5 comments about Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

1. This is a great story told about the courage, loyalty and sheer toughness of men from the only person who can tell it...the lone survivor. This book is a great tribute to the friends he lost in that battle.



2. An amazing and riviting story that stirs all emotions. The author takes the reader on a journey into the Afganistan war against the Taliban that is unforgettable and makes one very proud to be an American. Marcus Lutrell (the author) is a true Amercian hero facing challenges as never before as a member of our military elite forces. Thank God for people like him amongst our country's best - the one's who keep our families safe at home.



3. They drop poor soldiers into an obtuse confrontation and the purpose of the "mission" now becomes survival, most of them are too modestly educated to question why they may be there. I thought the elite forces would be able to discriminate between Washington BS and truth. It appears that now, the Seals are just geeked up grunts on Corporate Imperialistic Steroids. What I found in this book is the typical phoney religious patriotic screed of kill whatever Bush tells you too and don't question it. Who is the enemy sir? Wait, i'll tell you in a minute,,,Oh they were are friends yesterday before they sold their Carlye group stocks, now they are the enemy threatening our way of life... KILL THEM! This guy truly needs to watch the movie "Shooter" to see how the Banking Military Complex throws soldiers away in conflicts that only benefit the people THAT ARE SENDING OUR JOBS TO INDIA AND CHINA.



4. First off, I am not a reader. I would much rather go see a movie than read a book. This book is amazing and I cannot put it down. It was recommended to me by a friend and I am sure glad he told me about it. GREAT STORY!



5. This is not a literary masterpiece; it's just a great book. It was easy for me to imagine I was there and I felt like I lost my friends in this operation. I will listen to this audio book again. It would be a privilege to meet Marcus Luttrell. He, the men lost in this operation, and the other soldiers of this country truly need to be commended. The book will inspire any true patriot. Thanks Marcus!

3 comments about Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story.

1. Good read! Worth it to see how senior military leaders develop professionally and take command decisions...and what it takes to remain working at the highest levels of the DoD...
   
   Lt Gen Sanchez has a lot of moral courage to write this book. Every page you read brings you to respect him more.
   
   After reading it, read Gen Franks book to get another perspective...
   
   Gen Zinni, Gen Clark, Gen Powell, as well as Gen schwarzkopf are also good senior leader reads!



2. I was serving in the Green Zone during some of the period described in this book, and still recall the unimaginable confusion Sanchez writes about. When CENTCOM and the Army component commander, LTG McKeirnan, withdrew leaving the V Corps Commander in charge of all military operations, the circuit overload peaked beyond comprehension. To learn near the end of the book that Sec Def Rumsfeld claimed he never knew about Sanchez having to manage the war on the ground with only a skeleton staff makes one's gorge rise. My analysis: too many elites each running his own stovepipe, leaving Sanchez to make the best of it. Worst of all, the soldiers and marines were jerked around needlessly with predicable consequences. Sanchez makes a lot of wanting to retire with 3-stars. This may seem a little selfish, but who can fault him for keeping his pride intact?



3. "Wiser in Battle" begins with the story of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's early life, including what motivated him to join the Army. He then goes on to provide the inside story of events in Iraq after "Mission Accomplished," when he took over military command, up to summarily being scapegoated and relieved over Abu Ghraib, followed by retirement.
   
   Throughout "Wiser in Battle" Sanchez makes clear that Rumsfeld's micromanagement created confusion and frustration due to constant changes. Further, Sanchez believes Bush's declaring the Geneva Conventions inapplicable opened the door for gross negligence via subsequent failure to publish new standards, and ignoring the lessons of prisoner abuses at Bagram in Afghanistan. (Sanchez also declared the Geneva Conventions in force almost immediately after taking over in Iraq; unfortunately, his command did not extend to the CIA and special operations people involved there.)
   
   Directly after taking over in Baghdad, Sanchez addressed the looting and fires, with his leaders identifying 350-500 sites to protect. Securing the innumerable ammunition dumps, as staffed, was estimated as requiring 3-5 years, so Pentagon leaders outsourced the job. Bremer arrived just in time to reverse plans to use Iraqi Army and some of its leaders in managing Iraq. Sanchez also highlights the confusion caused by landing in the midst of orders to send Gen. Franks' troops home, as well as suddenly releasing Sanchez's men who had been "stop-lossed." Sanchez pulls no punches - clearly stating that the resulting problems cost billions as well as many American soldiers lives.
   
   LG Wallace's sudden reassignment for an off-hand comment about not planning to fight a potential insurgency (actually we had no plans at all) didn't help any-one's confidence in taking charge either. (Sanchez also references Gen. Shinseki's being slapped down for his honest response to a Congressional question.) Bremer also took over police training that Army personnel were beginning the job; ultimately the job was given to Bernie Kerik who accomplished little other than endanger U.S. troops by his failure to coordinate with them.
   
   Additional problems included lack of effective police, sporadic fuel and electricity, banks not being open, a non-existent judicial system, the Army's refusal to send lawyers to help with interrogation issues, severe restrictions on the use of foreign troops and the U.S. failure to provide promised trucks etc., unnecessarily stirring up Shiites by closing Sadr's newspaper and capturing one of his deputies, and unclarity of the relationship between Bremer and Sanchez. The latter became especially clear when Bremer ordered Sanchez to withdraw the Marines from Fallujah due to concern about affecting Bush's 2004 re-election - Sanchez refused, then settled for a unilateral cease-fire; later the battle was refought at a much higher cost.
   
   The final pages were very eye-opening. Sanchez was visiting a new school named for him and caught sight of a childhood friend. The friend had left school to pursue migrant field work while Sanchez pursued JROTC. The friend was now the new school janitor, and Sanchez a three-star general! I'm left wondering how many others' lives have derailed?
   
   Bottom Line: Investigations into Abu Ghraib found fault with Sanchez' leadership. Further, Sanchez admits very little fault throughout the book. On the other hand, he was burdened at Abu Ghraib by poor underlying prison leadership and an incredibly fractured line of authority over the prison. My opinion is that we would all be better off with Sanchez, and others like him, still in the military.

5 comments about Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

1. This is a brilliant account of Abraham Lincoln, his cabinet, and their times. It is commodious in scope, unfailingly insightful, lucid, poignant, and engaging. Washington excelled in courage and honour; Lincoln added honesty, humility, humor, and wisdom.



2. With great writing and fabulous storytelling, Goodwin takes us deep into the inner workings of President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet during the Civil War and into the minds and lives of the key players. This is not another Lincoln biography or a history about the Civil War battles or generals, although we do meet and get a greater appreciation of the good and bad generals -- Grant and Sherman vs. McClellan -- and focus on Lincoln's leadership skills and style. In some ways, you could say this extremely engaging read is a biography of a particular institution -- Lincoln's cabinet and its members -- at the key moment when America's peculiar institution of slavery is being fought over. However, I am glad that I read Shelby Foote's three-volume narrative history of the Civil War before Goodwin's book so that I had the biggest picture first.



3. His assassination and coronation at such an early age both preserved the mystique and obscured the mystery that surrounded Abraham Lincoln and made him one of the the best-documented men in history. Lincoln has been mythologized beyond criticism or comparison in the historical lexicon. This book brings him back from mythology and puts him into his proper political realm so that he can be criticized and compared to other mortals, whereupon you realize how far beyond criticism and comparison Lincoln is when it came to his political and personal leadership.
   
   Goodwin's Abraham Lincoln is a political leader and wise human being beyond any other, perhaps even Solomon himself. Of the people whom history has documented thoroughly enough to compare, he may be the greatest human being ever in terms of communicating, understanding, empathizing , and motivating others.
   
   Why does every leader since pale by comparison? Is there never to be another Lincoln? Part of the problem is that in Lincoln's time, one man could still control most of his environment. Lincoln created ways to work, study, and think that allowed him to apply his knowledge and wisdom to the problems he faced and come up with the best solutions. The realm of control is much smaller today.
   
   Part of the problem is the pervasiveness and immediacy of communication (the media), part of it is the complexity of the environments, and part of it is the complexity of the problems.
   
   Even a leader of Lincolnian proportions would not be as successful as Lincoln in today's world. Of leaders since then who approached that power on the world stage: FDR, Reagan, Castro, maybe Papa Doc Duvalier--on a small island scale, a lesser man can loom larger, and without a great ethical compass, accomplish much for the wrong purpose!
   
   One great example of Lincoln's abilities: with conservative cabinet member Seward's resignation on his desk because of accusations from liberal Senators (based on inside information from liberal cabinet member Chase), Lincoln agreed to meet with the Senators alone at the White House. After hearing their complaints in a long meeting and promising to think on it, the next day Lincoln called all the cabinet together except Seward, told them about the meeting and told them to come to the White House that night to meet with the Senators, knowing that as a group the cabinet would defend its own against charges from outsiders.
   
   Chase, who had provided the information to the Senators, especially charges that the cabinet was seriously divided and uninvolved in presidential decision-making, was in a panic throughout the meeting when the cabinet members did indeed defend Seward and Lincoln and present a united front during a long 5-hour session with the Senators.
   
   The next morning, Chase came to the White House to submit his resignation to Lincoln because of his mortification in front of the Senatorial delegation (when the delegation was discussing afterward how Chase could have painted such an incorrect story of the cabinet unity and involvement, one Senator remarked dryly "He lied."). When Chase pulled the paper from his pocket, Lincoln eagerly grabbed it and read it with a smile on his face. "This unties the Gordian knot," he exclaimed, as he recognized that Chase had just given him the answer to his dilemma. He wrote out a letter to both Chase and Seward, rejecting both resignations, thus keeping his cabinet and the warring Republican party united.
   
   This example is multiplied many times by Goodwin throughout the book, highlighted each time by Lincoln's quiet confidence in his ability, his moral authority, and his political authority. His self-assurance was reflected in the way he always accepted other's ideas (and gave credit) when better than his, seldom held grudges, and never paid back ill for ill, a trait that paid off many times in his political career, as those he could have made enemies became valuable compatriots in the war for the Union.
   
   How could a man with such humble beginnings, with so little formal education, who was basically a minimum-wage day laborer until the age of 25, when he learned the law on his own and began a faltering political career--how could this man harbor such ability and confident expectation of success?
   
   It is easy enough to say it stems from his determination, after a bout of suicidal depression in his mid-20s when the first love of his life died, that he did not want to die until he had made a mark on the world. A noble and worthy determination to be sure, and one made--and forgotten--by many of us, as time, ability, and circumstance leave us satisfied with some lower place. But 20 years later in the White House, while talking with his best friend from that earlier time, Lincoln reminded his friend of that pledge and acknowledged his readiness to die now that he had met it. Lincoln had not forgotten his pledge, and had fully intended and expected to meet it as he did! What gave him this ability to satisfy his fully expectant confidence?
   
   One can say it is God's hand of providence working in human history to preserve the United States. That may be the most likely driver, but why through this gangling "great ape" who was mocked and denigrated until met in political or personal arenas where he quietly and gracefully managed every relationship for the best of all parties? Was Abraham Lincoln a committed Christian? Not by most standards of orthodoxy, although he knew the Bible from hours of study, and not in comparison to Chase, whose studied religiosity was belied by his shady financial dealings and unethical manipulation of others.
   
   Regardless, with war in Iraq and economic gloom descending over most of the world, God's providence in the placement of a humble servant leader like Lincoln would surely be welcome.



4. There is no other word for it, this book is brilliant. Coming into it, I thought I knew a fair amount about Lincoln and workings of the war. However, the way the author depicts Lincoln and his cabinet is incredible. There is such depth, honesty, and intricacy to it. Although there is not a lot of background info on the war itself, that, for the most part, is not missed. The book focuses on Lincoln and his cabinet, and how he, in his own political genius, pulled together varying factions of the new Republian party to solve the crises facing the country. It's a fascinating insight into one of the great political and moral minds of history. It is not to be missed.



5. This is one of those books that, when you are finished, you need a few minutes to sit and let it all sink in. It is a powerful, wonderful, insightful book that I was almost sorry to finish, for multiple reasons -- it was engrossing, and of course it didn't end well.
   
   Goodwin does an excellent job of bringing Lincoln to life and showing his incredible talents for managing people. I had some knowledge about Lincoln, but when I finished this book, I was left with a feeling of sadness, not only for him and his friends and family, but for the country, because we were deprived of four years of Lincoln's leadership. And who knows how things would have turned out in the South and the country as a whole had he been able to preside over the infant stages of Reconstruction.
   
   The relationship between Lincoln and Seward was a pleasure to learn about, as well as the way Lincoln dealt with the various personalities around him without creating personal enemies. Reading about his interactions with Frederick Douglass was also a special part of the book.
   
   While this book may be long (about 750 pages) for those with only a casual interest in history, I would still recommend it to anyone. It is a remarkable book about a remarkable man.

5 comments about Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units.

1. One of Israel's most highly respected Special Forces Unit is called "SAYERET DUVDEVAN". The name "DUVDEVAN" is something of an inside joke to Israelis; it literally means "cherry". As most native-born Israelis know, "there is a species of cherry in the Holy Land that looks no different from the edible variety, but which packs a strong and often lethal poison. As a Special Forces unit operating undercover disguised as Palestinian men and women, "DUVDEVAN" is the "cherry" that may look harmless but often proves deadly."
   
   The Jewish author Aaron Cohen was born in Canada and when his parents divorced moved with his Mother and sister to southern Florida. When Aaron was eight-years-old, as his mother was dropping him off at elementary school, she casually told him she was moving to Beverly Hills with his sister, but he couldn't come with them. He would have to stay in south Florida with his Aunt. Aaron felt abandoned, as of course any young child would in the same situation. His mother was pursuing a career in writing in the entertainment industry. She wound up meeting an older writer and producer Abby Mann, who had won the 1961 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the movie "JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG". A year or so later Aaron wound up moving to Beverly Hills where a normal week might include visits to the house by Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. His Little League team was coached by "Sonny Corleone" himself, James Caan. "Caan would show up on his Harley with some gorgeous young woman on the back, and there was always a different girl for every game. He obviously hadn't slept and was still bombed from the night before. Caan would show up at the ballpark blasted out of his mind, and start yelling and flipping out at the umpires for making a bad call. I was still pretty new to L.A. and seeing such over-the-top movie star antics was a little scary." The author's Mother and Step-Father were so caught up in their Hollywood lifestyle that he felt like a piece of furniture. When he was twelve-years-old he wanted to be Bar Mitzvah but his mother was tied up in one of her screen projects, so he asked if he could go back to Montreal to live with his Father, so his Father could fulfill his paternal obligation to help Aaron get Bar Mitzvah. During the year in Canada Aaron got into some trouble and was sent back to Beverly Hills where he got in more trouble and his Mother said: "Pack your bags, you're going to Canada to Military School!" Aaron kept a poker face, "but for me it was actually a relief. Deep down I knew I needed some structure, some priorities, and most important, some discipline in my life." It turned out to be "THE" positive turning point of his life.
   
   The Robert Land Academy is located in the Niagara Peninsula south of Toronto. The headmaster of the school was an officer in the Royal Canadian Army, Colonel Scott Bowman. "He was a Canadian intelligence officer who had done a yearlong stint in Israel, working with an international peacekeeping delegation around the time of the Yom Kippur War in the 1970's. During classes Colonel Bowman would talk about the Israeli Military. He told us that the Israelis were-bar-none-the most elite, cutting-edge military in the world." Aaron became mesmerized by Colonel Bowman espousing over and over that the Israelis were the toughest, smartest, soldiers, and it was the greatest privilege of his military life to work with them. He admired their capabilities as soldiers, their values, and the totality of the commitment to self-defense that the State Of Israel represented." Every waking hour Aaron spent in the library reading and studying everything available on the Israeli Military. When he was eighteen-years-old he decided to enlist in the Israeli Army, and when he went to Israel he set even higher goals. He wanted to be in the Israeli Special Forces, and he proceeds to lead the reader through the grueling, mind and body numbing training, that he had to "survive" in order to fulfill his dream. The unit he is selected for is the one that sends operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank. The reader is "the-fly-on-the-wall" (up to the point of being limited by classified information) as Aaron and his team take down the number three guy in Hamas, a money guy, a fund raiser, with Aaron undercover as a reporter interviewing the target. On another occasion the reader is taken along as they go after "the father of the Holy War", the Hamas mastermind behind the Dizengoff Mall bombing that killed innocent Israeli civilians. Aaron was undercover as a Palestinian selling sweet-corn from a push cart, as the Israeli's infiltrated a wedding, and nabbed their man in sixty seconds. Throughout this fast-paced story Aaron points out the differences between Israel's counter-terrorism strategies as compared to the United States. One of the great quotes referred to throughout the book is from a defining speech by one of the greatest military hero's in Israel's history *MOSHE DAYAN* who said back in 1955:
   
   "WE CANNOT PROTECT EVERY WATER PIPE FROM BEING BLOWN UP, NOR EVERY TREE FROM BEING UPROOTED. NOR CAN WE PREVENT THE MURDER OF THE WORKERS IN THE ORCHARDS, NOR OF FAMILIES IN THEIR BEDS, BUT WE CAN EXACT A HIGH PRICE FOR OUR BLOOD, A PRICE TOO HIGH FOR THE ARAB COMMUNITY, THE ARAB ARMY, THE ARAB GOVERNMENTS TO PAY."
   
   When Aaron comes back to the United States after serving in Israel 1996-1998 he has a rough time gearing down from what he was trained to be for the last three years of his life. As a Viet Nam era Veteran, I can vouch for the absolute validity, of even the most minute detail of his descriptions of his personal battle to return to the everyday role of an American civilian. Aaron now owns his own security business and since 9/11 his company has been besieged by American law enforcement to teach them the Israeli way of security. I wholeheartedly agree with the author's warnings and suggestions for America in their fight against terrorism. This book may not describe the world the way you want it to be... but it describes it the way IT ACTUALLY IS!



2. As an American emigrating to Israel, Aaron Cohen captures the impressions of Israeli culture, traditions, values, societal strengths and flaws, and life in general in The Land as beautifully as a well-composed portrait. He communicates his impressions in an easy-to-read, comfortable, personable manner - compelling the audience to read just one more chapter, just one more chapter - because his story is so fascinating.
   
   Cohen accurately and succinctly describes the history of development of Israel's defense forces, while painting the image of modern day society there and the rapid change (within about a generation from the nation's birth) in mentality of its youth. In a sense, the reader can easily extend the same changes to US society from the last World War to American involvement in the Gulf and current engagements in the Middle East.
   
   Like Aaron, I was born in the US and lived in Israel, so I had to laugh out loud at several points throughout the book because his capturing Israeli in-your-face manner and chutzpah was absolutely dead on, and he did so with utmost respect and good humor. He has a real grasp of the Sabra - sweet on the inside, prickly on the outside - and he captures the flavor of the society and people from inside the fishbowl, while remaining something of a fish out of water, at least at the beginning.
   
   This is a most excellent read, right up there with Jonathan Netanyahu's Portrait of a Hero, Hannah Senesh's writings, or the story of Eli Cohen in Our Man in Damascus. Although they are all different from the respect of writing style and experience, Aaron Cohen is an author for our time - writing to a nation that has slept in for far too long - and more importantly, he's a warrior who can fight with both the pen and the sword.



3. Amazing book, great detail and as was said before, no punches pulled. From the uncertainty of growing up to gaining his confidence with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), Mr. Cohen details his experiences growing up in the US to his making aliyah to Israel and going through his training to join one of if not the toughest counterterrorism military units in the entire world. I certainly believe that his experiences could go a long way in making sure that the next time you travel in an aiport you don't get questioned by some person who only has their GED and can't wait to get home. Instead you're questioned by a person who knows why they are there and are vigilant in their search for the next terror threat. It drives home the point of "Security with a Purpose". People in Israel deal with terror threats on a daily basis and taking what they've learned and have put into use could only help to make our country that much more secure. Are there points in the book that may offend people?? Yes, such as the profiling that happens on a daily basis in Israel, however with that in mind, understand that most of the bombings occurring there are perpetrated by Arabs. It's a simple fact of life.



4. A compelling read, very well-written and a good balance of very personal perspective and simply amazing descriptions of the brutal selection and training of Israel's top counter-terror commandos (as done in the 1990's).
   
   Cohen, like his instructors and fellows, pulls no punches discussing the positives and negatives of the process. His own experience of how this kind of preparation forever changes the men who survive it, and then how the work itself inevitably degrades social connectedness and relationships is as psychologically detailed and perceptive as anything I've ever read, and I commend his ruthless honesty.
   
   He also gives a fond but hard-eyed look at the changing Israeli society and the often unfortunate way it is absorbing some of our less positive qualities.
   
   VERY highly recommended. A great read.



5. I heard the author being interviewed on the Michael Savage radio show and immediately went out to buy the book. I was definitely not disappointed an excellent read from a person who had everything except that which he felt was missing from his life which he went out to discover and found. A great book 100 stars could not put the book down once I started reading it. Hopefully he goes on a book signing tour or this is made into a movie

5 comments about John Adams.

1. I had heard about this book on NPR when they did an interview with the author. It sounded fantastic but I normally do not read biographies so I didn't bother with it. THEN I got my Kindle and remembered the NPR interview and thought WHY NOT? reading it on my Kindle is not going to break my hands (It's 762 pages long)! I quickly downloaded it and dove in.
   
   What a surprise. This book is well-researched and correlated to present a side of the formation of our nation/government and several well-known historical characters that I previously never knew. Adam's own letters and those written to him by others, including his beloved with Abigal, show real-time action and opinions as things happened. I saw a side of Jefferson I never knew existed and the characterization of Benjamin Franklin makes one wonder how either of them would get on in politics today.
   
   The one thing I learned was the more things change, the more they stay the same, and the struggles of our fledgling nation in that time and space do not seem so different than the things we face today. The names have changed and time has marched on, but people will be people and nothing makes that more clear than this amazing biography. I strongly suspect that were John Adams alive today he'd be in the thick of things in Congress sticking to his morals and fighting for the rights of the PEOPLE versus the rights of the government to interfer.
   
   (Did I mention that I love my Kindle?)



2. Wonderful picture of the times and the man. McCullough gives us a fascinating picture of a great man with public and private flaws (the Alien and Sedition Acts were wrong, and his relationship with his second son Charles could have been repaired if he was more compassionate). He also shows us the tumultuous times in which he lived and the people in his orbit (you rock, Abigail). Although I agree with reviewers that note that McCullough does become too fond not only of John but most of the Adams family, I think as a whole the biography works well. I'll never again underestimate how truly perilous the founding of our country was.



3. David McCullough is to history was John Grisham is to literature: he's lite fare, easily digestable but not particulary nourishing. To me, the book seemed like a watered-down and streamlined portrayal of an important historical figure. It's reasonable well-written and moves along at a good clip; it just seems superficial. I guess that's o.k. if your target audience is people who don't normally read history. If you fall into that category, the JA is probably the book for you. Personally, however, I usually like to read "serious" works of history. History-lite just doesn't seem worth my time....
   
   Not terrible but not recommended.



4. There are many more erudite descriptions of John Adams. I decided to write a review because it is my favorite non-fiction book and I felt that the HBO series took the wind out of Adams' sails in so many ways. The HBO miniseries, which I long awaited, bored me to tears. There was none of the excitement in the series that I read in the book. Paul Giamatti's Adams could not speak above a whisper and did not convey, at least to me, the spirit of John Adams, which I read in 2001 and still remember vividly. John Adams had such an interesting and varied life, that to distill it as it was done in the HBO series leaves the viewer questioning how this complex man was anything more than a bombastic autocrat.
   
   David McCullough's use of primary sites and his use of the many letters written to his wife Abigail makes this book one of the most memorable and romantic of all the founding fathers. He clearly writes about his personal life - his treatment of his children, the favoritism of John Quincy, his life-long love affair with his wife and their juxtaposition with his duty to his fledgling country as well as his interest in his own epitaph. He brings to life a human who was so multi-faceted and brings most of those facets to life.
   
   I am not an historian, so I realize there are many things missing knowledge of John Adams. However, that which was included was readable, interesting and kept me turning those many pages with ease.



5. Of course it is only a metaphorical question, but if there were more politicians around who adored their wife and their country, America would be a pretty different place. He said what he thought and he thought deeply. He had a strict moral obligation to his God, country and his family and would never consider going against any of these things. This book reveals all these things about a complicated man. It is not a dry academic novel but a fascinating story. You cannot find too many of these out there and I have had to read many of those to get through bachelors degree and halfway through my masters. One of the things that impressed me the most was the level with which he treated his wife. In the time that he lived this was phenomenal.

5 comments about Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman.

1. Many of the facts of Corporal Pat Tillman's life and tragic death have been played and replayed: his joining the military from a deep love of his country after the attacks of September 11, 2001, his giving up a career as a professional football player and leaving his young bride to do so, his platoon's ill-fated mission in Afghanistan that led to his death on April 22, 2004, his memorial service where the likes of Maria Shriver and Senator John McCain gave eulogies, his receiving both the Purple Heart and Silver Star for bravery, then the news soon thereafter that he had died of (such an ugly oxymoron) friendly fire.
   
   Now Tillman's mother Mary covers both the life and death of her son, the effect it has had on her, his wife Marie, his brothers Richard and Kevin-- who was in the same platoon as Pat-- his father Patrick, other family members and a multitude of friends. Additionally with the determination and courage of a woman possessed-- why shouldn't she be-- she traces the family's quest to find out the truth of what really happened on that awful day in April, 2004. Her journey will take her to countless meetings with military types, where she has difficulty getting a similar story from different people, and ultimately to two Congressional hearings.
   
   What Ms. Tillman learns is sad and depressing beyond measure as she and others excavate the layers of a cover-up. Apparently Corporal Tillman was given CPR hours after he died so that his uniform could be destroyed since the bullet holes in it would indicate clearly that he died from U. S. fire. (If a soldier is still alive, his uniform, because it is a biohazard, can be taken off him and destroyed.) A Navy Seal was told to give false information about Tillman's death when he spoke at his memorial service. Records were changed; documents were lost. The list goes on and on. Then there are cruel, petty gestures on the part of some of the military. One of the officers placed in charge of one of the many investigations, for example, believed that no one in the Tillman family was satisfied or would ever be satisfied because they were atheists, unlike Christians, who could come to terms with "'faith and the fact that there is an afterlife, heaven, or whatnot.'" The Army reneged on its promise to fly Tillman's wife Marie to Dover, Delaware to meet Kevin Tillman with her husband's body. (An anonymous man had her flown there in his plane.) Then the Army tried to persuade Marie to have a military funeral for Pat.
   
   Ms. Tillman includes many of the eulogies verbatim from her son's funeral--his baby brother Richard's was irreverent and deadly-- as well as written reports that she has received from the Army in her attempt at finding out the truth about Pat's death. She also prints here an article Kevin Tillman wrote for Truthdig entitled "After Pat's Birthday" that rises to the level of poetry: "Somehow those afraid to fight in an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started."
   
   BOOTS ON THE GROUND BY DUSK-- the book gets its title from the order that Lieutenant David Uthlaut received on April 22, 2004 that his platoon (Kevin and Pat Tillman's) was to leave the town of Magarah and "have boots on the ground before dark" in Manah, a small village on the border of Pakistan-- is very well-written; and not all of it is so dark although parts of it are almost too painful to read. I'm thinking now of Ms. Tillman's account of the return of her son's body to the local mortuary in his hometown. I decided that if this brave woman could write the book, then surely I, who along with the rest of stay-at-home Americans, have been urged by my president to support the troops by going to the mall, can finish it. She said a couple of nights ago in a sparsely-attended reading she gave at the Carter Library in Atlanta that she wrote this book to encourage other families in the same predicament as she, families that have lost sons, daughters, fathers, and brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan, to help them deal with their grief. And she made this statement in the library of a former president of the U. S. and naval officer, who, when asked by a reporter on his 80th birthday, what he would want to be remembered most for as president, responded that no American soldiers died in combat during his four years in office.



2. Mary Tillman shows a mother's dogged pursuit to get at the truth of what happened to her son and the aftermath. Nothing maudlin here. The amazing facts of delay, stonewalling and lying by the military, from the ground up into the highest ranks, to the Tillmans' faces are disgusting and disheartening but apparently not unusual in fratricide.
   
   A reader might infer that the killing of this exceptional man was personal and even murderous. Someday justice will be wrought upon those responsible for the flawed decisions, implausible military orders, and actions that led to his death.
   
   As you read this account, do not be distracted by the author's personal biases. Instead, focus your hearts and prayers on those who died (Pat Tillman was not the only one killed.), those left back home, and those who have shut and others who may yet slam doors on this family as they continue their quest for truth and justice.



3. Mary Tillman renders here the most accurate, dispassionate description of what can happen when highly trained soldiers are thrust into a situation where their training is not enough.
   
   As Mary describes the situation, her son Pat was a member of a fighting group who were separated from the rest of their unit, caught in a firefight, and then fired on by members of their own unit. The evidence is that they gestured and signalled for their own fellow soldiers to stop firing, but, in those four seconds, the other men just could not do so.
   
   All the training could not stop what can only be characterized as a "killing frenzy." Rational thought cannot reassert itself in the face of this compulsion.
   
   It all happened in four seconds, and Mary lost her Pat. Other mothers lost their sons, too. Pat forgives the soldiers who killed her son, and invites her readers to do the same. She has a harder time forgiving their commanders who made efforts to disguise the truth in the name of not damaging morale.
   
   Read this book. It teaches us all something about a mother loving her son, and about what we unleash when we train young people to kill.
   
   Only secondarily, we also come to appreciate the value of transparency in leadership. Pat's example steadfastly refuses to be held up as a "poster child" for pacifism or political polarization. Our front line infantry does the very, very best they can with what God has given them - and us.



4. I certainly feel for the Tillman family.
   Forty years ago my father, the only Olympic medal winner ever killed while serving in combat for the USA, was killed in Vietnam. My father was on a six man recon. team in a Ranger detachment and according to the statement by the commander of his ready reaction force, although his team was out of radio contact for nearly 11 hours, he was unconcerned because he had another force near the location that had heard nothing. Well, I have three other reports conflicting that statement. My father's team radioed at 915PM that his team was being approached by an enemy force. At 935PM his team radioed they were in a firefight and requested fire support. Not until well after 6AM the next morning did help arrive even though the ready reaction force was on ten minute alert and only 500 meters away with the fire power equivalent of three rifle companys. 5 of the 6 men on my fathers team were killed, one dying on the way to the hospital. I have the records proving that at 9AM that morning this CO met with a general and my father's commanding officer and four decades later have evidence that the most likely "enemy" that killed my father was the US Navy SEALs.
   But I can get no answers after all these years. And that is why it is so biter sweet, this book and the circumstances surrounding Tillman's death. When I read in the newspaper that the Army assigns all these folks to research and serve the Tillman's, all these investigations by generals and boards it gives me a really sick feeling in side. Yes, the Tillman's deserve it, but what about the rest of us ? I wrote to the National Archives for my father's records and they responded telling me that they could not locate his records but let me know that they could happily tell me he served in the Army (duh). The Army told me that they are not historians. I was able to contact the commander of the L ready reaction force and he told me he could not help me because his tour ended before the investigation was completed. The intelligence officer my father's unit worked for said he was on R&R at the time, an imposter told me he was the only survivor and the stories go on and on...
   Will the Tillman's ever get the truth ? Probably not because in the military only good news goes to the top. No officer is going to burn his chance at a promotion by being honest in a report that will screw him 20 years down the road.
   I am glad to see this book. My heart goes out to the Tillman's because I understand their resentment. If you want to read about my father, SSGT Robert Carmody- go to ESPN and look in archives and search under the author "Mark Chalifoux'. The article is titled, "Heart of Bronze". (2005).



5. The most unique aspect of this book is hearing the family and friend's perspective on many events before and after Pat's death. I have followed the news stories for the last four years and watched the video on espn of the memorial service. This book differs from the past material in that there are new stories and you get the family and friends perspectives on these and other major events already covered in past articles and books. The book also has Pat's memorial speakers' words. This book is similar in that aspect to Walter Payton's book, "Never Die Easy" and the speakers at his funeral. The difference being the obvious different circumstances of death, and you get the Mother's perspective on how she felt about those speeches and that some of the speakers were not telling the truth about the events that led to Pat's death, that is the military speakers.

No comments about Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers.

1 comments about Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers".

1. Any reader will be richly rewarded, regardless of whether they have read Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" or seen the mini-series, by this well told story of an American life.
   
   Don Malarkey's autobiography poignantly tells how the legacy of the first World War, the devastating impact of the Great Depression on his father and his family, and other events molded his character and provided the drive and discipline that took a young man from a small town at the mouth of the Columbia River to become a decorated war hero.
   
   It is a tale of honor, courage and loyalty to his comrades, love challenged by the isolation of war and the toll of battle and its scars, invisible yet no less haunting.
   
   Co-author, longtime Oregon newspaper columnist and author Bob Welch, does a fine job of crafting Malarkey's journey through war and remembrance. A remarkable cache of Malarkey's wartime letters to his family and a girlfriend he left behind, discovered during the writing of the book and quoted extensively, take the reader to the frontlines with Easy Company.
   
   Malarkey's love of his home state Oregon is an ever present theme conveyed through vivid description providing the reader with a shared sense of place with the author. The reader will gain an insight and understanding of the mindset of a young soldier, far away from his home and family, and the motivations and drive to survive to return to the people and place he loves best.
   
   As a member of Easy Company, experiencing the highest number of days on the front line in the company, Malarkey tells not only the battlefield events in fine detail, and there are many, but also the war as seen through the eyes of a compassionate comrade. He revels in his deep bonds with those Easy Company members whose heroism was not included in previous books. The loss of best friend Skip Muck looms large.
   
   As one of Malarkey's own heroes, Winston Churchill said "...never, never, never, never give up"; the reader will readily understand that Malarkey never did. This book will serve as an inspiration to many. After reading it, I realized that no challenge I will probably ever face be as great or horrific as those encountered by Easy Company in battle or Don Malarkey in life.
   
   When you open this book, be prepared for a long read; I found it impossible to put down until the final page.

5 comments about Alexander Hamilton.

1. Anyone interested in U. S. history will enjoy reading this fascinating biography of Alexander Hamilton. don't miss it!



2. My interest in Hamilton originated when first seeing his portrait on the front of the ten dollar bill made an indelible impression on me as a young child. As Chernow describes in his book, Hamilton's portraits generally exude confidence, self-assurance, as well as omniscience, and these were the qualities that triggered my curiosity in this founding father.
   
   Reading Chernow's biography, I find that Hamilton's talents were unparalleled even among the most distinguished of the founder fathers and superbly well regarded and admired by those who shared his views and judged him objectively, most notably George Washington. Hamilton's courage during the Revolution, unshakable honor and integrity, unrelenting effort to advance the republican government, and sheer brilliance in both ideas and managerial superiority make him a man with few matched peers. As the author notes in the book, Hamilton's footprints in the formation of the US government qualify him uniquely as one of the most influential figures in US history and arguably make him the founder of the US government.
   
   However, for all his brilliance and unmatched fervor for the new republic, Hamilton was not without fatal flaws. His lapses of judgment gave those who sought to discredit him plenty of ammunition and marred his accomplishments and undoubtedly helped to procure Hamilton's relative obscurity in US history.
   
   As is often the case, judgments rendered on historical figures are not constant and change with time, renewed interests, and additional narrative accounts (i.e. this biography.) For me, Hamilton's exemplary devotion to the nascent republican government was so pure and rare that he was a true servant to the public in every way. I wish that through new reviews of Hamilton's life such as this biography by Chernow, more people will come to learn about the life of an extraordinary human being whose prodigious talents and assiduousness propelled him to personal heights and triumphs and whose personal insecurities, fueled by a dogged conviction to uphold his honor as all costs, also brought his nadir.



3. This is a FULL length biography of Alexander Hamilton. It is over 700 pages. A friend of mine dismissed it, saying who cares about the full details of the guy's childhood. If you do not have my friend's attitude, if you want the very full story of a very important man, this is a very, very good book. Indeed, I think there is an old-fashioned, rich pleasure -- very contrary to our You Tube age-- in reading a long, slow book like this that really gives you all of the details.
   
   Some have said that this book is hagiography. I did not find it to be so at all. I thought it gave a very full, and sympathetic, treatment of Hamilton, but it is definitely a portrait of him, warts and all. You see the young and incredibly intelligent aide to General Washington and the masterful first Secretary of the Treasury, who set the foundation for the security of the American financial system. You also see the self-destructive idiocy of the affair with Maria Reynolds, the arrogant damage of the quarrel with John Adams and the other extraordinary lapses in judgment of this brillant man.
   
   Two aspects of Hamilton's life are given prominence by this book, which I think merit comment. First, his relationship with Washington was of central importance to his life, and was of incredible importance to the nation. Hamilton was so brillant as Secretary of the Treasury, and as author of the Federalist Papers, that he tends to fill the modern eye, more than the quieter and less dramatic Washington. But, as you see the whole relationship between the two, you see how much Hamilton needed Washington and gained from him. Not just in the sense of being promoted from nothing to great power by Washington's support, but in a character sense. Hamilton was brillant, but lacking in balanced judgment. Washington lacked any kind of showy intelligence, but had an extraordinarily sound sense of judgment. You really see this here, when the Washington Administration is contrasted -- where arch-enemies Jefferson and Hamilton can serve together in the Cabinet to the great benefit of the nation-- with the Adams Administration -- where even members of the same party can not get along.
   
   Second, Chernow rescues Eliza Hamilton from an undeserved historical neglect. She was a grand women, in her own right, and Chernow both begins and ends the book with a very poignant and dramatic portrait of her.
   
   A wonderful performance.



4. It's probably impossible to write a biography of Hamilton that ISN'T interesting, but what I really appreciated was the degree to which Chernow puts Hamilton's views and actions in cultural context. I learned a lot about a variety of topics: the nature and role of the press, the practice and significance of duels, controversies about commerce and armed forces, etc. etc.
   
   To those who accuse Chernow of being biased in favor of his subject or of "distorting" history, all I have to say is: "duh". It's a biography! By it's very nature, it's partial and a distortion.
   
   What makes it a GOOD biography, and a useful and rewarding work of history, is the great extent to which Chernow uses his subject to illustrate and cast light on the period in question.



5. I finished David McCullough's biography of John Adams shortly before reading this book. McCullough's book was one of the finest biographies that I have ever read, but in my opinion this book is even better. To be fair to David McCullough, Ron Chernow had much more to work with, as Alexander Hamilton was a much more interesting character than John Adams.
   
   Ron Chernow has produced a well-documented biography and an immensely rewarding book. In his hands, Hamilton's life reads as it was a work of fiction created by Charles Dickens, Horatio Alger and Joan Collins, as written by Samuel Elliot Morrison. Few men have started so low on the social ladder, with so many impediments to success but rose so far as Alexander Hamilton. While I knew the outline of Hamilton's early life, I did not realize the degree to which it was truly Dickensian and the degree to which he was a truly self-made man, in the mold of a character from a Horation Alger story. His life was plagued by scandal (mostly self inflicted) of the sort created by Jackie Collins.
   
   I knew he was on George Washington's staff during the Revolutionary War, but I did not realize that he was in effect Washington's chief of staff. I knew that he was the first Secretary of the Treasury, but I did not realize the extent to which he created the financial structure of the United States. I knew of his involvement with the Federalist Party, but not that he was a driving force behind the party and that to some he was the Federalist Party. I knew that he experienced difficulties with Jefferson and John Adams (as well as with many others), but I did not understand the depths of these conflicts or their origins until I read this book.
   
   While highly readable and immensely entertaining, the book is nonetheless a work of great scholarship. I expected a well-written book, but one that was based primarily on previous works, but the book is much more. It is rich in interpretation and analysis as well as interesting details. Also, as the lengthy acknowledgement section points out, Chernow did original research in the West Indies, Scotland and in various American archives, unearthing a considerable amount or original material.
   
   I have one caveat, although a very minor one. This is a partisan biography (as are most) and some scholars may disagree with Chernow on some points. Chernow, does not, however, shy away from exposing Hamilton's faults and strives to paint a balanced although admittedly partisan picture.

5 comments about With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.

1. In his telling of his experience in some of the most intense battles of WWII in the Pacific, Eugene Sledge takes you into the foxhole for an incredible journey through two battles fought by US Marines. Between the equatorial heat, cement hard coral landscape, intense relentless enemy fire, dead and rotting enemy bodies baking in the sun, bad K rations for food that is made worse by the smell of gunpowder, sweat, human waste and rotting bodies, and the 75% chance you will either be killed or wounded, you somehow can't leave his side as the reader or it would somehow be dishonorable. Through Sledge's storytelling you grasp a real sense of what "team", "core" and "band of brothers" mean to a Marine. It is the absolute best recount of war that I have ever read. We as the next generation of "free" Americans owe it to the men and women who fought for our freedom to read this book.



2. As a WWII history buff I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see combat from a combat Marines perspective. GREAT!



3. Having seen Ken Burns films on WWII and his mention of this book, I decided
   to read it. I was not disappointed. Ordinarily I don't like works like this
   but Sledge handled his on-the-ground experiences in the Pacific with simplicity
   but with elequence. I was very impressed with the book, moved and sometimes
   shattered by the bravery and determination of our troups. It makes for
   exciting reading, if you're inclined to know what war was like then, and
   probably what war is still like for men and women on the ground now. Read it!
   You won't be disappointed.



4. I really can't say anything better than has already been said in the previous reviews. This is a horrific, and at the same time, fascinating read. Sledge tells it like it was and holds nothing back. The descriptions of the blasted battlefields full of dead is something you won't forget. His descriptions of the fighting conditions will make you thankful for dry clothes, hot coffee and fresh socks every day after reading this. Should be required reading in schools today - an important gift from someone who lived in the horror of war.



5. I recently read this book for the second time. As others have noted, this is by far the best American memoir of the Pacific Theater. While Sledge's narrative style is straightforward and plain, there is a sensitivity to the work that is not found in other American war memoirs. Sledge was a good Marine, and understood that Japanese brutality had to be answered in kind: he had absolutely no compunction about killing the Japanese and often expresses an extreme hatred towards them. His descriptions of what he witnessed are often horrific--the picture he paints of "Maggot Ridge" on Okinawa is nothing short of a hellscape. And yet a central theme in the book is that in the midst of all the brutality of Peleliu and Okinawa, one had to try to maintain at least a modicum of sensitivity and human compassion. That, I believe, is what makes this such a remarkable record of the war.
   I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Sledge about a decade ago, and he was a true gentleman--courteous, kind, and very generous with his time. Indeed, my overwhelming impression was that he was a very gentle person. Perhaps that is why his memoir is so haunting.