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

1. i heard col. jack jacobs discussing this book on imus about 2 years ago and immediately wanted it, but couldn't justify paying the initial price. last year, i saw a copy in the bargain rack at a large retail bookstore and snapped it up.
   
   of all the books i have regarding Medal of Honor recipients, this is the most impressive. no, it does cover every recipient ... mainly because it focuses on those who were still alive at the time the book was being written (although several men had passed away before final publishing).
   
   the presentation of these men is somber and most importantly, honorable ... not a cheap over-the-top glorification. ordinary men and average citizens who thought of others before themselves. the photography is beautiful, the passages are well-written ... an tasteful and artful presentation that i am proud to own.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



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

5 comments about Rogue Warrior.

1. This book is an exciting roller coaster ride throught the life of Marcinko. It was hard to put down.
   
   I'm amazed that Marcinko as able to reach the rank and levels of authority he did. He was truly a "rogue" warrior. Amazing man, but clearly one who operated outside the norms of the military.
   
   My only exposure to SEALs was during 3 weeks of Airborne training over 25 years ago. A team was in my class and in many ways they fit the image portrayed in this book. They were extremely close knit non-conformist who could do so many push-ups that the drill sergeants (black hats) had to take turns yelling at them because their voices would go out before they even broke a sweat.
   
   To paraphrase a familiar quote - these are the "rough men" who allow us to sleep soundly in our beds because they are ready to visit violence on those who would do us harm.



2. I really enjoyed this book Marcinko was one of the last of a dying breed in the military. I have spent most of my adult life in the armed forces and can definitely relate. Oddly enough his story ring true when now more then ever our military is so riddled with political correctness and politics you can't even do your job.



3. An old pants crapping hippy from the 60s will probably tell you about tripping on LSD for the first time, well Richard Marcinko tripped on Cobra venom in Cambodia. Yes he eats an entire Cobra piece by piece, eats the venom sacs and starts seeing bizarre checkerboard patterns in black n white.
   Wearing tire tread sandals on his feet dressed in black gym shorts Marcinko hunts down VC, shoots, dismembers, blows away and cusses out anyone in his path. Inbetween that he drinks a lot and screws a ton of women.
   
   This book rules, thats about all I can say. I read it in a day, passed it to some friends who also finished in one day. A classic, if you have any desire to check it out, check it out, its like used for 1 cent.



4. For those looking for info or accounts of escapades and adventures a la The Unit, look no further. Richard Marcinko lived the life, lead the life, and ultimately had to deal with that life. From it all he is able to capture an image and accurately convey this to us, and to it is a style all his own.
   
   Right from the first page you are drawn into Marcinko's life and you want to cheer for him. He is fighting for our country and protecting us. Of course there is the gruesome side of the necessity of killing, of the almost joy of killing that underlies Marcinko's writing, not only within himself but within his fellow Seals as well. Alas, to those not in the field this may be hard to understand, but putting yourself in their shoes with enemies all around you, the only course of action is to shoot to kill, and who better to have do this than those that live on that thrill? Gruesome? Yes. Necessary? Yes, in real life and in Marcinko's writing of his life.
   
   We follow him from when he was a Frogman to joining the Seals and going to Vietnam. His personality is very strong and this flared to life in Vietnam and ultimately started his move up the ranks. Then there is the creation of Seal Team Six, which to the laymen is only fathomable on the television, so to hear Marcinko describe what he and his men were up to was absolutely fascinating. Further on his deployment to test the nation's most "secure" facilities... This was a hoot and I loved reading about this. Granted, I don't want to see that our tax paid facilities are as vulnerable as they were, but I would rather have our experts discover these flaws than some other bad guy.
   
   All in all, a great read. We are able to see Marcinko's life with a flare of writing to accurately convey his personality. I would recommend this to anyone.
   
   5 stars.



5. A couple parts seemed like a stretch, but it was still a great book. I read the whole thing in two sittings, It was just too interesting to put down.

5 comments about Quartered Safe Out Here: A Harrowing Tale of World War II.

1. 
   I happened by chance to come across this book when searching for the Flashman series, which I'm reading now. I have read many non-fiction accounts of war, from WWI to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The WWII European theater of operations usually trumps the Pacific, and only in the last few years have I started to delve into this area. Recommended books are "Rising Sun" and "The Rape of Nanking".
   
   The Burma campaign is not as well documented, and this is a welcome book to the canon.
   
   This book, although not perhaps a classic, is incredibly diverse and true to life. The one overriding issue for me was the writing in the vernacular of the British soldiers, including Scots. For an American, it is difficult to translate what's written into coherent meaning, at times. For the most part, I was able to do so; however, there were some passages that I simply read over, not knowing exactly was said, even in context.
   
   This, perhaps, is a minor drawback; but it does make it more real.
   
   I highly recommend this book, particularly for lovers of true war stories.



2. A frank and totally absorbing account of Britain's WWII Burma campaign from the perspective of a buck private (and later, lance corporal). Although this was essentially a side show to the war, the fear, the terror, the privations, the ferocity of fighting were as great here as in any theater--and are very convincingly described.
   
   Fraser's skill as a writer (he is the author of the Flashman series and a serious history of the Scotch/English border strife) is abundantly on display; this book is a real page turner. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I immediately ordered those Fraser books I don't already own.



3. Fraser has a superb facility with words: his Flashman series (including The American, with Flashman in his still-lecherous dotage) is certainly one of the greatest set of historical military fiction. Quartered Safe Out Here shares the same fine qualities as the Flashman books--drama, humor, and heroism (which in Flashman's case was almost invariably accidental or at least reluctantly unintended). This is a very personal account: you're not going to get great battles and sweeping victories. His section was 10 men, including himself as a 19-year-old private, albeit a private who had several times been promoted then demoted back to private. The section is mostly Cumbrian (Fraser, from across the Scottish border, is a bit of an alien). The heavy Cumbrian accent takes getting used to, but Fraser translates with numerous footnotes, and the accent actually becomes delightfully endearing.
   
   The Burma Campaign is seen through Fraser's eyes. He does, writing many years after the events, have the Official History, and he tries to reconcile his memory of things with the Official History. At times he's right and the OH is wrong. So you get a sharply narrow view of what's going on, unlike, say, Field Marshall Slim's account Defeat Into Victory, where the larger view is at hand. Fraser's world is his section, with his wonderfully-drawn mates Grandarse (not his real name) and others. Fraser describes his own feelings and uncertainties. Contact with the Japanese was usually sparse, but at times took on a frighteningly close immediacy, confronting enemy soldiers just a few feet away. Contact with allies was less sparse, but there was never the "big picture": everything was very local. Privates followed orders, and didn't need to see the larger view, unlike officers. Lieutenants and up (even sergeants, for that matter) needed to be aware of other platoons, companies, divisions. It's an effective view, and very poignant.
   
   If you want a history of the Burma Campaign, try Slim, or a similar book. But if you want a very personal, very up-front account, you will appreciate this superb memoir.



4. If I could I would like to praise this book in the only way how; by saying that it reads like a book written by a real person not a war hero. Fraser's observations about the Japanese willingness to fight also need to be taken into account.
   
   Overall-You will read it in one sitting that is how engaging it is.



5. In "Quartered Save Out Here," author George MacDonald Fraser earns the reputation as a world-class storyteller. Taking us back more than sixty years to the Burma Campaign at the end of World War II, he provides an exceptional account of his experiences in a rifle company, and the men who served at his side (1943-1945).
   
   This book is more than an interesting first-person account of the Burma Campaign; Fraser also provides insight to the attitudes among those of his generation. We have all heard World War II veterans referred to as "the greatest generation"; Fraser helps us to understand why this is so. He provides an excellent contrast between his generation and contemporary society - a people who have never suffered, who have sacrificed nothing for a cause greater than themselves, and who are more than likely the product of absentee parents and Ritalin. In one passage, Fraser wrote, "Fortunately for the world, my generation didn't suffer from spiritual hypochondria -- but then, we couldn't afford it. By modern standards, I'm sure we, like the whole population who endured the war, were ripe for counseling, but we were lucky; there were no counselors. I can regret, though, that there were no modern television "journalists", transported back in time, to ask [Private} Grandarse; `How did you feel when you saw Corporal Little shot dead?' I would have liked to hear the reply."
   
   Several of Fraser's works allow us to experience the British Indian Army, an organization that no longer exists. "Quartered Safe Out Here" is an excellent chronicle for those who enjoy reading unrevised history, who want to understand the fabric of average men who stood in defiance of the Imperial Japanese Army, and readers who dare to imagine what our fathers and grandfathers endured in a great undertaking.

5 comments about Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival.

1. This book is fantastic! I purchased it and read the entire book within 72 hours. His descriptions of the accounts are breathtaking. The section that touched me most was about Katrina and the Aftermath. I lived in New Orleans as a volunteer relief worker for 1 year, November '06 - October '07. It was a life changing experience for me. The experiences I had begin 14 months after the storm. To read Anderson's accounts, just hours and days following the storm, it was unbelieveable. To read his accounts from the view of someone who was choosing to be there, it's amazing. I recommend this book to everyone.



2. I loved this book. He is a wonderful journalist. I recommend this book to anyone that loves world news and travel all in one.



3. I don't remember when the name or the face of Anderson Cooper first entered my consciousness, but over the past few years he has grown to be one of the most recognized and respected journalists on TV--a guy whose demeanor and candor inspire trust and belief. In this autobiography, Cooper reveals the inner pain and doubt that both torment him and drive him to become better at his craft. His own painful experiences make him empathetic to the pain of others, perhaps best personified in his clearly emotional questioning of Senator Mary Landrieu over the mishandling of Katrina (transcribed in the book, watchable on YouTube). Did he cross a line in that interview? Probably. But for an audience tired of politicians' soundbites passing as real news and numb to talking heads who mistake emotional vacancy for stoicism, or conversely, show emotion in a thinly-veiled attempt to push their own agenda, Cooper's search for accountability when people are suffering in silence is quite refreshing. Finally, a journalist who seems to be on "our side": the side of the Objective Truth. Someone we can root for.
   
   At the same time, his inner demons, his search for answers in a world where very little is explainable by logic, and a nagging self-doubt that he has become what he loathes most--an apathetic, cynical vulture feeding off the pain of others--makes for an interesting portrait of a man searching for a reason for optimism while perched on the brink of despair and madness. His accounts are compelling, addictive, numbing, and inspiring ... this book is hard to put down, and by the end of it the reader gains a greater appreciation for a world full of both beauty and brutality, and the men and women who choose to make a living out of uncovering both the light and the shadows for the consumption and education of the general public.



4. Anderson Cooper writes a great book and hearing him read it on audio makes it all the better. I think everyone should get a copy.Attacks on the Press in 2006: A Worldwide Survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists (Attacks on the Press)Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and SurvivalAnderson Cooper: Profile of a TV Journalist (Career Profiles)Planet in Peril (2 DVD set)



5. The most striking thing about this book is how jaded the author appears about his "stories". Surely that colors all reporting and transforms all horrors covered into soundbites for the news-tainment culture that prevails today. So the book gives the strong impression of merely scraping the surface.
   
   While the sometimes inappropriate morbid humor developed in such extreme situations is realistic (as I can testify having grown up in a war zone), it does convince me that the author does get touched by what he has reported on. Shame that this does not come through in his personal memoirs.
   
   Closing the book, my parting thoughts are discomfort at the role today's news media plays, hope that the writing of the book has proven cathartic for the author in dealing with his own personal loss, disappointment at just skimming the surface of the author's experiences and feelings on being confronted with and reporting on some of humanity's ugliest moments in the past few years.

4 comments about Nathanael Greene: A Biography of the American Revolution.

1. In "Nathaneal Greene: A Biography of the American Revolution", Gerald Carbone provides the reader with an outstanding view of the American struggle for independence, at the same time providing tremendous insight into one of our country's most significant (and perhaps tragic) figures.
   The author's skillful use of the subject's own writings, as well as those of his contemporaries, provides the reader with an exceptional insight into both the characters and the tenor of the times. Exceptionally well researched and well written! An excellent read!



2. It is amazing that after hundreds of years of review and many factual accounts being written that an author can bring new life and perspective to the American Revolution....but Gerald Carbone has done it with this book.
   
   This review of the General Nathanael Greene's personal life and war time thoughts and actions are documented in letters to his family, friends, General Washington, and other major military players. These letters are woven into historical accounts of this war providing a play by play to the game of cat and mouse he played with British Generals in both the northern and southern fronts over many years. The race to victory over the second half of the book is especially exciting for a story which we already know the outcome.
   
   Over and above the insight into Greene's thoughts and never ending planning for the war, the book provides an interesting perspective of the communication, travel and logistics of operating a war in that time period. His personal thoughts of balancing the responsibility of leading an army in war time and family duties are also intriguing.
   
   Definitely worth reading for the whole family.



3. Gerald Carbone writes that Nathanael Greene's involvement throughout the entire war results in the general's biography being quite similar to that of the American Revolution itself. This is a good summary for the book. In fact, Carbone even provides a refresher on the litany of acts imposed by Parliament that precipitated the war and discusses some of the battles in which Greene was never even involved.
   
   The writing is succinct and moves quickly through the events. Largely, based on Greene's Letters (but, unfortunately, not those of many others), Carbone describes Greene as a meticulous tactician and fervent patriot. The reader learns exactly how Greene was so successful in battle. After initial defeats in New York and Pennsylvania, perhaps due to over-optimism, Greene distinguished himself in New Jersey - at Springfield and in a victory of sorts at Monmouth. His ability to impose discipline and thoroughly understand local geography and use it to his advantage was extraordinary.
   
   The second part of the book deals with Greene's Southern command leading to the British surrender at Yorktown. This is quite a thrilling read about partisan warfare and daring tactics. For a further account of the less discussed, but highly important Southern Campaign, refer to Walter Edgar's Partisans and Redcoats.
   
   Through all the battles, however, the reader learns little about Greene's character. Why was this man, raised as a Quaker, so intent on leaving his new wife and family and successful business to fight against the British? Was it ambition and glory that propelled him to seek positions of authority? Or was it genuine support for the Patriot cause? And if so, what had turned him against the British?
   
   Furthermore, Greene commanded the first segregated regiment in Rhode Island and he was not an insignificant slaveholder himself; however, there is scant discussion of his views about slavery. We know that most of the other Founders were against it, many of whom were from a Southern society dependent on slavery, yet they vehemently renounced it (at least in writing) and declared it to be opposed to the egalitarian principles of the Revolution.
   
   The author pays homage to Greene's military successes, but Greene, despite his absence from politics, was an important leader and deserves further analysis. Fittingly, the author notes that Greene was buried in an unmarked tomb - after reading this book we still don't really know who he was.



4. After reading Mr. Carbone's Nathaniel Greene series in the Providence Journal, I contacted him and asked if he had plans for a book. I felt that it was extremely well written. It kept my interest so much that I was anxious for the next morning's paper to arrive. It was written in such a way that you feel that you are there. As a big history buff and with the success of HBO's John Adams, I think that this book should be made into a major movie. Congratulations, GED!
   I highly recommend this book for all that are interested in American history.

5 comments about Ike: An American Hero.

1. Michael Korda's beefy biography of Dwight Eisenhower is a must read for anyone who thought of Ike as just the avuncular President of the quiet 1950's. Korda's portrait of Eisenhower paints Ike as an intelligent and thoughtful leader in both World War II as Supreme Allied Commander and in his many Post War roles. When Eisenhower took over the presidency in January 1953 the post war peace had all but unraveled with Korea raging, the French losing their grip in Vietnam, and the Middle East a boiling cauldron of activity. Ike's stalwart character appears to have been a great force in keeping this potential incendiary period in check.
   
   Korda paints Eisenhower as a simple but forthright and principled individual. I was particular impressed with the resolute character of Eisenhower and his strong sense of duty in whatever assignment or job he undertook during his career. As Korda says, "while Eisenhower was the last president born in the 19th century, he was a 20th century thinker." As supreme commander of European theatre during World War II and as President of the United States, Eisenhower never seemed to get raddled no matter how difficult or bleak the situation appeared. It is not hard to see how Eisenhower commanded such world respect during the War and the Post War period. One wonders what the situation would have been in Iraq if Eisenhower had been the chief executive today?



2. The first 1/3 of the book is spent on the first 45 years or so of Ike's life, which is remarkable for its dullness. He really did nothing of note or of interest until WW2. Then, most of the rest of the book is dedicated to war-years (which is already well-trodden ground). Relatively little space is dedicated to his two terms as President, which I find appalling. Four years at war get almost 500 pages but 8 years as leader of the most powerful country in the history of the world get maybe 50? A very imbalanced treatment, IMO, and very disappointing.
   
   On a lesser note: the habit of the author to drop (un-translated) French and German phrases is pretentious and annoying. The author also makes a few attempts to dabble in psycho-history, which I've never been able to take seriously. Aside from these minor points, the writing is o.k.
   
   I'm sure one wouldn't have to work very hard to find a better treatment of Eisenhower and his work.
   
   Not terrible but not recommended.



3. Once Korda reached 1945 in IKE, it feels like he filed all his research away and said, "Let's wrap this up!" Unfortunately, Ike still had 25 years left in him. Consequently, Korda's biography feels incomplete. Furthermore, for all the space Korda accords to Ike's WWII years, he pays scant attention to the Holocaust. What did Ike know about the Holocaust, about the Final Solution? What was his reaction to the liberation of the concentration camps (Korda mentions Ike's presence at just one, a sub-camp). In light of the preeminence of Holocaust studies in the past 15 years, Korda really could have shed new light with a discussion of Ike and the plight of the Jewish people. Similarly, the creation of Israel receives no mention in this book, even though Ike, as Supreme Commander of the AEF and, later, commander of NATO, would have seen, heard, and possibly opined on "The Palestine Question." In short, if well done, a 900-page offering from Korda would have been more edifying than a 700-page tome.



4. Excellent Presidential Biography that was both appropriately critical and complementary. This book is a must for anyone interested in both the military history as well as the Presidential biography.



5. I've always thought Ike was one of our two greatest generals, the other being Geo. Washington who kept our country together. If one can imagine the egos that Ike had to work with, i.e Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Patton, Montgomery, and even MacCarthur, it would seem that this would be an almost impossible task in itself. But then to be asked to construct and conduct what was perhaps the greatest military endeavor of all time, and to get all of these "egos" to work in harmony, would see to be beyond comprehension. This is probably not a biography in the true sense of the word as Korda treats some things a little superficially, but does cover the war years in great detail. I have no doubt that as history continues Eisenhower will be considered one of the greatest military genius of them all. He not only had to perform militarily, but politically also. He did that. I would certainly recommend this book to any student of history, particulary of World War II.

5 comments about Storm of Steel (Penguin Classics).

1. a straight-forward soldier's book who went through the whole war in the front lines. pleasingly free of the political whining and hand-wringing the saturates so many of the accounts written by 'our side' about this bloody and pointless conflict. the narrative touches on all aspects of the military experience of a member of the pbi (poor bloody infantry) and can serve for those on any side or army in this meat grinder of a war. i've been reading books on war for about 50 years at the clip of a couple a week and rate this book in the top three personal accounts - a truly excellent work.



2. This is an amazing book to read. Junger was a stormtrooper--the German soldiers who lead the first wave into the trenches--for something like four years. It seems extraordinary that anyone could have survived such a holocaust, let alone four years of it. There is very little in the way of emotional expression in this book, or personal or political observation. Junger devoted his writing to the material details of the battle. This book takes you right into it with unforgettable detail--the acrid smoke, the seemingly ceaseless rain of artillery. More of Jungers men seem to be felled by German artillery than the opposition. Junger describes a scene in which a battery is destroyed and a single horse survives, fleeing across the desolate landscape, "a white ghostly figure." From the very first minutes on the line, artillery remained a constant danger for these men. The book describes harrowing scenes of shootouts with snipers and machine gunners, shooting men at pointblank range with pistols. One scene describes a group of British cornered in a trench. Junger's men throw grenades into the trench. After each blast, helmets, rags of body parts, and blood flies up in the air. His unit moves forward to the edge of the smoking trench to finish the British off, only to be mowed down by British rifle fire as they prepare to fire. This is combat at its most intense! An ungorgettable read that takes you into the eye of the storm of steel. Definitely, good reading. You won't be able to put it down.



3. At first I thought this book was going to turn out to be one of those books that were written at a different time that just couldnt have a style to keep readers this day and age interested. I was wrong. Junger has a style all his own and you will feel has if you are the one standing in his boots through all the epic battles and hardships. You can almost see the mortor shells landing around him with all the carnage that goes with them. You will feel happy when he triumphs, and sad when men are there one minute and gone forever the next. This book will only get better the further you get into and the ending I will admit put a tear to my eye, this man deserved everything he earned and more. His final battle is one you will not be able to put down. I found my self reading paragraphs two and even three times over again convincing my self that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. This book is a must have for anyone who is even mildly interested in combat novels.



4. Ernst Junger lived a long and literary life. He was born in Heidelberg in 1895 and died there 103 years later! Junger ran away from home at 14 to become a soldier in Kaiser Wilhelm's army. He wrote several novels following World War I, refused to be a Nazi member and is well known in Europe. Storm of Steel was his first and best known book.
   The first person account of trench warfare in World War I is related by Lt. Junger with descriptive prose worthy of a fine novelist. We as his readers experience all the horror, terror, fear, mud, slime, filth and death which were the soldiers daily challenges. Junger served on the Western Front from 1914-1918 miraculously surviving at least 14 wounds! Junger was a patriotic German who respected his British and French foes as men of courageous valor and courage. He impresses this reviewer as someone who considered soldiering a duty to be endured for a land he loved.
   This true story is filled with countless stories of good men killed in an instant due to a shell or poison gas. We see deep trenches filled with death, stench and rats. We feel what it was like to go over the top into the forbidding No-Man's land. The landscape drawn by Junger resembles Dante's descriptions of hell. In the wasteland of war Lt. Junger found time to listen to the birds or appreciate a beautiful sky but the majority of the book is a grim recounting of what war is like for the men who are called upon to fight and die for their nation. Junger loved his troops and grieved when they were killed. We catch the small moments of smoking a pipe, reading "Tristam Shandy", enjoying a cup of coffee and enjoying a night at the tavern with fellow soldiers. We see Junger fighting on the Somme and Flanders as he won the Iron Cross and several other military awards. Despite the medals this realist paints a sobering lurid portrait of modern war where steel metal, tank and huge artillery pieces determine the victor in battle.
   Storm of Steel is not for the squeamish but is the best first person account of combat in World War I. It is also of interest because it allows the English speaking reader to see what was going on in the German army in this holocaust which killed over ten million men in the modern cesspool of mechanized warfare.



5. "Storm of Steel" is the definitive eye-witness account of trench warfare in WWI from a German soldier's perspective. Without swagger, bluster or biais Junger recounts in his own simple style what it was like to join up and fight, the morale of his friends over the years, the simple day to day experiences, the images ... what it was like to fight the French compared with the English ... but never with a word towards the strategy or politics of the war. Junger was a born warrior and lied about his age to ship off with the Foreign Legion in North Africa before WWI. His father went to get him. When the war began in Europe Junger couldn't be held back. By 1918 Junger had been wounded several times and had become a junior officer. He earned all the top combat awards including the "Pour le Mérite" (aka "Blue Max"). Storm of Steel was to be the first of many books for Junger, who became a writer and lived almost to the end of the century. There is a moving picture of him standing with Kohl and Mitterand during the ceremonies at Verdun commemorating the war and renewed Franco-German amity. Although Hitler was, liked many of his generation, quite moved by Junger's heroic approach to his wartime experiences, Junger didn't join the Nazi party and was side-lined in WWII. He spent the war in large part in Paris, where he led a curious existence serving his country behind a desk but also in the company of the many artists and intellectuals who were his friends. Junger's son died on the Eastern Front. Junger kept journals his entire life and they are a fascinating read, especially the volumes concerning the phony war, the march on Paris, and the occupation. Viewing the events from the pov of an eloquent humanitarian like Junger is priceless. A friend knew him well and recounted the following anecdote ... my friend was driving Junger through Paris in the 90's and the streets were blocked with traffic. Junger commented that it was much easier to get around during the war (tongue in cheek since there were practically no cars in Paris during the Occupation other than those of the Occupiers; the rest of Paris was riding a bicycle!) I have read "In Stahlgewittern" several times in the French translation, I own a 1940s German edition autographed by Junger, and now I've reread the book in English. It's slightly different of course but still as powerful and fresh as the first time I read it over 20 years ago. The preface is very interesting, contains essential information and should not be skipped.

5 comments about To The Limit: An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam.

1. An engrossing, fast moving story of a 1st CAV warrant officers experiences mid 1967-1968. Tom does a great job of explaining the elements of helicopter flight and flying tactics. The year he experienced had a high degree of combat, frequently against NVA, rather than VC. He writes well, has a story to tell, and tells it well.
   
   I've read some other helicopter pilot's stories who served in the same III Corps AO I did in 1967 (with an assault helicopter unit, but not as an air crewman). The intensity level written about here is yet another level above what we were experiencing pre-Tet.
   
   Like all the warrants I remember, he saw himself as a pilot rather than an officer, and measured others by their piloting skills rather than their rank. We enlisted men loved them for that. Officers with real skills (not surprisingly, the minimum AFTQ score - equivalent to an IQ score - for a WOC was higher than for an officer candidate).
   
   I think you'll find this book a real page turner.



2. For me as a Combat vet, Vietnam 1966-68 101st Airborne grunt. I thought the book was great. I don't often read books about Nam, but this looked like a must. It brought back a lot good memories and not so good as well.Only Vietnam vets will have a true understand of this fine book.The UH-1H (AKA) HUEY was the best Helicpter ever built and I we all loved to see Charlie model UH-1C and the AH-1G Gun Ships too. Frank Allen



3. I bought 'To The Limit' a few months ago and have now read it from cover to cover three times. I've read a lot of Viet Nam aviation books over the years and I always considered Robert Mason's 'Chickenhawk' the standard for the helicopter community. Tom has now raised the bar. 'To The Limit' has got to be the most laid-back, lucid and sensitive book I have read on the subject.
   He has a down-to-earth style (must be the Georgia upbringing!)which doesn't need profanity (as another reviewer pointed out), an obvious concern for the aircraft, his crew and his 'customers, and a very honest appraisal of his inner feelings under what can only be described as the highest possible levels of combat-induced stress.
   Definitely a five star book - if there where more available, he'd get them.



4. I'm a civilian helicopter instructor with about 1100 hours. I learned that the guys who flew in Vietnam did things on an almost daily basis that we could consider suicidal. This book will open your eyes to what is possible when lives are at stake, nobody cares about wrecking an expensive turbine-powered machine, and the crew are willing to get themselves killed to bail out some troops on the ground. That said, I don't think I am going to see if a Robinson R44 can chop down a stand of bamboo...



5. It is really incredible what soldiers were asked to do - every day. The author writes a very readable description of his experiences as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Even more amazing is that his story is clearly not unique.
   
   I think that even people who are not war story history buff readers will enjoy this book as well as the aformentioned.

5 comments about Eisenhower: Soldier and President (The Renowned One-Volume Life).

1. This is a great biography on an underrated president, and a very easy read. Ambrose is wonderful in being able to pick out the key incidents and describe the Ike's policies without delving into the everyday details that bog down Robert Caro's biographies. Also, while Ambrose doesn't hide his admiration for Ike, he does reflect critically upon his subject, particularly his slow reaction to civil rights and McCarthy, and his inability to stem the arms race.
   
   Part of Ike's genius was projecting a reassuring calm, while acting to keep all of his options open. For example, he never ruled out using atomic weapons against China in the Korean War or Quemoy Island dispute, but because he kept this option open the Chinese backed down. He was tough, but always left a way out for opponents to back down and save face. Some have wondered whether he truly ranks as a great president because he had no major crisis to face, but I believe Ambrose is right when he says preventing war and managing crises well is perhaps an even greater achievement. I have read many presidential biographies, but have rarely felt that any other president matches the maturity and self-confidence of Ike (George H.W. Bush is another president I think had Ike's maturity in managing the presidency). The difference between Ike in Ambrose's book and the childish pronouncements and discussions of the current Bush administration is startling.
   
   Having said that, I would have been interested in a bit of a longer biography, particularly more details on Ike's use of the CIA in Iran (very relevant today). This has been a very controversial aspect of his presidency and seems somewhat out of character for someone who opposed Israel and Britain during the Suez Canal crisis. Also, we get very little of the cabinet, perhaps because Ike relied on them less than other presidents did - even John Foster Dulles is discussed only where necessary. Ike seems to largely have used his cabinet to give him information, not make decisions. (can you imagine a book about Johnson without a central role for McNamara or Nixon without Kissinger?)
   
   Overall, this is a great book, and will hopeful get more Americans to ponder the presidency and whom we want to sit in the Oval Office.



2. This is a very good biography of one of our greatest generals and our 34th president. It begins with Dwight Eisenhower's upbringing in turn-of-the-century Kansas. Ike attended West Point, but did not see combat in World War I. His commanding officers in the Army during the interwar years saw that he had great talent, and Eisenhower was ultimately given command of the Allied forces in World War II. The sense of confidence and optimism that Ike was able to engender in those he commanded helped make D-Day a success.
   
   After the war, he became president of Columbia University. He was elected president in 1952, and gained an armistice in the Korean War six months after he took office. While he was in the White House, Ike presided over many years of peace and prosperity, maintaining a growing economy while avoiding budget deficits and inflation. He instituted the Interstate Highway System, but did not act as strongly as he could have on civil rights. Ambrose believed that Eisenhower's caution was an asset in foreign policy but was problematic for his domestic policy.
   
   The book relates that after he left the presidency, Eisenhower was hawkish on Vietnam and advised LBJ to be more aggressive in his attempts to win the war.
   
   Ambrose made no secret of the fact that he was an Eisenhower admirer, but managed to cover pretty fairly both the strengths and weaknesses of Ike's service as general and president. Americans should be grateful for Eisenhower's hand in ending the sinister Nazi regime and for keeping America safe and prosperous during a decade, the Fifties, that was far more dangerous than most members of Generations X and Y realize.



3. Unless John McCain wins in November, it will be too long before we have our next military hero turned president. They used to all be this way, especially following the Civil War---Democrat and Republican.
   
   Not sure about those reviewers who deemed this a hagiogrpahy or the writing "pedestrian"; the book is thorough, balanced and erudite. I commend the late Mr. Ambrose for such a wonderful portrait of one of America's great leaders in the two most important places: the battlefields and the Oval Office. They surely don't make 'em like Ike anymore (Barack H. Obama?).
   
   The book is long but not exhaustingly long, goes through his humble heartland childhood, early military life, wartime commands, presidency and beyond. Ambrose looks deep into Ike with letters and meetings never read or seen before. What more can one ask for, especially for me as a military historian? Even the descriptions of battles in WW2 are dead on.
   
   I also admire Ambrose for dedicating this book "TO THE MEN OF D-DAY." Again, if even a professor alive today could scribe so eloquently, these losers would be more likely to dedicate a book to Malcolm X or some Hollywood leftist who fought for "the rights of the oppressed." No respect for America or the military, but I digress...
   
   Read the book. It's objective, analytical and important. I will pass it on to my friends and family, so they can better understand our world and thus make the correct judgments and decisions down the road.
   
   Some Americans like to forget history. Shame on them. As Peggy Noonan said of Sen. Obama recently:
   
   America is Mr. Obama's problem. He has been tagged as a snooty lefty, as the glamorous, ambivalent candidate from Men's Vogue, the candidate who loves America because of the great progress it has made in terms of racial fairness. Fine, good. But has he ever gotten misty-eyed over . . . the Wright Brothers and what kind of country allowed them to go off on their own and change everything? How about D-Day, or George Washington, or Henry Ford, or the losers and brigands who flocked to Sutter's Mill, who pushed their way west because there was gold in them thar hills? There's gold in that history.



4. Informative and easy to read.
   He looks at the subject from many angles and delivers a complete picture of the realities in IKE's world. I personally learned a lot not only about Eisenhower but about WWII, about the times at which he served and about the Cold War. A great book.



5. Stephen Ambrose is certainly among the finest contemporary historians in print. And while he has authored several very good biographies, in my opinion, his best work has been chronicling historic events as opposed to the lives of the participants. His works on the Lewis and Clark expedition and the construction of the transcontinental railroad far surpass any of his biographies. Perhaps this is merely coincidence, though there is certainly a difference in each endeavor.
   
   This particular work is a condensation of an earlier two volume effort. In that respect, it is perfectly adequate and probably more enjoyable than the longer and more detailed work. I can't imagine anything that was not included that I would need to know.
   
   Ambrose is certainly an Eisenhower fan, however this does not prevent him from clearly pointing out many of his mistakes and errors, both in the context of his life as Army general and as President. But, while he points out these instances, and many are quite glaring, he nevertheless, unhesitantly, seems to give him an over all pass.
   
   Leadership is a word used quite often by Ambrose in describing Eisenhower. However, in many instances, it is not leadership, but effective administration that proved to be his strongest suit. His ability to serve effectively as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe was more a reflection of his ability to compromise and placate the many different factions involved than it was an indication of leadership, though leadership was certainly involved.
   
   This differentiation became more stark when Eisenhower became President. Leadership becomes more difficult when the followers aren't required by law and army regulations to comply. As President, Eisenhower many times not only failed to display leadership, he quite clearly abrogated responsibility entirely.
   
   In my opinion, Eisenhower's most lasting legacy was steering the country through some of the most turbulent periods of the Cold War without ever having to resort to military power. This at a time when many, if not most, of his advisors were counseling nuclear attack!
   
   It was in the area of civil rights, however, that Ike was most suspect. I try to be very careful in judging historical personages by current standards. To do so is usually unfair. In this case, however, at a time when very many political and social contemporaries were taking stands, Eisenhower disappeared. A case can be made for finessing the issue during the 1956 Presidential campaign, but his failure to "lead" thereafter can only be a tacit endorsement of segregation. Instead of "leading", Eisenhower tried to compromise and bring the parties together, using the same methods that had worked for him in Europe. This was not "leadership", it was abrogation of responsibility.
   
   Perhaps the most distasteful areas of he book are those that attempt to whitewash Eisenhower's relationship with his Army secretary Kay Sommersby. No intelligent human being can doubt that Eisenhower had a sexual relationship with Sommersby, however Ambrose goes through great pains and historical gymnastics to argue that though Ike was infatuated with Sommersby, had multiple opportunities to pursue her sexually, that she was undoubtedly willing and that all the officers around him were conducting extra marital affairs, Ike was innocent of adultery. One of his most laughable assertions was that he simply didn't have time or opportunity to have sex with Sommersby. Shortly thereafter, he documents a train trip to a Mediterranian resort on which Sommersby and several other "army girlfriends" accompanied the staff. At one point, he cites as proof, the fact that he attempted intercourse, but was "flaccid". Please. Simply acknowledge the fact and move on. I don't think any less of Ike's achievements because he had a girlfriend while at war. Ambrose seems to believe that doing so would somehow diminish him in the eyes of many, when instead it would more likely paint him as more human and subject to the same desires and faults as everyone else. I suspect very few will swallow Ambrose's assertions in this area.
   
   Nevertheless, if you're interested in a comprehensive biography on Eisenhower, this is a very good place to go for it.

5 comments about Brothers In Battle, Best of Friends.

1. Easy Company from Band of Brothers revisited. Two of the men who became lifelong friends relate their stories. Easy to read and gives you a sense of war from men who were there. They were indeed a Band of Brothers.



2. Like many veterans of WW2 these two men say they are not heros, that title they insist , belongs to the boys who didn't come home.
   
   Then what are they? They are two enlisted men who fought in some of the most savage fighting in western Europe during World War Two. The charm of this book is that these men are not officers. They were enlisted men. They were not involved in any big meetings or planning sessions. They took their orders and did their job and their shared memoire is that of the foot soldier on the battlefield. From training, through D-Day to VE and beyond.
   
   Strangley some of the parts I found most moving were their lives after the war. When 'Wild Bill' became one of the driving forces behind the reunions that held the Band of Brothers together. Particularly touching the attmepts to welcome back Herbert Sobel. Hated during the war, he was still a mamber of the company. through the wonderful writing you feel you are there as Bill and Babe and the others are confronted by Sobel's sister, after his death. She was insensed over how her brother was depicted by Ambrose. It fell to "Wild Bill" once the chief hell raiser, to explain some hard facts to her, long after he clearly had forgiven Sobel.
   
   These are not plaster saints but tell their stories, warts and all, gamlbing, drinking and girls rank along side battles and jumping and all the rest. Playing jokes on each other, dodging uptight officers and mourning those whom they would call heros.
   
   So why is this getting so much attention? Well it's very well written. Also, well known from the Ambros book "Band of Brothers" and the HBO series these two men, and the other members of Easy Company, 506 PIR have come to represent all those GI's who went to war. We can hear about 10,000 men going into Arnhem or 90,000 going to Stalingrad, but the numbers are too big. We can't wrap our minds around them. But with Easy Company we can. We can see a few men and names and follow their fates through the war and so, by expansion all the others who served in the war. We can't think of 10,000 men. But we can think of Bill and Babe and their buddies and then a few more companies like them and that we can get.
   
   They were members of an elite unit, but other than that they were pretty common. They are two examples of the millions of americans who put aside their lives and comfort and safety and went out to do nothing less than save the world. You know, that seems pretty darn heroic to me.



3. After watching Band of Brothers, I couldn't wait to read this book by "Wild Bill" Guarnere and "Babe" Heffron. It really gives you an insight into what went through their minds during the hell of WWII, but the most poignant thing is the enduring love and friendship all of these guys still have for each other. It's a lesson we all should learn.



4. In "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends", Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron not only tell us more in-depth stories of their Easy Company exploits but give us a true insight into the bonds formed in battle that most of the rest of us never experience let alone understand. Heffron and Guarnere grew up literally just blocks from each other on the tough streets of Depression era Philadelphia with the same strengths that would see them through the toughest of times during the Battle of the Bulge and the siege of Bastogne during the bitter Winter of 1944-45. We learn of the toughness ingrained into their generation and the street-wise attitudes that lent them the drive to be among the Army's best, the Parachute Infantry. That same savvy enabled them to continue to survive some of the toughest actions and conditions of WWII in the European Theater of Operations.
   
   Bill was a tough sergeant, the prototypical inspirational leader of his men. Leading always by example, he not only lead them in combat but also looked after them like a doting father, especially when meeting Babe as Heffron joined Easy Company as a replacement at Aldbourne, the 506th Regt's. English home following Easy's Normandy exploits.
   
   Robyn Post has done a marvelous job of compiling her interviews of these men not only humanizing each of their personalities but without adding her own to the mix.
   
   If you are interested in first-person information on Easy's exploits in battle with the warmth and humor that only these two B of B can tell them, then please buy this book. Following a more than 60 year friendship forged in the toughest of times is educational, humorous and above all, inspirational.



5. Brother's In Battle by Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron was an excellent book. It helped to explain so much of the background material that made up Band Of Brothers. It was so hard to put this book down.