5 comments about About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior.

1. This is a story of a soldier in an army in decline, a lost war and a premature end of a magnificaint career. It is also the most motivating war story that I've ever read. It is the story of a man with barely a 7th grade education who joins the army at 15 years old and earns a battlefield commission in Korea and in Vietnam becomes the only soldier to be awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars and three times nominated for the Medal of Honor (which he did not recieve) and became the youngest Colonel in Vietnam. The book is a cry for military reform and it is also a war story. Hackworth tells of the desparate fights on nameless hills in Korea in a fasion that makes you wish that you were there, not an easy task, with the Korean War. When a lackluster soldier is killed Hackworth is proud that he died well and makes him a hero to the unit. He never seems to feel fear-"I guess I just like war...I like the cameradship. Adversity brings out the best in men"- Hackworth told Ward Just in the book "Military Men." In Vietnam Hack often took hopeless situations and turned them into victory. In a way his resignation was a victory, this self educated soldier stood up to a buracatic army that was losing a war while others went along. This is the most motivating book that I've ever read, so much so that I retured to active duty after reading it, insisting on infantry. David Hackworth may have been "Once An Eagle" but he was no colonel Kurtz-as the hardback dusk cover suggested. Hackworth died in 2005 from cancer, the only fight that he ever lost.



2. Colonel David Hackworth was a soldier's soldier. Born too late to see active service in the crucible of WW II, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army as soon as he could. Often credited as being the most decorated American soldier of his era, Hack was well-known within the U.S. Army for his courage, honesty, and derring-do exploits.
   
   Hack ranks right up their with the U.S. Marine's Chesty Puller and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington as the sort of officer who is a pain in the a** to have around in peacetime -- but who is exactly the sort of leader you want when the bullets start to fly. It is impossible to read about Hackworth's battlefield experiences during the Korean War without getting a lump in your throat for the privations those poor guys suffered. (Many U.S. Army units were airlifted from the States via Japan directly into combat in Korea, still wearing their Class 'A' uniforms -- totally unprepared for the Korean winters and the raging fighting they found upon landing.)
   
   Col. Hackworth's Vietnam experiences are fascinating, too. As he rose in rank he displayed an uncanny ability to call a spade a spade, and his dismay with how the war was being fought eventually led to his being personally cashiered out of the Army by the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army!
   
   Buy this book and read it -- you're in for a real treat! Hack was the real thing, and his demonstrated courage and abrasive honesty make him worthy of study and appreciation by both junior and senior officers throughout the armed services.
   
   Captain Michael L. Pandzik, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)



3. Excellent Read......... Highly Recommended ... 5 stars
   
   About Face chronicles the experiences of the youngest colonel serving during the Vietnam circumstances. The book itself begins in February 1951 with Hackworth facing the enemy in Korea and is divided into twenty-three chapters. About Face follows David Hackworth the length of his military journey from the days when as a young soldier nick-named 'Combat' he charged into the face of the enemy along a path to near ruin at the hands of disgruntled superiors. The work includes maps, author's notes, a foreword by Ward Just, an Epilogue and an Appendix including a Glossary, Index and final notes.
   
   About Face is a well written page turner presented in language clearly understood by the typical reader. The book is certain to interest those who have any link at all to the Vietnam situation faced by so many men and women from our country. The book helps to demarcate what happened, when and to whom.
   
   I first read About Face written by Col. David Hackworth during the late 1980s. I found it particularly helpful in helping me...a woman with little knowledge of anything military, understand better my children's dad, a land based Viet Nam combat vet and the problems he had to deal with before his death.
   
   As the wife of yet a second Viet Nam combat vet, special forces, I suggest this book for anyone who wants a better understanding of the debt of gratitude and respect we citizens owe those who served during the action in Vietnam and those who willing to serve in The United States Military today.
   
   Molly Martin
   Reviewer



4. This book was an inspirational read. Even though it takes forever to read this book, it's well worth the time. Hack's experiences shared in this book changed my outlook on life, and my outlook on human interaction/organization.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone, as I'm sure his experience can be applicable to anything you will ever have to deal with in life.



5. Great book! Hackworth was a true warrior stud. He was the essence of an instinctual soldier and was quite lucky to have survived so many brushes with death. I did find his conclusions interesting as he was not entirely correct. He became a liberal after Vietnam and predicted things that did not happen with the USSR, Central America, and more. He did give great insight into how bungled the Vietnam War was and what could have been done to "win" it.

5 comments about When Thunder Rolled.

1. For some time now I've had a fascination with the F-105 Thunderchief and the men who went Downtown during the Vietnam war. To further my knowledge on the aircraft and the men who flew her I picked up When Thunder Rolled.
   
   Overview
   When Thunder Rolled is a pilots view of the F-105 and the missions he flew during the Vietnam War. In this book our Fighter Pilot (I mean this a complement to Mr. Rasimus. I believe it would be a greater honor to call him a Fighter Pilot than by his retired rank, read the book if you want to understand why) gives us a view of the F-105 from training thru his time in Thailand flying missions in North Vietnam.
   
   The Good
   Wow! What a book. Mr. Rasimus pulls no punches. In all of the books I've read dealing with a persons own experiences in war I've found very few that are as candid about being scared. Mr. Rasimus tells us about how his initial debate is if he should fly combat mission or not and then flies a couple. I have to think that the fear Mr. Rasimus talks about is more common than many other books would have you believe.
   
   I also loved how Mr. Rasimus mentions the maintenance men who took care of the Thud he borrowed (sorry, everyone knows that a fighter is owned by the crew chief, pilots just borrow it). This is something kind of rare and nice to see.
   
   The description of the environment is great. Referencing stealing hubcaps for what it took to be a fighter pilot over there was sheer genius! Between the use of vernaculars and a simple honest approach, one is able to visualize and feel something of what he was experiencing. I also loved the way Mr. Rasimus takes us thru the base and the missions. From premission briefings thru the return. Interestingly there isn't a lot of focus on the post mission time at the Club.
   
   The Bad
   The only one I can readily think of is that the book ended. I loved the story telling. It flows so nicely. The real shame is that we know that our fighter pilot went on to fly F-4's in the Linebacker timeframe. I'd have loved it if this would have been brought together to hear the differences in the aircraft and how the war was fought.
   
   Rating Wise
   5 Stars! This is the best personal account I've read from an aviator. A solid read and is a must read by anyone interested in knowing about F-105's, the Vietnam airwar, or about a pilots view of combat.



2. This is the best book along with Jack Broughten's "Thud Ridge" that I have read concerning the Air War in the North, especially as it relates to F105's.If I were to write a book on this subject, this is what I would have written.



3. Whilst putting you very much in the cockpit Mr Rasimus has at the same time managed to produce a thoughtful, insightful, and instructive book that gives an excellent view of the experiences, feelings and thoughts of what it meant to be a fighter pilot in the early years of the Vietnam war. Highly recommended.



4. What a great book! I agree that this is the best of the F-105 books about combat during Rolling Thunder. Such detail! Ras explains everything so well and puts it in words that non-pilots can understand. He even takes you on R&R to a Bangkok niteclub to get a "massage" ;-) The difference between a fighter-pilot and a pilot of fighters is explained. I was at Takhli, the other F-105 base in Thailand, and I remember the Wild Weasel/Iron Hand "F" models. The initial group was sent in and shot down. Then another batch was sent in and shot down. I believe there were five or six airplanes in each group. During that initial period, the crewmembers of F-105F (Weasels)were virtually assured of death or capture. What a slaughter.
   I loved the noise of that beautiful bird when afterburner with water injection kicked in. Not to mention the noise when a pilot returned after his 100th mission and went "supersonic" right on the deck. Awesome!!!! Also described in the book was the practice of burning off fuel with the speed brakes open and the afterburner on. I saw this on another 100 mission bird going low and slow with the "finger" extended in a pass just above the runway. This book brings back memories of that. In the meantime, back in the "world" (US)Hippies were coming on the scene. It was a shock to me and many others returning. And, by the way, so much for the "domino theory" - Thailand is still there.



5. As a story of courage and combat flying this book sits near the top of the list. Daily missions into the heart of a well defended N Vietnam, flying against targets selected in DC by those with no combat flying experience, training in tactics of successful air campaigns, appreciation for those who did and with the even greater corruption of a lack of commitment.
   
   Somehow Rasimus and his fellow pilots keep getting up after sleepless nights, getting the brief and launching missions into North Vietnam. It is sad to hear of the lives lost dumping bombs on "suspected truck parks" and other secondary targets.
   
   The author was one of those for whom successful completion of 100 missions over N Vietnam was improbable. One wonders how our nation produces those with the skill and courage to fly these missions day after day. Add to the burden the knowledge that far too often the missions were flown against insignificant targets while truly valuable targets were off limits.
   
   The author was blessed with the skills of a fighter pilot and the writing skills normally associated with those sedentary pursuits of a writing career.
   
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace.

1. This is a book everyone should read. I totally agree with the writer, that we all know and live in war-situations. You don't have to be a war-veteran to know what war is.
   We have and create our own wars in daily life. It occurs in every situation/relation in which we can't make peace with "the other".
   It occurs in a parent-child relation. Boss-employee. husband-wife. And hey... don't forget the NEIGHBOURS!!
   This is a very insightful and deadly honest story. We will and can all relate to what he's been through, and most important, HOW we can move out of pain and suffering. How we can heal our lives and be peace.
   If someone as wounded as he was, can do it, we all can.
   Love, Peace and Blessings to a Man of Wisdom and Peace, who reaches out to all of us. It's up to us now to heal ourselves.
   One (of many ways) to practise mindfulness is by doing a FREE 10 day Vipassana meditation retreat. Look at dhamma-org. Google for Vipassana and Goenka, there are dozens of centers worldwide.



2. Claude Thomas's At Hell's Gate is the story of a terribly wounded individual (bad childhood, PTSD, alcohol and drug addictions, intimacy problems) trying to find healing for himself. His analysis of his own ill-being, to use a phrase favored by Thomas' mentor, Thich Nhat Hanh, is not only a gripping story. It's also valuable to the rest of us who, like Thomas, are likewise wounded.
   
   Thomas' journey to healing is based on Nhat Hanh's "engaged Buddhism" model. The basic principles of engaged Buddhism are that (1) violence is caused by suffering; (2) suffering is caused by unacknowledged and unhealed interior wounds whose destructive energy manipulates us; (3) mindfulness to those wounds and the way they enslave us is essential to both personal and social liberation from violence; (4) reality is best described in terms of "interbeing," unbreakable connectedness, so that my actions or lack of actions necessarily affect everything; (5) and therefore my own healing contributes to the healing of the world.
   
   Thomas' own breakthrough was attending a weeklong retreat conducted by Nhat Hanh. Since then, Thomas has been ordained a mendicant monk in the Soto Zen tradition, makes regular walking peace pilgrimages across the U.S. and other parts of the world, and regularly ministers to street people and veterans.
   
   This book is well worth reading, especially for someone who has no acquaintance with Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings. The book is sometimes repetitious, although I can't quite figure out if this is deliberate of unintentional on Thomas' part. Moreover, one occasionally senses that Thomas' is still so wrestling with his own demons that his focus is more self- than other-directed.
   
   Still, these are minor caveats, and Thomas' book stands as an eloquent and insightful testament to the deep human yearning for a return to innocence, to healing, to wholeness. As a Zen koan asks, "What did your face look like before you were born?" At the least, it was without wounds.



3. The Vietnam War has produced its share of memoirs but few have the impact that author and veteran Claude Anshin Thomas has in his inspiring book "At Hell's Gate". It is odd in a spiritual way, that he published his book a year after my own autobiography "A Spiritual Warrior's Journey". We both seem to be following different paths to the same destination. He and I were stationed at the same time in Phu Loi South Vietnam in 1966 & 1967. We were both crew-chief/door-gunners on Hueys. He was with the 116th AHC (Assault Helicopter Company) and I was next door to his unit in the 128th AHC. We each saw the same kind of war and combat and shared some of the same actual battles - so this added to my reading experience.
   
   His book - much like my own - is a journey of self-discovery and spiritual evolution. He fights the demons of PTSD upon his return home and tries to medicate and drug his pain. The author shares a life that was filled with great emotional suffering. The key to his book however, and that separates it from so many others, is that this provides some direction for not just veterans but all who are suffering from their own personal wars of life. He gives the reader a look at how he grew and how he found something (Zen ) to help him cope and grow spiritually.
   
   The book can be read in one sitting but it is best if savored over a longer period of time. There is much wisdom within these pages that will help heal and change others. I highly recommend this as a gift to give to any veteran of any war. The book is full of compassion and hope. There are methods for meditation in the back of the book which could give those in need a "road map" to some healing.



4. As a fellow Vietnam Veteran of combat and casualty calls, Thomas' book brings relief through mindfulness.
   Finally, someone explains how focusing on breathing can calm the mind, quell the rage, and convert the destructive energy of anger into an active and productive purpose such as "engaged Buddhism."
   
   "At Hell's Gate" actually opens the gates of hell, my mental home for forty years, and shows me the clear path to peace. I'm gonna walk it and recommend that all victims of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder join me and follow Claude Anshin Thomas' leadership.
   
   Thank you, Rev. Thomas, for showing me the way.



5. I first read about Claude Thomas on the internet a few years ago. I found his story so strong and powerful. I was glad to finally be able to read this book. This is a very powerful story about the power to heal and transform.
   
   Thomas's experience is proof that even people who have endured the most horrific experiences can come to peace. He is so honest about the horrific experiences in the Vietnam War, his substance abuse and other problems in his life. Through his journey he has learnt how to live with these wounds.
   
   He writes:
   
   "...suffering is not our enemy. It is only through a relationship with my pain, my sadness, that I can reach the other side, that I can truly know and touch the opposite, which is my pleasure, my joy, and my happiness. "
   
   I greatly admire the path that Thomas has walked. He has truly embraced the spirit of Buddhism and the meaning of being a monk, going forth into homelessness. He studied first with Thich Nhat Hanh and then with Roshi Bernie Glassman. The pilgrimages and street retreats that Thomas has done, to me represent one of the finest expressions of engaged Buddhism.
   
   I highly recommend this book as a spiritual biography and a guide to Buddhist practice.

5 comments about Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War.

1. Interest in this particular Civil War memoir increased due to its being frequently quoted and referred to in the documentary series on "The Civil War" that aired on PBS stations almost twenty years ago. Thankfully, the success of the series caused "Company Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show" to be reprinted.
   
   As a narrative device, film maker Ken Burns compared and contrasted the recollections of Samuel R. Watkins, a Confederate soldier who served in the Western theater of operations (principally in Tennessee and Georgia), with the diary entries of Elisha Hunt Rhodes, a Union soldier from Rhode Island. Both men saw significant combat action and both survived the war.
   
   Although Rhodes recorded his immediate observations, Watkins began his memoirs after the war had ended and his book was published seventeen years after the Army of the Tennessee had surrendered. He had the advantage of being able to meditate on his experiences and I found his book to be of greater interest as a result.
   
   I have read both "All for the Union" (Rhodes) and "Company Aytch" (Watkins). While both books have much to recommend them, I am partial to the latter. As a writer, Watkins produced more profound opinions. There seemed to be more color, humor, poetry and reflection in his prose. Rhodes seemed dull and factual in his summaries which often culminated with the slogan "All for the Union." I do not mean to diminish Rhodes or his military service in any manner, but Watkins is simply a better writer.
   
   The conclusion of Watkins book is quite moving. It was memorable when broadcast on television and it is no less memorable when read from the printed page.



2. Mr. Watkins tells a humble and epic story. A confederate private shares his unique perspective. Reveals the grim realities of a glorious cause going from bad to worse and back again. It is truly amazing he survived four years of warfare. Most often death was easier than survival. General Bragg routinely court martialed his troops with a firing squad for deserters. Further punishments like barreling, whippings and deprevations were routine. It got better under General Johnston and worse again under General Hood. The soldiers alternatively cursed and praised the war, its' cause and the Generals. Yet like in all wars, the men fought for each other. So many soldiers met their Maker, whereby Watkins extolls their virtues and praises. Eloquently written and graphically descriptive. Sam's survival is a testimonial to God's protection. Written in the 1880's.
   READ the book and you will find a friend from the ages.



3. Sam Watkins himself describes it best himself,A Side Show to the Big Show. This Book describes the War For Southern Independence, from the eyes of a common Private in the Confederate Army. He was in it from the Start to the End. I've read it 5 times, I enjoy it more each time!! A MUST for anyone studying the WAR!!



4. Surely themost informing view of the pasr is the personal diary or even memoir. Often in the military genre we find that what is written in a diary after the battle offers a ver different view than the mrmoir written some time later. Sam Watkins's memoir is the exception. I doubt a diary wou read substantially different from this book. Sam is a mature man who sees through the gloss and temporary glory of the moment both on the field and from his armchair. If you forget the name on the cover, you can believe the person responsible for it goes by the nom de plume of Mark Twain. This is not a book for the military library, it bellongs in every library.



5. There are seveal diary books which are like Co. Aytch however for some reason I could relate to Sam Watkins. When I'm asked about the Civil War/War of Nothern Aggression, I tell them to start their study of that time with two books: Co. Aytch and Testament:A Soldier's Story of the CIvil War by Bobrick. Both books are a 5 star in my humble opinion. After reading those two then go on and read whatever you want.

3 comments about Rampant Raider: An A-4 Skyhawk Pilot in Vietnam.

1. I have always had an interest in the Vietnam War since I visited the country in 1995 with the Semester at Sea program. I was lucky to be one of the first groups of American students allowed to visit since the war. It was a mystery to me... It piqued my interest on how much the war impacted my parents' era, but more so, helped me begin to understand what it meant for my Grandfather to be a part of the war. My Grandfather was Captain of the USS Bon Homme Richard while Mr. Gray was aboard. I was recommended his book to get a better understanding of the war and the life of a pilot. I learned so much and especially loved reading about the pilot's lingo, living aboard the carrier, views on the combat missions, and also about how it felt to be in the war. I always ask my Grandfather questions about Vietnam and this book helped describe that world in a way I could relate. I am grateful to have a better understanding and have even more respect for all of those that have served our country. (My Grandfather has also written a book about his WWII submarine experience - Luck of the Draw by Captain C. Kenneth Ruiz).



2. Thus far there have been precious few memoirs written by Yankee Station attack or fighter pilots. Thankfully we now have Stephen Gray's marvelous chronicle of flying combat over North Vietnam with the 'Rampant Raiders' of VA-212. Gray's book is not only a spellbinding, enjoyable memoir of the life of a Naval aviator circa 1967-69 but also literate and readily accessible to boot.
   
   Initially serving as an EM flying in Sea King anti-submarine helos, Gray applied for the NavCad program and eventually trained to be a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk pilot. The first part of Gray's book details the training he underwent that transformed him into an attack pilot. He has a marvelous way with words. His descriptions of aviation tactics, weapons and training could have been full of 'pilot talk' but instead are simply and clearly presented. You don't need to have an aeronautical background to enjoy this book.
   
   In January 1967 Gray, still green behind the ears, found himself assigned to Attack Squadron 212 led by the legendary Homer Smith. VA-212 was part of Air Wing 21 on board BonHomme Richard. Once on Yankee Station Bonnie Dick's air wing started flying the first missions of what became a record-breaking cruise. Flying more sorties than any other carrier air wing, Air Wing 21 dropped six million pounds of ordnance and downed a record number of North Vietnamese MiG fighters. The cost was heavy: fifteen pilots killed or captured, two of them from VA-212 including Homer Smith.
   
   Gray's descriptions of that record-breaking cruise are gripping and well-done. He takes the reader inside the cockpit to give an intimate view of air combat.
   
   Gray ends the book with BonHomme Richard returning stateside. Presumably there's a volume 2 in the wings covering his second Bonnie Dick cruise. One hopes so!
   
   In summary, I can't remember when I have read a better written combat memoir than RAMPANT RAIDER. If you want to know what it was like to fly combat over North Vietnam circa 1967, buy this book. It's a great piece of writing; I'd give it six stars if that was allowed! Bravo Zulu, Mr. Gray!



3. Great book on the small deck carrier war. My Father flew from Bonny Dick in this era so was extremely interesting to me. Easy reading found it hard to put down.

5 comments about My Two Wars.

1. Had to force myself to finish this clunker; ordinarily, I wouldn't have bothered, but I thought it would eventually get good; it was Moritz Thomsen, after all, and I'd thought that "Living Poor," his first book, was excellent and that parts of "The Saddest Pleasure" were just as good.
   
   I guess I just don't have much patience for old men who haven't gotten over their fathers (Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season" recently annoyed me to no end), and if I'd been the father of the self-indulgent and humorless young man depicted in this book I too would have been sorely tempted to smack him upside the head a time or two.
   
   The book is about the author's involvement in two catastrophes, so you might think at least the war story would be good. But you'd be dead wrong. It's just dull. The whole book is just an old man venting spleen. I prefer to remember Thomsen for "Living Poor."



2. I first read Thomsen's masterpiece "The Farm on the River of Emeralds" in 1990. Subsequently I read his other two gems -- "Living Poor" and "The Saddest Pleasure" -- but it wasn't until just a few days ago that I finally got around to starting "My Two Wars". I had always supposed that this one would be a letdown, as I'd never actually heard anyone mention it until a couple of months ago. I supposed it would be a haphazard collection of odds and ends that Thomsen tossed together as his death approached, or perhaps a book tossed together afterward his death by someone else. I could not have been more wrong. This is a phenomenal work, perhaps Thomsen's best. And that is, I think, saying a lot, because in my mind there has never been a better writer anywhere. For me to try to praise this book would be a joke. There is writing, and then there is Writing, and then there is Moritz Thomsen.



3. It grieves me to know that Moritz Thomsen will never write another novel. His brutal honesty, his self-effacing style, his humility and acceptance of his human flaws, makes his story captivating. Never before has a book filled me with such feelings; rage at his father, joy for his victories, compassion for the difficult life he led, saddness for a life ended. It brought me to tears. This book is a fitting epitaph for a man of astonishing virtues and abilities.



4. This book is the story of a man who had a dominating father and lived in the dominating world of war. Moritz Thomsen was this man and he tells his own personal stories of the war with his father and the second World War. He captivates his audience with the knowledge of how rough life can be. His father was a rich man that lost all of his families money and still kept spending. He ruled everyone in his family to the point of being called a tyrant. His knowledge of the "feelings" of war are tremendous. He explains and analyzes every detail so that it is possible to believe that you experienced it along with him. It is sad to know that Moritz Thomsen will never write another story about his life. In closing I thought that this was an awesome book that I will never forget.



5. Devoted readers of the late Moritz Thomsen's first three books needn't be reminded that Moritz wrote better on a bad day than 99% of the authors, living or dead, who have tried their hand at English prose. Just like his classic Living Poor, The Farm on the River of Emeralds, and The Saddest Pleasure, My Two Wars is searingly honest, funny, heartbreaking, compelling ‹ in short, vintage Thomsen. It's more than just obligatory reading for the cognoscenti, however. It documents Thomsen's "involvement with two outrageous catastrophes," his father, and the shorter war he fought against the various forces, insanities, and outrages of WW II as a B-17 bombardier in Europe. The two wars are by no means unrelated. The longer narrative is devoted to military service that began as a draftee. Regarding the longer war, if only half of the outrages Charlie Thomsen visited upon his family are true, "catastrophe" still euphemizes the man. The wartime account is fantastic, but the final scene in which Moritz returns from hell as a decorated officer to confront Charlie, wallowing in drunken bitterness over having been robbed of the prospect of being the father of a dead war hero son, has to be read to be believed. God bless you, Moritz, for an amazing life and for your final gift to us

5 comments about Rattler One-Seven: A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot's War Story (North Texas Military Biography and Memoir).

1. I recently purchased a book entitled Rattler One-Seven written by Chuck Gross. Once I started to read this unbelievable account of this helicopter pilots involvment in the VietNam war I could not put it down. What these young pilots went through to insert and extract and suport rescue missions to bring back our ground troops during this confrontation is almost more than a mind can absorb. Chuck Gross was a young warrant officer (19 yrs old) from Minnesota. His in depth writing will take you to a time in history that many of us have forgotten. The daily fear of lossing ones own life, being caputured and the stories of friends and comrades who did not make it home is riveting to say the least. His writing is so in depth I gurantee you will ride that Huey with him and his crew, and you will share the tears, heartache and jubilation just as he did during his year of service. If you remember anything about Nam and the protests regarding this war you owe it to yourself to read this pilots account of what hell must really be like, and applaud these brave young men for doing the job that they were told to do. Whether you agreed with the war or not is not the issue, but what these soldiers did at our governments request of them. I hope you can reflect as I did when you read Chuck Gross's account. You will hold a special place in your memory for all of these brave men. Bill Turck, St Cloud MN



2. You have seen it in the movies, now read actual accounts of flying UH-1 Huey helicopters in and out of hot landing zones.
   
   Author Chuck Gross details his 1200 hours of combat as a young aviator during the Vietnam war. He details the way it really was from the propective of being on the front lines during tense operations. Rattler One-Seven is a collection of his notes and memories written in an exciting format, which captured my emotion to read more.
   
   He shares with his readers his thoughts and emotions as he carried out risky operations, putting his talents ahead of his emotion to complete the mission at hand. It is clear to me that Chuck was a fine aviator with high moral standards. This book tells the real life experiences in the eyes of a 19 year old Vietnam combat helicopter pilot. The challenges this pilot experienced which formed his skills and moral values into who he is today.
   
   You will read chronological events as they were experienced; being a Newbie, busting your cherry, Special Operations including Lam Son 719, what it is like to be shot down, coming home and more..... Read it. As I read it I felt the combat as if I was there in the action.
   
   A must read for all to experience a time in history.



3. I have just finished reading Rattler One-Seven for the second time. Mr. Gross does such a great job of capturing the true essence of what it must have been like to fly choppers in Vietnam. Instead of glorifing combat like so many Vietnam books do, he gives you his honest opinions of what he experienced through the eyes of a nineteen year old. His narrative writing style makes you feel as if your sitting there in person listening to him. This is one of my favorite books.



4. Of all the books I have read about Vietnam this has to be rated at the bottom of the list. Obviously written by an amateur, the story was drab and uninteresting. He should have had some professional help in writing this book.



5. As a former Vietnam helicopter pilot, I lived a similar life in "Nam" so I know the story was factual and well written. The author was single minded in getting home alive and keeping those flying with him as safe as he could make it for them. I enjoyed his professionalism in flying and striving to be the best in a bad situation. The combat assualts were great and I was "in the cockpit with him" as he described the action. Good reading for vet and non-vet alike as to what it was like to be in a true airmobile war.

5 comments about Cochrane: The Real Master and Commander.

1. Many readers will come to David Cordingly's The Real Master and Commander from a desire as fans of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester to learn more about the remarkable man whose life provided the raw material for the tales of Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower. Make no mistake, however, Cordingly's excellent historical biography deserves to be read on its own merits.
   
   Lord Thomas Cochrane executed such stunningly audacious feats - successfully attacking much larger ships with his small sloop Speedy, leading an attack of fireships on the French fleet at Basque Roads, and helping Chile and Brazil establish their independence - that one might cry `what pitiful stuff' if one read it in a work of historical fiction. But it really happened.
   
   Cochrane was a flawed man who could not restrain himself from reckless attacks on powerful forces in the navy and the government generally. When he found himself entangled in an infamous stock exchange fraud (the leaders spread false rumors that Napoleon had died and then sold their shares when the market predictably spiked), he discovered that powerful men were only too happy to see him convicted and drummed out of the navy. Cordingly judiciously sifts the evidence of Cochrane's guilt or innocence from our vantage point nearly 200 years later.
   
   In addition to his naval feats Cochrane also fought for reform causes as a member of parliament. His intemperate tactics and language did him little good. Of course, he was quite right in insisting that either the electoral system would be reformed from within or reformed with a vengeance from without.
   
   After several years in the `wilderness', Cochrane sailed to South America and successfully aided the rebellion against Spain and Portugal. He eventually wore out his welcome there as well, in part due to fights over prize money. From there he went to the Greek Fiasco, as Cordingly aptly names it. He spent his remaining years fighting with some success to restore honor to his name. A sad dwindling away for this remarkable man.
   
   A must read for fans of Age of Sail historical fiction and an excellent histroical biography.



2. As a die hard Patrick O'Brian fan and an amateur history buff this book was intriguing to me. It is very well written and presents the life story of an amazing British Navy hero not well known today.
   
   David Cordingly does a superb job presenting the real life exploits of Cochrane, which incredibly are every bit as extraordinary as the fictional exploits of Captain Jack Aubrey in the Patrick O'Brian Master and Commander series.
   
   I highly recommend it.



3. A great story and a great read about a great commander by my new favorite author, Thank You, Sir. I am going to order "Billy Ruffian".



4. I think I am correct in saying that I have read all of the biographies of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, published in the last few decades, and I would rate this volume as the being the best of all, giving good coverage of all phases of Cochrane's long naval and political careers. Unlike some authors, Cordingly is careful to match Cochrane's own accounts of his activities against other primary sources, and to give equal balance to Cochrane's activities in the wars for South American independence with those during the Napoleonic Wars.
   
   Cochrane was an extraordinary man, his genuine history perhaps more amazing than any of the fiction inspired by his real-world activities, this is a biography that does him justice, lauding his good qualities and achievements without hiding his flaws and failures.



5. I am not an O'Brian fan but I do love C.S. Forester. This gripping true life narrative was an easy read and was more exciting than the fiction that used Cochrane as an inspirtation. This unfortunate tragic hero's life is told in gripping detail from his self-claimed sabotage as a naval officer to his failed career as a reformist politician in the Napoleanic Era of England. The scientific advances both in military and civilian pursuits are also touched on as scientific curioisty and their failure to commercially take advantage of their discoveries seemed to have run in Cochrane's family. For those who love those fictious sea tales of both O'Brian and Forester, this is the real thing.

5 comments about Geronimo: His Own Story: The Autobiography of a Great Patriot Warrior.

1. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMEMBER THAT ALL THE COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO GERONIMO'S "DIPLOMACY" AND LACK OF ANIMUS TOWARDS WHITE PEOPLE EXPRESSED IN THE BOOK AND BY REVIEWERS HAD MORE TO DO WITH THE WORDS A MAN WHO EXPECTED TO BE ASSASINATED AT ANY MOMENT BY HIS CAPTORS. AS SUCH, HIS ANTIPATHY FOR THE WHITE MAN IS ATTENUATED BY A MAN LOOKING DEATH IN THE FACE FROM A CULTURAL TRADITION THAT ONE'S LAST MOMENTS SHOULD BE FREE OF HOSTITLITY.



2. This was a good book, but it said it was in a "like new" condition and it showed up with half the cover missing. But that's alright. Who needs covers, right?



3. If you understand that Geronimo ( correctly pronounced "Herr-ON-EE-Mo") was a prisoner of war who expected to be shot or hung at any time while he was dictating this autobiography, it is well worth reading. To get the REAL STORY behind Geronimo's motivations for providing Barrett with what he did, read the excellent book "Indeh, An Apache Odyssey" by Eve Ball. Indeh, along with his autobiography, allows Geronimo to become a real person in many respects - especially in terms of being qualified as a highly intelligent, astute, exceptionally "powerful" individual and probably the most outstanding warrior/leader the Apaches ever had bar none.
   This said, I urge the reader to reject any and all works done by Politically Correct Story Telling cranks such as Dan L. Thrapp, Edwin Sweeney, and ilk. Read this autobiography of Geronimo's along with Ball's "Indeh" and THEN read my reviews of Thrapp's preposterous drivel and nonsense and Sweeney's garbage on various Apache leaders. You'll then have a real idea of the difference between historically valuable information and mere fantasy-filled, sky-pie jibberish churned out by love-sick buffoons who neither lived at the time of the people they write about or have any intention of offering their readers ACCURATE information on anything.
   These days there is far too much insane and inacurate literature available on the American Indian of yesteryear, but this book and Ball's "Indeh" certainly deserve to be considered as far above and beyond the fiction-as-fact PC rubbish which comprises a trecherous information swamp that anyone interested in Frontier history must wade through to get to the truth and facts.
   If you want some truth about Apaches from Apaches, avoid books by Thrapp, Sweeney, Roberts, and ilk like the plague. Purchase this book and Ball's "Indeh". You won't be sorry you did.



4. Geronimo: His Own Story is an endlessly fascinating autobiography that belongs in the pantheon of other great American works of autobiography and memoir. This book should take its place alonside other great works of personal non-fiction such as The Autobiography of Malcom X, A Moveable Feast, The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and (arguably the best of the bunch) The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. This is a strong statement, but after reading this short autobiography it's at least an idea that should be entertained. I found things in this book that I was not expecting, and it ended up being a far more complex and intriguing portrait of Geronimo than I had previously entertained. The most fascinating side of Geronimo that comes across in these two-hundred pages is not Geronimo the warrior but Geronimo the diplomat.
   
   S. M. Barrett's introduction tells us that after Geronimo finished what he wanted to say he would not take questions or add anything more, but merely stated "`Write what I have spoken.'" These are the actions of a man who has a very specific purpose he is pursuing. After reading Geronimo's story I believe his purpose in publishing his tale was to accomplish in peace what he was unable to in war--he wanted to deliver his people back to Arizona.
   
   Geronimo dedicates his story to Theodore Roosevelt, because, in his words, he "knows I speak the truth;...he is fair minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future; and because he is chief of a great people." Even before his story has started Geronimo strikes a cordial tone. Not only are Geronimo's words flowing with accolades, but they are also giving Roosevelt something to live up to. By stating that Roosevelt is "fair minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future" he is almost challenging Roosevelt to live up to this description.
   
   Much of the fighting in Geronimo occurs between the Apache's and the Mexicans. Geronimo doesn't try and hide his feelings about the Mexicans, stating not only that he as "no love for the Mexicans," but also that if he was younger, "and followed the warpath," he would "lead into Old Mexico." In fact, his battles with the Mexicans take up a slight majority of the book. He does not make any similarly broad statements when speaking about Americans. Whenever Geronimo criticizes American policy he makes certain that he focuses his criticism on the officer in charge rather than American policy as a whole. Geronimo realizes that merely lashing out at an unfair, but time honored, practice of breaking U.S. treaties would alienate his audience and hurt his cause.
   
   The rhetorical technique Geronimo uses in telling his story is rather matter of fact. This is in stark contrast to some of the more melodramatic works that were popular around the turn of the century. Certainly this highlights a difference in two cultures, but it is also indicative of how Geronimo goes about trying to achieve his goal. Instead of histrionically telling his story he presents it in what seems to be an objective and reasonable voice. When Geronimo gave himself up to the U.S. Army one of the conditions was that his band of Apaches would be sent to Florida with the rest of their families. When the U.S. breaks this condition Geronimo flatly states that this "treatment was in direct violation of our treaty made at Skeleton Canon." He lets the action speak for itself. If he railed against the injustice committed then he would have turned off a mostly white audience. After all, it was their government who was responsible for breaking the treaty.
   
   I won't make this into a thesis (although I probably could). Geronimo: His Own Story is a wonderful portrait of one of American History's most courageous heroes. In the book I was surprised to find out just as much about Geronimo the diplomat as I did about Geronimo the warrior. I'll end this with Geronimo's words: "There is no climate or soil which, to my mind, is equal to that of Arizona. We could have plenty of good cultivating land, plenty of grass, plenty of timber and plenty of minerals in that land which the Almighty created for the Apaches. It is my land, my home, my fathers' land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there, and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace, feeling that my people , placed in their native homes, would increase in numbers, rather than diminish as at present, and that our name would not become extinct."



5. "Geronimo: His Own Story" has been revised and edited, with an introduction and notes, by Frederick Turner. This book is the autobiography of the legendary Apache warrior, as told to S. M. Barrett. The copyright page notes that the main text was originally published as "Geronimo's Story of His Life" in 1906.
   
   The revised edition includes the 1906 preface by Barrett; a 33 page introduction by Turner; a "Note on the Text," which describes the genesis of the book; a map, "Apache Country, 1865-1886"; a bibliography; and a generous collection of photographs showing both Geronimo at various stages in his life, and other people of his times. Barrett's introduction tells how the text was delivered orally by Geronimo, and how translator Asa Daklugie helped Barrett turn it into book form. Indeed, in his introduction Turner notes that Geronimo's story is "a preliterate and essentially a prewhite narrative." Altogether the text and supplemental features are about 200 pages long.
   
   Geronimo's fascinating story begins with an Apache creation myth. He discusses his early life, his family, his battles against the Mexicans, his conflict with United States forces, and his life as a prisoner-of-war under U.S. military control. I was especially interested by his descriptions of the military tactics he used. Geronimo also discusses Apache life: religion, hunting, cultural taboos, etc. The book includes some really remarkable accounts, such as Geronimo's visit to the St. Louis World's Fair. The text is quite poignant when Geronimo reflects upon his hope for the survival of his people and their culture.
   
   I would recommend this book to all who are interested in Native American studies, 19th century American history, military autobiography, and the relationship between oral and written literature. But above all, this book is an encounter with an extraordinary human being whose voice remains passionate and compelling after all these decades.

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