3 comments about The Training Ground: Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848.

1. I was very disappointed with The Training Ground. It is a good read but you can't trust it. There are numerious factual errors. On page 160, Mr. Dugard states "He (Abraham Lincoln)was born in Kentucky and lived there until moving to Illinois at the age of 22." Maybe Mr. Dugard considers the 14 years that the Lincoln family spent in Indiana as just passing through? The Lincolns moved to Illinois when Abe was 21 and they had lived in Spencer County Indiana since he was 7.
   When I started the book, I hoped to learn more about men that I knew mostly from the Civil War. The farther I got into it, the more I felt a need to double check Dugard's statements



2. A history book that you cannot put down. Dugard impeccably details the landscape of war and the tremendous strength, loyalty, leadership and courage of young men faced with insurmountable circumstances. The writing is fluid, informative, and rich. One of the many strengths of The Training Ground is the manner in which the chaos and brutality of war is contrasted with individuals and how their lives are forever affected. I've heard the term "page anxiety" used with history books. There is none to be found here. I found this book bold, informative and told from a perspective lacking in its genre. An exellent, excellent read.



3. Did you know that George Pickett would become "something of a cult figure for graduating fifty-ninth in a class of fifty-nine and then later led one of the most famous cavalry charges in the history of modern warfare"? On page six, this book imparts the astounding historical fact that Pickett's Charge was mounted. 145 years, millions of words, hundreds of book, thousands of prints and paintings but Martin Dugard found the truth. However, there is no footnote proving that Pickett's Division road to battle on July 3, 1863. Without that little detail, I will continue to think they were an infantry division and the men walked both ways.
   The dust jacket says Dugard is a "bestselling author of non-fiction", while that may be true, he is not a historian. The book has multiple direct quotes and no footnotes to support them. At the end of the book is a section entitled "Selected Notes and Biographies" that is designed to make the book appear to be a serious history.
   The book is readable but neither a history of the War with Mexico nor a history of the men involved. This is a series of stories, strung together about men who would be generals in another war. At best, it is a readable introduction. At worst, it is full of errors, misquotes and misstatements.

5 comments about Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS.

1. This book is quite a read. I found it eye-opening, interesting and even a bit entertaining. I thought it was great how the author tells his story, alternating between his time in the field and his time in captivity. It made for an almost movie-like experience. I also found the authors thoughts, upon learning of the Holocaust, and his reactions and feelings on the subject, were quite interesting. Foremost being, he felt the name and image of the elite Waffen SS was soiled by Nazi goons.
   
   I highly recommend this book. I've read several first-person memoir type accounts, and this is by far the best I've read so far.



2. I bought the book based on the other reviews.
   
   I really enjoyed the book and would recommend the read to anyone keen on the topic. Rather than rehash what others have already written, why not purchase a copy and enjoy a few evenings engrossed in an accurate account of what it really was like fighting a war in the far north.
   
   10/10



3. Johan Voss's story is interesting in its sheer typicality. He grew up in an intellectual middle-class family which held varying opinions on Hitler, from fanatical enthusiasm to seditious contempt. As a teen, he became somewhat enrapt with the idea of the Waffen-SS, which was marketed not as a racial elite but as a brotherhood dedicated to protecting Europe from Soviet Communism. Seeing in the concept the seeds of a United Europe (divisions of Waffen-SS were recruited from everything from Danes to Frenchmen to Cossacks and Muslim Croatians), Voss joined up, and being from a mountainous area, was assigned to the 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord."
   
   "Nord" spent most of its service fighting on the forgotten sector of the Eastern front - the Russian-Finnish border. Voss served in the frozen wastes of the Arctic Circle until late 1944, when the deteriorating military situation caused Finland to turn against Germany - indeed, the book's toughest emotional passages deal with the bitterness of the Germans as they are forced to march a thousand miles through the snow to Norway. After that, the division was sent to France to fight in the "Second Battle of the Bulge" - Himmler's assault into Alsace in the closing days of 1944. It was during this chaotic battle that Voss was captured by Americans and first had to hide his SS identity. In the prison camps he was confronted with evidence of Nazi atrocities and engaged in lengthly and painful self-examination about the Waffen-SS and his role in it, hence the "conscience" part of the title.
   
   EDELWEISS is not the best WW 2 memior I've read. It moves a bit slowly, and Voss is almost too thoughtful for his own good; his constant introspection is interesting in and of itself but drags down the narrative. But it is a refreshingly bold and important book. Because he falls short of complete repudiation of the organization, seeing himself as both the facilitator of crime and a victim of it, Voss' memior is somewhat controversial. Like many other W/SS vets, he is willing to accept his share of responsibility for the actions of Nazi Germany, but refuses to serve as the "alibi of a nation", merely because he wore SS runes and not Army litzen on his collar. By refusing to be lumped in with the black-clad Political SS and the Death's Head troopers who staffed the concentration camps, Voss puts himself at odds with everyone, inside and outside of Germany, who wants him to admit that he is criminal and keep any non-criminal exploits to himself. Luckily for history, he didn't take their advice.



4. This is one of the best first hand accounts I have read by any soldier. A majority of the book is about his time in combat, but there are many pages written while he was in captivity where he is forced to come to grips with what he was a part of. He is unashamed of his participation in the SS, and seems a firm believer that the German cause was just in its battle against Bolshevism. I can not judge him as I did not grow up in 1920/1930s Germany, but as a former soldier who has been in combat, I feel his memories and descriptions of his wartime experiences are genuine. This is a page turner, well written with nothing that will hang up a reader, and a glimpse into the mind of just one man in those conditions in our history. If you like this, I also recommend "Sniper on the Eastern Front" for another great first person view of combat on the ground in the ETO.



5. This book is worth reading, but it's not a book that you cannot put down.
   Alot of politics discussed... If you want an exciting book to read, read "the forgotten soldier." There is controversy about the book.. whether it is a work of fiction.. maybe because it is so exciting. Not exciting , but very interesting. Exciting is the wrong word. But it is a book I highly recommend.

5 comments about Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal.

1. A suposedly true story, but frankly it did not have much of a ring of truth about it. Certainly parts are true, but as much of the story relied on the writings of a con man, how much can one believe. It has that, after the fact ring, of the victors did nothing wrong and the vanquished did nothing right. The con man, if the story is to be trusted lived like a prince in both France, Norway, Germany and England fetted by all sides. Hmmm, Doesn't pass my litmus test.



2. Those skeptical about how compelling a non-fiction book can be, especially one that recounts events from nearly 70 years ago will be pleasently surprised. The author is a journalist who brings the story to life with a quick pace and paints avid picture of the setting without needless words.
   
   I am not a World War II buff particularly, but I was thoroughly engrossed by the story; if you are then I would expect you would be swept away. The book has a great "plot" that has a pace like a novel and provides a greater character study of all those that appear in the pages. Knowing it is a true story makes it even more fun. A great read for the summer!



3. The trials and tribulations of Eddie Chapman might have made an interesting story with another author, but this story was a disappointment to me. Many of the reviews mention how much this book is just like fiction but that it is a true story. If that were the case, I'd never read another spy fiction story the rest of my life. There is no excitement, no glamour, no dark secrets, no interesting double-cross-save-the-Brits-and-sink-the-Germans storyline, or even any tricks of the trade that I found engrossing. While I would not call this book tedious, I was not anxious to pick it up everyday and get into it. It was just there; just interesting enough to finish, but not the highlight of my day.
   
   This is purely about Eddie Chapman and his love of excitement (as least it was exciting for him) and putting his life on the line into the unknown role of double spy. Unfortunately for the reader, the book concentrates on the mundane learning of various espionage antics that are never used. He was wined and dined by both sides and given anything that he wanted. But what does he really do to earn this treatment? Very little - a couple of weeks of misguidance during the V1 bombings and some misdirection about anti-submarine devices, but nothing in any detail. As this story is told, the ineptness of the German spy ring to England was interesting but hardly something that becomes a page turner.
   
   I was expecting to learn more of the British Intelligence and how they handled the intricacies of the double spy. Other stories that I have read have shown the British to be light years ahead of everyone in this business, but you get only a glimpse of their thinking; almost as if it is tangential to the plot. There could have been some interesting detail on the alluded to, but never really divulged nervousness at the wireless. The reader never gets a feel for the danger involved. The story is too vague.
   
   Eddie Chapman was a pawn used by both England and Germany and really never did anything that can be gleaned from this book for either party except to put a feather in each "spymaster's" cap for their respective governments. There are other acts of sabotage by other agents that are mentioned in the book, but basically nothing interesting is from the main character.
   
   It seems that Chapman's life consisted of living in one hamlet after another while he was "trained" (with at least one woman in both England and in Norway) with one group of spymasters in one country or another for most of the book.
   
   The author did a nice job with the description of what was happening in Norway with the Nazi occupation, but again you are left wanting more details and that was one chapter.
   
   I guess I expected more thrills and danger. This was like a spy club for singles. The Germans are portrayed as totally bubbling idiots in almost all phases of the book. The politics of the situation were not very well explained. There is quite a bit of haggling over whether Chapman was a good spy or a counter intelligence spy by the German authorities, but the author doesn't go into any detail of the decision process.
   
   It seems to me that this is a book about an small time crook that attempted to throw himself into anything that was life-threatening with the rewards of a romp in the sack and as much money as he could get. It does make for somewhat interesting reading, but I can't help but feel that the book was written with a movie in mind; it has that vague and incomplete feel that a movie book has.



4. Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal
   
   Very interesting true story of a double spy (Britain and Germany) during
   WWII. After the correspondence from wartime had been released, the author pulled together thousands of details and presented a very informative behind-the-scenes look at the life of a spy on both the Nazi
   and British sides of the war. A fascinating peek at wartime in both
   countries, as well as the amazing life of a double spy!
   
   Not a fast read, but a very interesting one!



5. This is a fast paced, exciting story of spy craft and adventures by the most successful double agent of WWII, Eddie Chapman. Ben Macintyre working from recently declassified documents has structured a narrative that cries out mini-series or major motion picture. The amazing story begins with Chapman in jail leaving behind a trail of petty crimes and safe crackings and many jilted women only to be captured by the Germans to whom he volunteers. Instead the Germans have him and a friend shipped to a prison in France. And here in a twist of fate ends up being trained as a German spy who is eventually is awarded the Iron Cross for completing his missions successfully. The Germans never guess that while in England Chapman (Agent ZIGZAG to the British) turns double agent and is involved in many of the most top secret misinformation campaigns of the war. He is interrogated over and over by both the Germans and British and also has time to find women to befriend, and handlers to be loyal too. Chapman is ultimately pardoned by the British for his roll spying for the British. The narrative is a believe it or not true story that will have you riveted from beginning to end. This is simply the most entertaining book I have read in some time. If it were a novel you would never believe it. Why this has not found its way on to the best seller list is beyond me you should not miss Agent ZIGZAG.

5 comments about Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty.

1. We got this book for Father's Day. My dad is retired Air Force after 20 years. And we knew he would enjoy see all the people who have given to this country. Plus over the years some of the men in the book are friends of his.



2. My husband is hard to buy for, but, as a veteran and military retiree, I knew he'd love this book. I heard it reviewed on National Public Radio and ordered it on line. He loved it and read every biography.



3. I enjoyed the book but I thought there would be more current info. such as Iraq. Also, I had hoped to read about Audie Murphy.



4. Should be must reading in all the schools. Lest we forget what the great sacrifice was all about.



5. I have always been interested in military history, especially WWII. This book is excellent! The pages are filled with accounts and photos of these heros. I have not completed reading all of the book. I like to savor each story after I read it. I wonder if I could do what they did. I am impressed with the deeds these men performed to secure our freedom.
   I recommend the book to anyone that enjoys history.

5 comments about Saddam's Secrets.

1. It's a shame that the public has to dig for the truth rather than rely on the press to be honest, but that's the situation. If you really want to know what was going on rather than buy into the juvenile theory that this was somehow all about W's oil buddies, this is a great start.



2. This is an important book that every American should read. Gen Sada is an amazing man, an eye-witness in Saddam's regime who lived to tell about it and claims to have actually seen WMD with his own eyes. Fascinating!



3. Finally, the inside scoop! Questions of WMD answered! Why isn't this information made more readily available to the American People? This is a story of one man's faith and honesty in the worst of situations! You want to know the truth? Read this book!!



4. I enjoyed the information in the book. Poorly written but never the less informative



5. Sada's book is filled with a totally different perspective from what we hear and read in the media. He is honest and believable in his story telling; however his American co-author's role as writter is average.
   What is so important to me is a perspective from a former and current resident of Iraq. His eyes give me the information that I desire. Too often we listen from our own cultural experience and ignore the prespective of someone like Sada.
   My only question is why has this book been ignored?

5 comments about Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point.

1. Samet's colonels and cadets can provide us with some valuable lessons about how well this nation has accomplished the purpose of higher education and a national military academy in its free society. This characteristic American mix is rooted in the founding of both the Republic and the USMA. Adams and Jefferson, with their particular wisdom encouraged the multiplicity of educational paths which has given such strength to the confidence we have in our military services. The role of the volunteer citizen-soldier is well known to all of us in the products of our public and land grant colleges, but we may have less contact with the professional soldier who is a product of West Point or the other service academies.
   This book presents these people( women, now, as well as men) as both typical American college students and as somewhat different, shaped as they are by a precise career path, conditions and expectations. The career officers, typically graduates returning to the West Point staff after a variety of duties, are similarly depicted. This humanizing portrait, not always flattering, helps the reader to appreciate the complexities at the heart of at first sometimes seemingly silly situations. An incident of a hat left behind after class and a hatless cadet, torn between hatlessness in this most uniform of environments and unofficial borrowing of the hat unquestionably left by the taker of his hat, as well as an upperclassman's practical solution makes the value of a philosophical discussion of ethical choice understandable; although, the author does not draw the moral, we see the importance of scruples vs exegincy in a future life and death situation. What guidelines are there to deal with the always new nature of command.
   Samet offers some literary models to her students. I might include a few more, especially the studies of command in Conrad's works, Crane's Red Badge, the dilemma of Sir Gawain, and clearly more Shakespeare, but the subjects she discusses are valid points of debate in literature classes. I must disagree with other reviewers on the author's "politically correct" attitude and style. We ate trapped in English by our gendered pronouns, and sometimes "P.C." attempts are absurd but this author's use is clearly situational. So too she is takes care to discuss teaching, not the war. I was envious, however, of the continued contact she seems to maintain with former students. One of the pains of the academic life is that after a long career so many young people who are for a semester or two the focus of attention become sparks of a moment in a professor's life.



2. I agree with the other grads. Find another book to read. This is too liberal, too politically correct, and too critical of our government. They're supposed to be creating leaders who are tough in mind and body, not cynical apologists. Anyone on staff who recommends this book should be separated, in my opinion. What is happening to West Point when things like this are not disparaged up there?



3. A well written account of how literature affects the soldiers, written by a woman who knew nothing about the military when she became an instructor in the English Department at West Point. As a graduate of that institution, I can say that she has a good understanding of the trials and tribulations of cadets as they struggle with their daily lives as well as the prospect of going off to war ... and possible death.



4. This book is well written. It deserves a high rating for that . But I cannot agree with many of the things the author says, and presumably teaches our cadets. Are they trying to make West Point slide down the slippery politically correct slope like other colleges? This book is Liberal. It is telling us in plain (albeit subtly) English that the teacher is trying to impart her political biases on our cadets. It is doing that so well and cleverly, I can do nothing other than praise it. (I fear it will attract a crop of bleeding heart liberals rather than warriors to defend our country, however). Does the author require the book in conjunction with her coursework? I'm surprised at the interest in this book, or any such book, at West Point that is indicated by its apparent sales. The book is not good for the mindset of soldiers, just like losing on the football field is not good. A more useful book to read would be a non-political book that shows new leaders how to handle the real world, "graduate" from good to great leadership, beat out their competition, and quickly rise in their career. "Dedicated to West Point: GOING BEYOND Leadership of Character:.." is the new book I would recommend for that, having read most of the frontline, bestselling books available. But, as to "Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature...", again I must say, it is a smooth and intelligent piece of literature, and deserves kudos on that basis, notwithstanding my not always agreeing with its opinions.



5. A short review: If you're a USMA grad, save your time and find another book to read. Soldier's Heart will only frustrate you. Professor Samet has missed the entire point of West Point. I didn't even pass the book along to be read by someone else. I threw it away.
   It's a shame that civilian professors like her are allowed to teach there.

5 comments about Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital.

1. This book offers very powerful insight to the struggle of mental health specialists in the field of combat. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in psychology and combat medicine. Even if you're not, this book is certainly worth it.



2. Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital
   I am a volunteer EMT. My dad had PTSD. I read Heidi's book and listened to her interview on National Public Radio. We have many returning vets in my town. Heidi's book and her work with the US Navy Combat Stress Control Program are in the highest tradition of the Navy and Marine Corps to leave no one behind. Great book! Great woman! We EMTs need more training in how to support our returning vets. We need Psychological First Aid training in addition to trauma and medical training. Heidi and folks like her are on the cutting edge of emergency medicine. Semper Fi



3. A very good read for military and political leaders looking for a balanced perspective on how casualties affect Soldiers and Marines.



4. I am in a book club called WOBL (WOMEN OF BRYANT LAKE)We were lucky enough to have our host get a conference call with the author, Dr. Heidi Squier Kraft. After reading her book I was so moved by her experiences over in Iraq, it's a book that I feel every US citizen should read. She gives the reader a chance to understand first hand what the soldiers are experiencing and how she helps them work through their losses and fears. It is such a heart felt book from a mother/lieutenant commander who has to leave her two young children to help these men and women through life and death situations on the combat field. I can not say enough about this book, I highly recommend it!



5. As a fellow military psychologist, I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Kraft's account of her deployment experiences. This is not a manual for the treatment of combat stress, and is not intended to be such. It lends humanity to those of us in a helping profession working in an environment that can create some superhuman expectations. I read it easily in an afternoon and recommend that anyone who wants some insight into military psychology do the same.

5 comments about Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima.

1. This book is full of self praise and a large ego. Not a humble word in it. The author talks of his buddies, roommates, and other people with barely mentioning a name or how they influenced his life. He does mention his family and the influence of his mother and deceased father. What he did on Iwo Jima was heroic and highly commendable but, he just keeps on about himself and his Medal of Honor. His claims of coming from a valiant military heritage are unsubstantiated. He should have something to back that he is the descendent of veterans of the American Revolution (fighting the British), the Civil War, and two awardees of the British Victoria Cross. There are two Irishman named Lucas who were awarded it but, both lived from the 1850's to the early 1900's in Ireland.
   It does seem that he writes the book as if he is the only Marine on Iwo Jima. There is little mention of the names of the Marines that he served with and his interactions with them. Every Marine has a history. You will receive the impression that he wasn't very well liked by his peers and was insubordinate to superiors. I believe that commanding officer that let him stay on the ship after deserting his unit in Hawaii had no choice but to attach him to a battalion and send him into the fight. It would have been an even bigger hassle to send him back to Hawaii. That unit was going to war and they were not going to think twice about giving that kid a rifle and putting him on that beach.
   His time in the brig and driving a trash truck leaves the reader to question: "Was he up to high standards of being a Marine that he says he was?" The sentence he received from a court marshal (yes, I said court marshal) seemed too hefty for just roughing up a guy. The recount of his first sexual experience just after he tells the story of shoving a broom handle into the "offending orifice" of a mule, named after a girl he was afraid to talk to, should have been left out. This book should have been written by a non-bias author that is willing to do some research. His reason for joining the Army almost sounds like an excuse. He submits to the reader that it was his undying desire and primary mission in life to be a Marine and kill the Japanese.



2. Despite what some other reviewers had to say, it should be noted at the outset that Jack Lucas didn't finish high school, and obviously didn't go to Columbia for a writing degree. He simply lied his way into enlisting in the Marine Corps at the age of 14, and ultimately conned his way into frontline units until he finally reached combat at Iwo Jima. Having wanted to be a Marine and fighting since he was 11, his dedicated pursuit of his goal seems impossible to believe, but it did happen, and this is his story.
   
   Having met Jack, he is exactly like what the story sounds like. He is proud, patriotic, and unabashed in his belief that his actions that day were less significant than those who never returned. I found the story of his life after the war to be interesting, especially what his own wife would attempt later.
   
   This is not going to tell the story of the whole war, and isn't a literary work that rivals Shakespeare, but it is one man's story, and well worth the time to read it.



3. Mr. Lucas has just spent 212 pages doing nothing more than patting himself on the back and telling the public how big a hero he is. He also spends a great amount of time in stating how he relishes the limelight he is in and will go to any length to exploit the Medal of Honor to his own use. From some of key phrases in the book, the reader would think he was the only Marine on Iwo Jima. While I highly respect him for the action for which the medal was awarded, I do not respect the idea of using it to ones advantage. The author also seems to think that what he cannot accomplish with the Medal of Honor around his neck, his two fist will get for him.



4. There can be little doubt that this book wouldn't have been written if this aging hero had not been singled out by President Clinton during his presidency in a nationally televised State-of-the-Union address. Mr. Lucas was the President's special guest for the occasion, and one can understand why. While Lucas is an unquestioned military hero, he was less of a hero to his children and his first wife. (Those who were on the receiving end of his quick and violent temper may not view him in the hero light either.) A self-described womanizer, Lucas was the perfect foil for the Clinton plot to bolster the President's image by profiling a man who is living proof that no matter how badly you conduct your private life, it doesn't have to interfere with your service to country. This book will read like a poem to Clintonites, but may blanch a bit to the few of who still believe personal morality matters to whatever task you set yourself to.
   
   Lucas is a hero, and his professions of faith in the Lord who protected him not only on Iwo Jima but in several other major life crisis redeems this book and makes it worthwhile. But if your looking for the ALL American hero, better look elsewhere for reading material.



5. I am a retired Marine and I generally read several books on the Marine Corps each year; I had never heard of Jack Lucas before this book. But, I came to believe that his discplinary issues, has resulted in the Marines excluding him from the general USMC history, we teach our young Marines at recruit trainng or OCS.
   
   I am glad I bought the non-abridged audiobook edition (part of daily commute). Its audio quality was pretty good. It is a good recounting of history, but someone should have listed to it before it was finalized on CD. There were repeations of several sentences which made we wonder if my CD player was on the blink. In addition, references to "126" should have redone they should have been redone as "1st Bn, 26 Marine Regiment". Better for non-Marine listeners.

5 comments about Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal.

1. Although this book provides a glimpse inside the Navy Seals from an team leader's perspective, it was generally dry and drawn out ,spending a lot of time on Beruit and providing a lot of background information and editorials on the politics etc of that event that I am not interested in. This guy is a stud- no doubt, but I found myself skipping through the pages to find something interesting.



2. Seriously, this was an AWESOME BOOK. Reading the stories I was amazed at what kind of sh.. Mr. Pfarrer got himself into. From BUD/S to Beirut to Banana Republics to Cancer.. he's been at the front row of many key world events, as well as personal ones. (And I'm sure there's a few more that haven't been reported)
   
   The book was very compelling. And he did a great job writing. I really had a tough time putting it down. I always wanted to read "just one more story".
   
   I also enjoyed how it didn't glamorize, but also wasn't falsely modest. Chuck seems like a solid human being--and certainly went above and beyond in his service and in life. And he shares much of his experiences through the book.
   
   Anyhow, thank you Mr. Pfarrer!
   
   ps: and remember, it's "air-BORNE!!"



3. An excellent account of SEAL training and operations. Chuck Pfarrer is a veteran of the Beirut war and a witness to the car bombing called the first act of terrorism by our current enemies. He is a combat veteran and a former Naval officer. His Navy experience is important because he recalls the beginning of the war on terror , namely the situation in Beirut. This is an important book.



4. I would never have guessed that this book was written by a purely military man and not an actual writer.
   
   My son is a navy seal, and though I was in the Marines, I don't know too much about them, so I try to read everything I can when I get the chance to try and understand what they go through. Why a lot of them join, why they go through the training, why the training is they way it is. This book hit all those points spot on. Although I as well as everyone am aware there is nothing in the world like Navy seal training, this book does give us probably the most in depth view into the world that I've come across as of yet. It will leave you with a sense of awe at what a human is capable of physically, mentally and emotionally. These are men amongst men.



5. Now this was a great memoir/biography of a Navy SEAL, one that showed what the SEAL went through for selection, training and operations. Pfarrer is an accomplished screenwriter and his account of his SEAL exploits in Warrior Soul definitely make him an accomplished and more rounded writer. Through his writing we are given vivid images that allow us to put ourselves in his shoes and see and experience what he went through. We, of course, will never know how it truly feels and the pain and endurance that they go through, but we at least can understand.
   
   Pfarrer does wonderfully in the beginning in describing what he went through as a SEAL in Team 4. He painted a picture of his childhood through his college years, letting us track his path in becoming such an elite soldier. We are treated to a brief operation in Latin America before spending the middle of the book on his exploits in Beirut. I for one was not aware of how bad Beirut was and Pfarrer did such a great job in describing his day to day life that I felt as though I could understand what was going on in that war torn city. Pfarrer spent a good deal of time on it, and rightly so, because of the profound affect it had on his life.
   
   The latter few chapters were devoted to Pfarrer's stint as an officer of SEAL Team 6, the Black Op Team that was even more tough and hard to get in to and performed much more specific and dangerous tasks than the normal SEAL. Through this we get to see some of his training and what he went through before and after, as well as a decent section on some of the history behind Marcinko, Gormly and the formation of Team 6. We don't get to see too much of the action of Team 6 because of the nature of the missions, but we did get to see a few of the more publicized missions they went on, such as the hostage situation on the cruise ship Achille Lauro.
   
   Despite not seeing too much of what went on in SEAL Team 6 we are treated to a great account of an officer in the SEALs. Where Marcinko's account had a lot of character from the way he wrote, Pfarrer's account is much more polished. I would definitely recommend Warrior Soul to anyone looking for a good military history.
   
   5 stars.

5 comments about Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War.

1. Boyd, a rough-cut diamond developed fighter jet theories and stuck to his guns with the hide-bound Pentagon brass. We would all be richer if more military officers quit saying "yes sir" and used their minds to act like Boyd did.Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War



2. If you want to change the world for the better or just keep your little corner of it from getting worse, then you'll want to read this book. It's not just about "the art of war," as the subtitle claims. It's what Boyd discovered about how conflicts are fought and won. Sadly, although he flew in two wars, most of Boyd's clashes were fought within our own military rather than with some foreign foe. As a result, one of the best USAF fighter pilots who ever lived is better remembered by the Marine Corps, where he is a hero, than by his own branch.
   
   I'm not going spend time praising Boyd. The fact that I finished this book with a list of books and articles to read is praise enough. Instead, I'm going to offer a useful corrective to Boyd the man, by introducing someone else you should read.
   
   That someone is G. K. Chesterton, an Englishman with a maverick, warrior personality every bit as fierce and unyielding as Boyd's. On June 1, 1941, on one of the darkest days in World War II, when the island of Crete had fallen to the Germans, leaving 17,000 British soldiers as prisoners of war, the Times of London, defiantly put these lines from Chesterton's "The Ballad of the White Horse" on its front page:
   
   I tell you naught for your comfort,
   Yea naught for your desire,
   Save that the sky grows darker yet
   And the sea rises higher.
   
   Like Boyd, Chesterton understood that how we fight determines if we win or lose. He shared Boyd's contempt for those who believe that bigger is better. In a 1909 at the height of England's fears about new German battleships, Chesterton wrote precisely what Boyd would later say about fighter aircraft.
   
   "Common-sense tells a man that indefinite development in one direction must in practice over-reach itself... If you perceive your enemy plunging on blindly in a particular direction, the real thing to do, if you have any spirit and invention, is to calculate the weakness in his course and advance yourself in some other direction. You ought to take advantage of his infatuation, not to imitate it; you ought to surprise his plan of campaign, not copy it laboriously. If he is building very big ships, the best thing you could do would probably be to build small ones; ships lighter, quicker, and more capable of navigating rivers."
   
   But Chesterton understood something that Boyd never learned, an aspect of warfare that's so often forgotten today that the very word for it seems quaint--chivalry. Perhaps his best explanation of chivalry came in a 1906 article explaining why the Europe of his day dominated the world. Again Chesterton described a concept dear to Boyd, the power that comes from an ability to think new thoughts and imagine new ways of acting.
   
   "The elements that make Europe upon the whole the most humanitarian civilisation are precisely the elements that make it upon the whole the strongest. For the power which makes a man able to entertain a good impulse is the same as that which enables him to make a good gun; it is imagination."
   
   Boyd thought like a fighter pilot. He would have us understand a man in order to destroy him, knowing that a foe who's blown out of the air will never trouble you again. As a writer, Chesterton had a different perspective. He believed that understanding leads to restraint, writing in that same article: "For if you do not understand a man you cannot crush him. And if you do understand him, very probably you will not."
   
   Chesterton saw conflict in broad terms. When he clashed with H. G. Wells over the latter's infatuation with a World State or with Bernard Shaw over pacifism, he took the time to understand what each was saying. His criticisms of the dangers and weakness of international institutions are among the best ever written. His description of the pacifist personality is so accurate that it applies with near perfection to today's pacifists. But having gotten into the mind of his opponent, he recognized in him a fellow human being. With few exceptions, he retained the respect and even friendship of his foes. Only when one crossed a critical line, demonstrating that without great pain he was beyond redemption, would Chesterton seek to crush him to prevent the evil he intended. What was for Boyd the rule, destroying anyone who disagree with him, was for Chesterton the rare exception. Boyd needs to be tempered with Chesterton
   
   In short, I'd suggest that, as you read what Boyd said about war and conflict, you also read what Chesterton wrote. You'll accomplish a lot more and suffer far less grief if you do. And as you might suspect, I wrote a book on that topic, a collection of Chesterton's best articles on war and peace paying particular attention to his warnings about Germany. And when the necessity arose, Chesterton could be as tough-minded as Boyd. Chesterton used all his powers as a writer to crush those ideas in the German mind that Nazism would later exploit.
   
   --Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II



3. One reviewer said, "This is an extraordinary book about a giant of a man." All true, but Boyd was also a tragic figure (almost in the classic Greek sense) who paid a high personal price for his dedication.
   
   Our lives crossed, but I never knew him. I was at Georgia Tech at the same time Boyd was. There were some "old military guys" in my engineering classes, and I expect he was one. Later, as a management consultant I helped mentor my clients about OODA loops as a part of competitive strategy and new product design. BUT I NEVER KNEW WHO BOYD WAS, AND WHO'D COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT.
   
   The book is a good read. It contains excellent insights and lessons. Love him or hate him -- and I'm sure there are many in both categories -- America needs more people like Boyd, especially these days.
   
   Now I'm going to purchase and read Coram's book about Bud Day. America needs more heros, and less of the partisan bickering and CYA we get from Washington these days. Even Duke Cunningham sold out for personal power and Beltway Politics once he got to Congress....



4. I just chanced upon this book in Boders while visiting Penang recently and was pretty much riveted from the moment I picked it up to the moment I finished it, about 3 and a half days later. It is really an intriguing and gripping read and the life of this extraordinary man is certainly worth studying. The author (Robert Coram) is clearly fascinated with his subject and brings his passion to bear on this work of modern historical writing. The only fault I can find is that, as a piece of historical scholarship, it should have been much more diligently and thoroughly footnoted, which could have been done without reducing the book's excitement or the ease with which it can be read. I definitely will buy multiple copies of the book and hand it around to my friends.



5. An incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking look into the life of Col John Boyd, USAF, one of the most controversial figures in Air Force history.
   
   As a young fighter pilot/engineer Boyd came up with Energy Maneuverability Theory which paved the way for how the world would view fighter design and tactics. Later Boyd would expand his area of influence to include tactics, strategy, and creativity. The OODA loop being one of his most famous works as well as maneuver warfare which the Marines used to help transform the way they do war.
   
   Boyd was known for his utter disdain for the politics of rank that permeated the Pentagon and the wide-spread misuse of funds. His confrontational style didn't play well with many, but his ideas were too valuable to the Air Force, so he was always bailed out at the last second.
   
   He told many that during their career as military officers they would come to a crossroads where they would have to decide if they wanted to be someone, or do something. He chose to do something and the military hasn't been the same since.