driven, both are motivated. They want to be good soldiers. The want the same things. They want to get home.”

While one man survives, the other does not.

The story, Kelly’s project in the making for several years, touches upon race and explores other issues. It is a compassionate look at fighting men and their dependence on each other, despite their differences.

“It was a personal challenge,” Kelly said of the book. “It was my way of serving.”