5 comments about My War: Killing Time in Iraq.

1. I was also in Mosul, Iraq at this time and it is a GREAT depiction of what life was like out there before I lost my leg and came home. Anyone that wants to know what Mosul was like. READ THIS BOOK!!!



2. Colby Buzzell started one of the initial troop blogs in Iraq during his 2004 tour of duty. As time wore on, Spc. Buzzell's blog gathered steam and became popular with both military and civilian readers. He provided a grunt's-eye view of the war that drew admiration from many, but dismayed his chain of command, who eventually required him to submit his dispatches for official clearance before posting them. "My War: Killing Time in Iraq" collects Spc. Buzzell's blog posts along with additional exposition. It's a fascinating first-person literary glimpse into a war that most people follow on TV.
   
   The author begins his memoir by cluing us in on why he joined the Army. At 25 his life was going nowhere, and the military looked like a better option than low-paying data-entry work. He initially considered the Marine Corps, but they preferred a younger demographic. The Army recruiter caught him on the way out of the Marine recruiter's front door, and the rest is history. Mr. Buzzell signed up for two years of active duty as an infantryman and was assigned to a Stryker Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Washington. His unit was soon deployed to Iraq, where the author started blogging to counter the boredom between missions. Over time he garnered an avid following and became somewhat of a celebrity (as he reminds us quite often towards the book's conclusion).
   
   Spc. Buzzell posted various bits of military lore that provided context for his situation, such as excerpts from relevant Army manuals, rules of engagement, official after-action reports, and military equipment descriptions. These factoids are interesting, but he really shines when depicting grunt life in Mosul. His "Free Advice" to those deploying in-country, Q & A sessions with blog readers, and even a metal-flavored "Stryker Soundtrack" playlist on his iPod will serve as historical records of Generations X and Y at war in Iraq. Of course, "My War" wouldn't be complete without some harrowing tales of combat. Spc. Buzzell avoids flowery heroic prose in favor of a nuts-and-bolts writing style that conveys the fighting in the best "show, don't tell" tradition, providing a sense of immediacy with the action.
   
   Despite his talent as a writer and fine service to the nation, I found myself a bit confused about Mr. Buzzell as a person. He gives positive portrayals of his fellow soldiers and chain of command (no "Captain America" portraits of incompetent officers here, as in "Generation Kill"). But in the end, Mr. Buzzell vehemently dislikes the Army, the Administration, and the mission in Iraq. What made him that way? Unlike the constant stream of sparse yet heartbreaking situations presented in the excellent "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell," Mr. Buzzell merely teases us with a couple examples of high-command doublespeak and Iraqi brutality. Perhaps he was unable to blog more explicit reasons due to fear of retaliation from his superiors, but this book would've benefitted from deeper insights into the birth and development of his "FTA" attitude - because his distain comes across as merely the "cool" thing to do vs. the result of sustained trauma, betrayal, and disillusionment.
   
   Then again, perhaps it's best not to burn bridges while still attached to one's nemesis. I checked the author's website while writing this review, and it appears that he's been recalled to active service. One thing about enlisting in the military is that they still have you by the shorthairs for a number of years after your active duty time expires. Apparently volunteer manpower must be short, and I wish the author good luck on his second tour. I recommend "My War" for its keen portrayal of a warrior's first go-around in Iraq (along with "One Bullet Away" by Nathanial Fick, "Generation Kill" by Evan Wright, and "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell" by John Crawford). The question is: will we see "My War II: Killing Even More Time in Iraq?" I know I'll be looking for it.



3. I just finished reading My War - Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell. I bought this book some time ago and started it but was more than a little put off by the first couple of chapters quite frankly because his lifestyle prior to joining the Army is a total antithesis of my own.
   
   I really enjoy military history but I couldn't get into reading it and it eventually ended up in a plastic storage container under the bed in the spare bedroom which is where all my "to read eventually" books end up.
   
   A few days ago, I dug it out, forced myself to start over and to say I'm glad I did is a total understatement.
   
   Very engrossing read. The author is irreverent, loyal, absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, self-deprecating and honest in his accounting. I'm impressed with his writing style, his total lack of pretension and snobbery and most especially his honesty both about his own life pre-Army and of course, while in Iraq. No "spin doctor" here. These are his experiences, warts and all. His writing drew me in so much and was so vivid that his accounting of an ambush/firefight entitled "Men in Black" had me on the edge of my seat. Very you-are-there-ish. Once started, I couldn't put it down.
   
   I love this book. I read a lot and every once in awhile I get the pleasure of reading a book I hate to finish because I enjoy it so much and this is one of those few books for me.



4. I must say that I found Colby Buzzell's account of his time in Iraq to be spot on! I am back for a repeat tour....and it is a lot of the same! He nails things on the head from the moment he is recruited to the moment he arrives back home free from his military obligation. I applaud Colby for standing up and writing his blog. I can honestly say that his accounts are by far some of the most accurate and TRUTHFUL personal accounts of a soldiers time in Iraq. I picked this book up while I was at Fort Lewis myself and found myself chuckling at the very same things that he wrote about....get this book, read it and you will see for yourself. Thank goodness there are people out there like Colby that can share their true experiences and give others a taste of what it is like for us soldiers! And I hope that he is enjoying every moment of his freedom! He earned it!



5. Colby Buzzell's "My War: Killing Time in Iraq" reads like the personal diary of a slacker high-school grad who winds up joining the Army and going to Iraq. The book is the author's debut as a writer, and in its pages we see how the popular "My War" blog came about.
   
   Readers may find it anticlimactic that once Buzzell and his unit get to Iraq the pages don't burst with bombs, bullets, blood and guts. Much of the book covers the copious amount of downtime the author spends either out on boring OP missions or back on the various FOBs they live on. While certainly not as exciting as the descriptions of the raids Buzzell participated in, it is an infuriatingly accurate description of Army life, the physical reality of the "hurry up and wait" rule that every soldier recognizes.
   
   The combat actions that Buzzell does cover reveal his ability to write. The running gun battle through the streets of Mosul with dozens of insurgents is chaotic, absorbing and will leave readers breathless. The grief he catches from posting his war experiences on his blog from his higher-ups is comical, especially when he continues to antagonize them by posting more controversial dispatches.
   
   The constant "F-bombs" in every sentence do get annoying but that is authentic Armyspeak, particularly in combat arms. After a while it does take away from the author's otherwise funny and good writing. This book also helped the reviewer better understand Albert Camus' "The Stranger," as Buzzell sometimes exhibits some of the same attitudes. "My War" is a good debut and has the same authentic feel as Paul Rieckhoff's "Chasing Ghosts", Bing West's "No True Glory," and O'Connell's "We Were One."

4 comments about Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN.

1. This 303-page book is not a comprehensive history of our involvement in Vietnam. Also, it is not about the Army of the Republic of Vietnam ("ARVN"). It is about two Vietnamese army officers, Pham Van Dinh ("Dinh") and Tran Ngoc Hue ("Harry"), whose military careers closely paralleled each other up until the time that each was ordered to fight to the death in the face of insuperable enemy forces.
   
   Dinh is the elder of the two by nearly five years. Both men were from the Hue City area of central Vietnam. Dinh immediately built a reputation for aggressive leadership and was given command of the elite Black Panther Company ("Hac Bao"). Harry graduated from Vietnam's military school and before long, he was given command of the Hac Bao. Following impressive leadership exploits, both rose in the ranks of the ARVN, Dinh to the command of a regiment and Harry to the command of a battalion. Both men proved to be outstanding leaders in combat.
   
   In March 1971, the North Vietnamese army overran Harry's battalion in Laos and, badly wounded, Harry was taken to a prison in Hanoi. In April 1972, Dinh was in command of a regiment that was about to be overrun by a superior enemy force. Dinh surrendered his command to the enemy. About one month later, Dinh accepted an offer from his captors and switched sides, becoming an officer of the North Vietnamese army. In contrast, Harry refused all such offers and remained a prisoner for thirteen years before being released. Thereafter, he worked his way to the U.S. and became a U.S. citizen.
   
   The book provides interesting accounts of the Battles for Hue City, Hamburger Hill, Lam Son 719, and the final breakthrough of the North Vietnamese army at the demilitarized zone. The book mentions the "forgotten" ARVN only in the introduction and in its conclusion.
   
   While this book is interesting and informative, there are several aspects that detract from it value.
   
   > The time-frame of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship is unclear because the text shifts in such references, often focusing on a beginning date of 1965 when the U.S. committed substantial ground troops to the effort. However, the fact is that the U.S. began providing military assistance in the late 1950s. Vietnam had about 20 years to develop an effective government and an effective military.
   
   > The reasonable expectations of the two nations are not discussed. How long could the U.S. be expected to fight another country's war; what reciprocal action is reasonably expected from Vietnam?
   
   > The tone of the book is often professorial in that many conclusions are stated in ex cathedra fashion without any facts being presented to support those conclusions. For example, one wonders at the many assertions that it was the U.S. fault that Vietnam's army was organized and controlled by self-interested politicians and incompetent military leaders. Similarly, references to a "U.S./ARVN symbiosis" leave this reader cold.
   
   > There is no clear analysis of the state of mind of Dinh, nor any distinction made between the surrendering of his command and his defection to the enemy. These were two different actions and should be analyzed separately. Surely, a commander can opt for surrender; defection is another story entirely.
   
   All told, it is an interesting book. It is unlikely that one will find these facts in the run-of-the-mill histories that we usually encounter.



2. This a great story too long left untold. In addition to telling a wonderful but tragic tale of two men sharing similar histories whose lives take radically different courses, it is also a story about the betrayal of South Vietnam by this country. Mind you,I opposed the Vietnam War at the time, but it has become abundantly clear to me that it was a war that could have been won.
   This is no whitewash. Wiest makes it clear that the Army of S. Vietnam had a lot of problems, but he also makes it clear that many of these were caused by US training a lack of understanding on our part of the Vietnamese culture and society.
   It is a thoughtful and thought provoking book. A must read for anyone interested in the Vienam War.



3. `Vietnam's Forgotten Army" is about two ARVN soldiers and how they have lead their lives based on the concepts of Freedom - Country - Family - Duty - Honor. Their stories of loyalty, betrayal, life, death, love and hate are told so brilliantly compelling that makes it impossible to put the book down.
   
   The South Vietnamese Army is probably the military force that is most analyzed and most harshly judged by the US. In the teachings of history in current Vietnam, ARVN doesn't even exist. The war, according to the Communist Vietnam, is the fight for Freedom by the North Vietnamese Communist to liberate the South from the colonial US.
   
   This book is one of the very few books that introduces the readers to a fairly balanced view of the Vietnam War and its complexity.
   
   The one problem I have with the book, right from the beginning, is the explanation of Hue and Dinh's support of the war: "In a nation where Confucian values of family and honor are of the utmost importance, Dinh and Hue were drawn to the support of South Vietnam for the most Vietnamese of reasons, following paths blazed by their fathers" (p. 11) Mr. Weist then goes on to dedicate several more subsequent pages about `Family Matters' to support this reason.
   
   While this is undoubtedly a big reason, it is not the only one.
   
   Before 1954, the year Vietnam was divided, most Vietnamese people had already had a good idea of what communism was.
   
   Between 1945-1954, the North Communist initiated a systematic execution of anyone who was thought to be dangerous to the Vietnamese Communist Party. Ten of thousands of nationalists, Catholics and others were massacred in a campaign called `The Great Purge'. They also emulated China's Land Reform Campaign that lasted from 1945 to 1956 during which an estimated 15,000 landlords were killed.
   
   During this time, my father, who had lost most of his family including his mother and sisters due to starvation and sickness, seeing the French as the lesser of the two evils, joined the French Army and later, owing to his father's advice, moved South.
   
   My mother's grandfather, a land owner, sentenced by the Communist People Court, was staked to death in his own rice paddy. Her father was captured and then was fortunate enough to be set freed by his loyal former farm worker, ran home, gathered up his family and fled South via Hai Phong Harbor along with other millions of refugees to seek Freedom in the South.
   
   By the early 60's, when both Dinh and Hue joined the military, South Vietnamese fear of communism was proven valid by Mao's cruelty of `The Great Leap Forward' and `The Cultural Revolution' during which, 20 million of Chinese had perished.
   
   
   I believe that both North and South Vietnamese fought for the Freedom of Vietnam. For North Vietnam, Freedom meant a self ruled nation with Vietnamese leadership, regardless of how totalitarian this leadership was. For South Vietnam, the value of Freedom was not universal. For some people, it was National Freedom in a Democratic Vietnam, advanced and prospered like France or US or at least as the imperial past. For my father, it was political freedom, the idea that it could be under a common wealth, as long as this common wealth brought peace, law and order, security and prosperity to the populace. For my mother and probably the majority of Vietnamese people, the value of Freedom was an individual one. It meant having enough rice to eat, freedom to raise families, freedom to worship their gods or ancestors and own property. Sadly, these values became the great sources of conflicts within the South Vietnamese hearts.
   
   In this book. Andrew Weist did point out this complexity:
   "Certainly the South Vietnamese state and the ARVN were imperfect. Even so, South Vietnam fought for twenty-five years and the ARVN lost more than 200,000 dead. After the war, millions chose to flee South Vietnam rather than live under the suzerainty of their brothers from the North."
   
   The book did an excellent job in highlighting the reasons for the destruction of South Vietnam: Cultural hubris of American Leadership, moral blindness of the media, corruption and incompetence of the Vietnamese Leadership and the lack of enforcement of the democracy ideology for the South, thus in the critical hours, Democracy for South Vietnam could not stand against ideology trained soldiers of the North.



4. "Vietnam's Forgotten Army" is the most complete personal account of ARVN soldiers at war and in the aftermath as experienced by two middle-ranking officers through the personal choices they made. It is written with balance and flair by a scholar who is devoted to a thorough accounting of Vietnam. With firsthand research, Wiest provides the crucial missing voices, those of the South Vietnamese often misportrayed, overshadowed, and underappreciated by their powerful American allies. He gives readers glimpses of what American advisers and their Iraqi counterparts may be facing in Iraq today.

5 comments about Burnside.

1. Marvel(the author is aptly named) and greatly wonder, that was what I increasingly did reading this excellent biography of Major-General Ambrose Everett Burnside. I marvelled at the fact that it was possible that soldier's lives were ever entrusted to this man (and he wasn't even the worst one) and wondered how someone who was so insecure, mediocre, naïve and, well, just plain dumb succeeded in reaching such important commands. Oh, let's just say it: the man was a colossal dunderhead.
   
   Fredericksburg, Knoxville, the Wilderness and the Crater are the sad testament to Burnside's military abilities. Why the Lincoln administration continued to employ him is still beyond me. Even in 1864 when they had got rid of most stupidheads in command of Union troops, Grant still let Burnside lead an army corps, knowing fully well that Burnside was not a vigourous and competent leader!
   
   As a person he was very likable: a pleasant, caring and modest fellow, a true gentleman. Everybody liked Burnside, but everybody also knew he was a failure as a general. But the fact that Burnside was a nice bloke, kind and well-meaning, does not excuse his failings as a general.
   
   After the war he was very busy in the Senate, lobbying for veteran's affairs, which is highly laudable, but I can't help thinking that there would have been a lot more veterans alive after the Civil War if Burnside had never been given a command higher than a brigade.
   A very good book, sympathetic to its subject, but not blind to his faults. Recommended.
   
   One thing though: Why does this book have that odd, psychedelic cover? a bad reproduction of Burnsides portrait in front of some weird and freaky serrated plant leaves. What's that all about, huh??? It looks chaep too. For Pete's sake, get a better cover on the next edition, wouldya?



2. Ambrose Burnside is an easy man to come to conclusions about. Describing himself as not competent to lead the Army of the Potomac, he subsequently confirms it with his disastrous performance at Fredericksburg. Again, later in the war, fate taps him to perform miserably at the Crater, a catastrophe that ends his military career. As a result, we are taught by history to hate him and with the benefit of these awful events, we do.
   
   But who was this man and why did people like him so? Why, after the Crater, was he able to become Senator from, and Governor of, Rhode Island subsequent to the Civil War? Who was this man who remained so loyal to George McClelland that he refused to replace him when offered the promotion. Why was he the second highest ranking officer in the Union Army and what were the reasons for his victories along the Carolina Coast in 1862 and at Knoxville against Longstreet in 1863? The answer is simple: He could be trusted.
   
   William Marvel does a wonderful job of explaining Burnside. As a result, we are introduced to a wonderful person, an entrepreneur, a loyal friend and confidant, a combat soldier promoted beyond his capabilities to be sure but one who remained so admired by those around him that even Grant, who relieved him from command after the Crater, sought his friendship and support as President of the United States.



3. Marvel's account is pretty much all you have to turn to if you want to read about the infamous Burnside. The author tries his hardest to present Burnside in a favorable light, going so far as to claim he could have won at Fredericksburg if not for the slowness of General Franklin. Marvel's contentions about Burnside's competency are at best debatable. As noted elsewhere, there is very little here about Burnside's early life (perhaps due to lack of source material), and less understandably, little is included about his post-war political career.
   I feel the book was a bit long, going into great detail about situations where Burnside's subordinates were preforming some maneuver in New Berne or East Tennessee. The book could have been edited down by a hundred pages or so.
   There also a lack of the voice of the subject. Very few letters seem to exist from Burnside, so it is hard to get to know him outside the limits of his official communications.



4. Ambrose Burnside remains famous for his staggering incompetence as a Civil War general and his facial hair. In this solid biography, William Marvel presents a more intriguing character than most Civil War buffs would think.
   
   Marvel takes the reader through the various triumphs and defeats of Burnside's career. While not ignoring the disasters at Fredrciskburg and the Crater, Marvel does show that Burnside had some ability as his operations in North Carolina and, to a lesser extent, east Tennessee show. Marvel also does an excellent job in illuminating a number of the minor assignments that Burnside handled well, including his command in Ohio as well as his efforts at recruiting. Burnside's humanity comes through very clearly. Marvel does an excellent job of showing
   how the Civil War transformed Burnside's thoughts on race. The prewar Jacksonian Democrat became a Republican as the nature of the war changed. Unlike his friend George McClellan, Burnside seemed to understand that the war had become about more than preserving the Union and started drifting along the same tide as others. The conservative who at the start of the war seemed willing to preserve slavery recognized that the institution of human bondage had to be ended with the Confederacy. Burnside, more than most Union generals, also appreciated the use of African-American soldiers. Marvel shows Burnside in a much more complex light than the caricature of an affable incompetent. Marvel also shows that Burnside had his own circle of subordinates and friends who remained loyal to their chief.
   
   But the book has its flaws. While excellent on the war years, Marvel has little to say on Burnside's pre-war career inlcuding his friendship with George McClellan, his 1858 campaign for Congress and his failed attempt to produce rifles for the Army. Even more astonishing, Marvel has almost nothing to say about Burnside's important post-war political career. Burnside served three terms as governor of Rhode Island and was an important senator for seven years. Some of the more interesting stories which help humanize Burnside are burried in the endnotes (such as a funny tale of Burnside playfully whacking an aide over the head with a slipper).
   
   Still, the book remains an excellent one and is of interest to any Civil War scholar. The book is also very readable. While a bit savage to McClellan, the author seems as affable as the subject; high praise indeed since Burnside's charitable nature comes through on almost every page.



5. This is a true honest work of a General who had some excellent ideas but was often too naive with initiating action or from truly evaluating his staff. He was politically inept in being aware of the political cabal of McClellanites that undermined his command of the Army of the Potomac and contributed to his failings at Fredericksburg. Marvel does an excellent job demonstrating Burnsides successes at Roanoke Island with amphibious landings, perhaps the first in American war, and his occupation of coastal N.C. Marvel explains that Burnsides beat Lee to Fredericksburg but was held back by Halleck's failure to organize the pontoon train needed to cross the Rappahannock. The author's most interesting part of the book is his explanation of Burnsides' battle plan at Fredericksburg and his misunderstanding of the terrain features of Marye's Heights. In addition, one of the cabal generals commanding the left wing failed to execute his flanking movement properly yet communicated success causing Burnsides to unleash full scale attacks on Marye's Heights. Another fascinating piece centers on Burnsides' plan of the "crater", blowing up a confederate section of line and exploiting the breach with specially trained African American units. Unfortunately, the plan was severely hindered by Grant's and Meade's last minute disallowance of the black units to execute the plan resulting in untrained units commanded by an intoxicated officer. In between Burnsides does well keeping Longstreet out of Tennessee but inflames Sherman by providing Sherman a feast upon his arrival. Sherman misunderstood the meal as evidence that Burnsides' needed no relief. Burnsides is depicted as a very intelligent man that invented a breech loaded rifle but was politically naive particularly that even his alleged friend, McClellan undermined him for his own purpose without Burnsides being aware of it. Hard to defend Burnsides' limited action on McClellan's left flank at Antietam where any early action could have resulted in defeat of Lee. Regardless that McClellan didn't not ask Burnsides to attack earlier but any initiative by Burnsides would have made for a different outcome. Also, if Burnsides was aware or more personally involved with the crater attack, he should have recognized that the officer in charge of the attack was unfit and when the attack was misdirected, perhaps organized a better follow-up of troops although Meade aborted support. One of the last McCellan's generals of the Army of the Potomac to resign, only Warren lasted longer until his encounter withh Sheridan. The book leaves one thinking that if Burnsides had just a little of Sheridan in him and a little less of Burnsides, he would have been more successful. From a biography standpoint, Burnsides seems to havea lot in common with Confederate Genenral Ewell whose failures were also more pronounced than his victories.

5 comments about The Good Soldier: From Austrian Social Democracy to Communist Captivity with a Soldier of Panzer-Grenadier Division "Grossdeutschland".

1. More of a lifetime biography than a war biography, which is fine . Like I say, it is worth reading, but it is not just about the war years...



2. I just finished listening to the audio version of this book. The author himself, is the narrator which in itself is powerful. He speaks in a very slow, sincere, sometimes emotionally strained voice through which you can hear his struggling memories being conveyed. He tells of happy times, of funny boyhood pranks, of his daily life, of his participation in times and events that only hindsight fully showed him the magnitude of. No this is not a book for historians looking for detailed information full of dates and strategic manuevers and military actions. This is not a book for people wanting a documentary of factual processes by which Germany very nearly took over the entire of Europe. This is a story of Alfred Novatny... written solely for his daughter and her children so they would know him, and know where they came from. It can be overwhelmingly touching. By the end of the book, you feel you know this man. My husband, who is from Germany, listened to the most of it with me and when the book was finished, he turned to me and said "I want to find this man". We had no idea how old the book was and I warned that he was likely no longer living. But we did look him up and found him. My husband talked to him on the phone for quite some time. And he is a very kind man with such a good heart. He said there is so very much more that is not in the book... that couldn't be.. because it was just too harsh. It is a very good book that "connects" a modern world with a life and time that is now long gone and dying with the generation of those who lived it. It is a precious thing for him to have given to his children... and to the rest of us.



3. This book is an outstanding recollection of an Austrian soldier's experiences as a member of the German Army's renowned Grossdeutschland division in World War II. It is a rewrite of this soldier's originally privately published memoirs and is replete with interesting vignettes on the author's life, from his growing up in a family of Social Democrats in pre-war Austria, to his induction into the elite Grossdeutchland division, to his many and varied battlefield experiences, to his life as a post-war prisoner of the Soviets, to his coming to America.
   
   The combat experiences he describes are mischeviously short (as is the book itself). Unfortunately, this sometimes leaves the impression that the author is holding back information, i.e., information that would not make him look good. Nonetheless, it contains many fascinating anecdotes about life under German control and in the German army during this period. For example, while undergoing his mandatory labor service ("Reichsarbeitsdienst") in late 1941 he is shipped with his unit to build runways near some German U-boat pens on the North Atlantic coast. They are all awakened one morning, provided steel helmets, given rifles and hand grenades with five minutes of instruction on their use, and sent out to fight some British commandos who were attacking the facility because they knew the regular military garrison was 25 miles away on manuevers. Somehow, these teenage conscripts held off the commandos, who were taken by surprise, believing that the facility would be undefended.
   
   Especially interesting are the author's several near experiences with death, including, a bullet going through one side of his helmet but then traveling around the rim, leaving him without a scratch; a comrade entering the author's foxhole and moments later being blown up by an artillery shell, again leaving the author without a scratch; and hitting a heavy Stalin tank at close range with a "Panzerfaust" at the same time it fired its main gun at him, knocking the author unconscious, as the round hit a wall right above him, but otherwise laving him unharmed.
   
   The entire book is strengthened by excellent introductory and transitional comments by Marc Rikmenspoel. Also making the book a very worthwhile purchase are the inclusion of a dozen or so wartime photographs of the author (some posed, some more candid in the field) as well as pictures of his two wound tags and the certificate awarding him the Iron Cross.
   
   Beware, however, that there are grammatical and typographical errors on about every other page of the book. (Only in the parts written by Mr. Novotny and not, however, by Mr. Rikmenspoel.) These mistakes disrupt the flow and makes one wonder if there really was any editing done at all from the original edition. This otherwise superb book gets 4 stars instead of 5 due to this easily remedied flaw.



4. 5 Stars
   
   First, this book is published by Aberjona Press. I will be totally honest with you. I've never read a bad WWII book published by this business. I highly encourage amazon.com readers to read other books published by this firm. WWII is their bread and butter in the publishing business. So, I had high hopes for this book and it delivers.
   
   The Good Soldier" is about memoirs of Germany Army WWII soldier Fred Novotny. The book's introduction starts off with the proverbial Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times!" (this reviewer hopes this does not happen to himself) Novotny certainly had his share of "interesting times". This is a story of overcoming great adversary with a happy ending.
   
   Unlike most WWII stories, which begin in 1939 and end in 1945, "The Good Soldier" is across Novotny's entire lifetime. It begins with his childhood in Vienna, and continues without respite through the Anschluss, his service in the German Labor Service (RAD) and as a machine gunner with the elite "GrossDeutschland" armored infantry division, his postwar years in a Soviet prison camp, his return to freedom and eventual emigration to the USA, where he finds peace and success.
   
   The book isn't full of "combat stories" but there are enough anecdotes to get a good sense of what life in the Third Reich was like and how terrible war and the postwar peace could be. The RAD experiences in particular are very interesting, since there is little information published in English about this German paramilitary organization.
   
   Novotny's descriptions of life as a "GrossDeutschland" soldier and the Soviet penal system are fascinating as well. The reader will doubtless be amazed at Novotny's good fortune through some pretty grim situations - as he was himself!
   
   When you read about any German soldier who survived the war they all credited their military training but cursed it a the same time. The German military training made their average soldier equal to US Marines or Army Rangers.
   
   After the war Novoty's sent to work in a Soviet mine. He meets a woman and they have a brief encounter. The conditions in the mine are just as terrible as an prison. Novoty is released because the Soviets are trying to influence Austria political elections in the early cold war period.
   
   The book is about 150-odd pages but is full of photos, drawings and notes that help the reader get a sense of the writer's experiences in the general sweep of WWII history.
   
   I really enjoyed "The Good Soldier" and would recommend it to anyone interested in personal accounts of German soldiers in the Second World War. Indeed, I shall be re-reading it this week.
   
   Enjoy.



5. Alfred Novotny is a former German solider from WWII who decided to write down some of his experiences from before, during, and after WWII. Like Guy Sajer, Alfred served in Gross Deutschland. Also like Guy, he served as a grenadier on a machine gun team.
   
   Alfred starts his story by telling us about pre-war Austria, the environment, and the events leading up to Germanys taking over of Austria. This was interesting because I didn't know that much about Austria between the wars. The political environment was interesting to say the least.
   
   During the early part of WWII, Alfred was a member of the RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst). Interestingly, he was working around St. Nazaire when the commando raid happened (yes, he did gain some combat experience there). Upon completing his duty in the RAD, Alfred was brought into the German army, rather unusually for an Austrian, into Gross Deutschland (Alfred states that most Austrians were brought into the Mountain Infantry Regiments, the 44th ID, the 2nd PzD, or the 9th PzD).
   
   Alfred gives a basic description of his time serving in Gross Deutschland. Throughout his chapters, Alfred has a little lead in paragraph that describes the situation he's going to describe in the following paragraphs. In his military service part, Alfred describes his training, his time on the front, Gross Deutschland, and the end of the war.
   
   Like most German veterans who served on the eastern front, Alfred has section on the being a Russian prisoner of war. There's some interesting things, however, most of it has been covered by other Germans as well or better.
   
   Alfred closes the book out with his post war activities. This includes his coming to America.
   
   The Good Soldier is a good basic book. Not nearly as strong as most other personal histories. For this reason, I can only give it 3 stars. There are some very good pieces in here, but unfortnetly, Alfred doesn't deliver the goods nearly as well as Guy Sager, Hans von Luck, and others. Read it, but remember, this was written so his family would know wat he did and why.

5 comments about Two Souls Indivisible: The Friendship That Saved Two POWs in Vietnam.

1. I spent the Thanksgiving 2006 Holiday wrapped up in a book that clearly made me appreciate how fortunate we truly are!!! Two Souls Indivisible is one the best written novels I have ever read. James Hirsh is an outstanding writer and does a superb job not only with the development of the two main characters but also captures the torment and hell all of our POW's went thru -- notwithstanding the race relations aspect which is also described in much detail and serves as the underderlying theme. Whether you are a history buff and someone who is looking for a superb book -- this is it. Some of the details are graphic but it is truly necessary so that the reader appreciates the chaos and sheer brutality that these men were faced with. Five stars doesn't do justice -- make it 10 out of 10.



2. Hirsch recounts the friendship that developed between two aviators who were shot down in North Vietnam and endured seven years of imprisonment and torture. Fred Cherry was the first black pilot captured by the Vietnamese, a hot fighter jock and a pioneer in integrating the Air Force. Porter Halyburton was a southern gentleman, steeped in the racial relationships of the old South. Cherry was a Major with combat tours in Korea; Halyburton a young Lieutenant j.g. Although they spent only seven months in the same cell, each credits the other with saving his life as their captors slowly bled the will to live from them. The author also recounts the travails of the two wives, of whom one became a leader in the POW movement and the other declared her husband dead and refused to accept his return. The author skillfully avoids both treacly sentimentalism and excessive gore and concentrates on the leadership and mutual support that kept the survivors alive through years of isolation, abuse, and starvation. Certainly worth reading.



3. I read this book on the advise of a cousin in Montana. And when I finished, I remembered sitting with my mother and crying as we saw Uncle Fred's name on the list of released POW's. I was in my junior year in college at the time. I have kept an article from Jet Magazine of an interview that he gave just after he was released. Much of what he said in that article is in this book; just fleshed out to the full, long, seven years. I knew some of it then; I know a lot more now. I am very proud that this book was written about these two men, my Uncle and Mr. Halyburton. They are living history. And Mr. Hirsch does a wonderful job of presenting them as just that-real history-real people.



4. I read this book expecting a lot of "war" data. But what I received was far beyond what I expected. It was fantastic. It did just what it set out to do, which was capture the comradry and the "Two Souls Indivisible" and their plights together. I have the pleasure of knowing Fred Cherry and he is a wonderful man. After reading the book, I have another level of respect for him and what he has accomplished.



5. James Hirsch has written an inspirational account of two American POWs, Fred Cherry, an African-American fighter-bomber pilot, and Porter Halyburton, a southern white jet navigator. Both were shot down flying missions over North Vietnam and spent seven-plus years in prison camps. The author weaves considerable biographical material on the two servicemen into descriptions of their capture, interrogations, torture and harsh prison conditions. The book draws on extensive interviews with the two flyers, their families, fellow POWs, other military colleagues and close friends.

   The narrative depicts how POWs struggled to maintain dignity, sense of honor to the U.S. military and mutual support in the face of cruel treatment by North Vietnamese captors. This reader has for years wondered what POWs endured while imprisoned. No longer, for this book presents graphic descriptions of horrible prison conditions and physical and psychological torture. Anyone with strong views on the Vietnam War, pro or con, would find this book engaging.
   
   The discussions of Vietnamese torture and abuse of American servicemen make distressing reading in light of revelations about U.S. mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo and the legal justifications for it offered by some U.S. government officials. At times the Vietnamese denied POW status to captured Americans. When Major Cherry refused to answer questions in his first interrogation and showed his Geneva Convention card outlining his rights as a prisoner, his Vietnamese interrogator barked, "Forget about it. You're a criminal." (p.33)

   People have tortured each other for thousands of years. Sometimes torturers sought military advantage; other times, enforcement of religious beliefs; or they simply needed to dominate. Gravensteen Castle's torture museum (Ghent, Belgium) contains an array of medieval Europe's crueler torture instruments, a sober reminder of how deeply ingrained human cruelty is.

   This long history of torture might easily engender cynicism about the Geneva Conventions or any other rules attempting to restrain human cruelty. The drafters of the U.S. Constitution, however, displayed optimism, banning "cruel and unusual punishment."

   According to Hirsch, U.S. POWs evinced similar optimism. Major Cherry recounts his relief that a uniformed Vietnamese was in charge of his capture, for "he assumed that a soldier, even a Communist, was more likely to respect a prisoner of war. According to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 - which North Vietnam had signed - POWs were to be treated humanely." (p.30) Halyburton's wife, a POW activist, optimistically declared: "All we ask is that North Vietnam adhere to the conditions of the Geneva Conventions, that they identify the prisoners they hold, and they protect them from abuse. That's all we ask." (p.210)

   Hirsch cautiously avoids raising any "coulda shoulda wouldas" of the Vietnam War. That's not his story. Yet, the narrative makes clear that support for the Vietnam War was an important psychological need of the POWs and many other combatants. How else to make it through still another day of torture or fighting thousands of miles from home? That psychological need, however, can hardly become the justification for any war. The U.S. political system demands extreme prudence of its leadership when engaging troops and a thorough debate of the issues. Hirsch's book poignantly reminds readers how U.S. troops ultimately bear the consequences of war-making decisions.

   The issue of race figures prominently in the book. Porter Halyburton, a southern white officer, must confront the views he absorbed from a racially segregated society when he cares for Major Fred Cherry, an African-American POW and his cellmate. Major Cherry, in turn, must bury years of racial insults and slights. The account of how both men ultimately bridge this racial divide is truly a message of hope.

   This reader winced, however, at the description of Halyburton's overcoming his segregationist upbringing as being the moment when "Cherry had ceased being black." (p.133) It's not clear if this is Halyburton's or Hirsch's expression. Perhaps the words didn't come out right. Still, it would have been more satisfying in this reader's mind to hear Halyburton exclaim that he, Halyburton, had ceased being white.

5 comments about Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator.

1. An outstanding account of what happened in the war zone. A must read!



2. Dustoff is rare look at a rare breed of man. Mike Novosel is a true American hero and his account of his military life make a great read. I wish our country had a few more men like Mike Novosel.



3. Mr. Novosel isn't a professional writer. Therefore, his book doesn't read like some Hollywood glamour novel. However, his book is one of the best accounts of a real soldier doing his job. After meeting Mr. Novosel, I realized that his book reads almost as if he is there recalling the experiences to you personally. I was captivated from the first page, finding it difficult to find a stopping point (okay, I'll read just one more chapter). For anyone interested in military related books, medevac crews or a great memoir, this is a must-read. Well worth a hard cover for your collection.



4. This book is about a true American Hero. Starting before World War 2, this book covers the life and career of one of the bravest men I have ever read about. This is a man who not only risked his life time and time again to selflessly save the wounded in Vietnam, but did not expect any special gratitude or treatment for it. This is a well written and engrossing tale about a man who served more than any man would be expected to, but signed up for two tours of Vietnam as a emergency evacuation pilot. Although I know it doesn't count for much, I hope Mr. Novosel reads this review to realize how much respect I have for him, and the men who served with him.



5. I picked this book up on a sale rack while waiting for a flight. After sitting down with it, I put it down for a total of maybe 5 minutes from cover to cover, and that was out of sheer necessity.

   For having led such an amazing life, the author has such an easy, flowing writing style that you get the impression he were relaying the entire account over a few beers at some smoky enlisted club. Even more striking is the level of modesty with which Novosel recalls his time, a rarity in the military as anyone who's been in knows! Thankfully missing is melodrama and hollywood, which leaves the real excitement to stand for itself.

   All in all a fantastic read. You don't meet people like this guy every day (if ever!). I can't recommend this book enough.

3 comments about Black and White Airmen: Their True History.

1. I bought this book for a paper I was writing in college about the Tuskegee Airmen. This book was great, I read it cover to cover in one sitting. While its not packed with the information other books are, it does include stories from white and African American air and service men. Its also facinating to compare the treatment of men of different races during the war. There is a story behind it that is quite interesting as well considering what a large war it was. I highly recomend this book. If your reading this I ask somthing of you, thank a veteran or service person for what they have done or are doning to protect your rights and freedoms.



2. Fun Fact: If you want to get the attention of a class of sixth graders, tell `em about a book where a guy blew a metal rod through the top of his skull and lived. That'll wake the little buggers up! Yes, when it comes
   to booktalking a work of non-fiction to kids, I've relied on John Fleischman and his book, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science for years. Insofar as I could ever tell, this was Fleischman's one and only contribution to the world of children's literature, and it was a doozy. Science is rarely so simultaneously gory and well-written. I suppose I had the feeling that maybe Fleischman was some kind of one hit wonder. I mean, he spends most of his time writing scientific articles for journals like Muse and Harvard Health Letter. He also writes for Air & Space Smithsonian, which, had I but known, would have made his latest book a little less left-fieldish for me. "Black and White Airmen: Their True History" is exactly what you want out of your historical non-fiction for kids. It strikes just the right balance of personal stories, historical clarifications, and exciting air battles.
   
   They grew up in the same town, were in the same third grade class, and fought practically side-by-side in the same air battles, but John Leahr and Herb Heilbrun didn't know one another until the year 1997. At that time, Herb read in the paper that the mayor of Cincinnati would be presenting a public award to some Tuskegee pilots not too far away. So Herb crashed the reception. He wanted to thank the guys who'd covered his tail during multiple escort missions and in doing so he met John. Herb and John became fast friends, finding that they had more in common than they had ever expected. Through their eyes, Fleischman tells the story of Fifteenth Air Force and the Tuskegee airmen. He draws attention to racial lines and divides at that time then brings you face-to-face with what it meant to fly an airplane during the Great War. The author is adept at making this a very personal story at one moment and a look at history the next without ever straining his narrative or cutting too quickly. It makes for a startlingly good story.
   
   For kids, the notion that your grandparents and great-grandparents were ever children can be baffling. Baffling and more than a little inconceivable. You might concede that they were capable of fighting in a massive war more than 60 years ago, but that they were ever kids running about reading comic books? Go pull the other one. So some of the best parts of this book come when you see contemporary John and Herb going to classrooms and showing classes a picture of the two of them in third grade. That was part of what I really liked about this title. You see enough of our two heroes as kids to give them some depth and history, but not so much that you get bored waiting for the action to start.
   
   Now a book of this sort becomes a very delicate balancing act early in the game. On the one hand, Fleischman must have known how important it was to give history and context to racism in America during the Second World War. Tying this into John's story is easy enough, considering some of the challenges he faced. But when you write a book about a black pilot and white pilot, the temptation is going to be to sort of ignore the white pilot's tale in favor of the more exciting black pilot's narrative. Fleischman does a good job of evening out the storyline without padding it out or filling it with unnecessary information. Even as you find yourself on Herb's side, you can't help but notice how unfair John's life was in comparison. A kid's temptation would be to blame Herb for his race's stupidities, but Fleischman never allows that to happen. In a way, this book felt like a slightly more fleshed out version of Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement, which paired the stories of a black and a white civil rights activist and their shared experiences in participating in the 1961 Freedom Rides. Yet I found this title superior in terms of showing the ties between the lead characters while really pulling you into their story. Both are great books, but this one felt a little slicker in the delivery.
   
   The portions dealing with racism in America are just great. There are sentences like, "the color line in Cincinnati was invisible in law but razor sharp in daily life." And darned if the author doesn't actually make me interested in airplane and air battles. Admittedly my own grandfather was a pilot in WWII, but I'd never thought to research what he would have gone through in the air. Fleischman includes all sorts of interesting mentions. Planes needed an overhaul if they had five hundred hours "on the clock" (i.e. in the air). You may not think much of that fact when you first hear about it, but when Herb is later given a plane with 521 hours on it, you know he's in for trouble. And exciting? You betcha. There's one moment where Herb tears every single muscle in his upper back just by wrestling his B-17 into formation and then he has to continue to fly it alone through a five-hour mission because his co-pilot was paralyzed by fear and almost killed the entire crew... whew!
   
   A co-worker of mine pointed out that for some kids, certain sections are going to grab their attention more than others. There are definitely child readers out there for whom air battles and combat via planes is going to be the primary focus of their interest with this book. Other kids will want to know about the Tuskegee airmen, and maybe only look at the book from that perspective. Still others might need to find WWII biographies, and this title certainly has two. I like to think that it's the personal stories that will allow some kids to read this book cover to cover, growing close to the real life characters. When Herb finds out that his best friend during the war that he thought was dead turns out, fifty years later, to be alive and living in Minnesota, THAT is amazing and makes for a great read.
   
   Abundant photographs pepper the pages of this book, keeping the eye moving without ever distracting. Fleischman has eschewed the use of pullout boxes or entire pages dedicated to a related topic that pull away from the narrative. This is a smart choice on his part. And while I rarely see authors of non-fiction children's titles justify their lack of source notes, Fleischman is careful to point out that, "I leave source notes to scholars who write about History." Aside from the first-person interviews Fleischman conducted to get much of his information, there is also a nice list of Resources for kids under topics like "For the Tuskegees", "For the air war in general", "For the air war at the movies", etc. An Index is included in the back.
   
   One of the very first things Fleischman says of this true story is, "We have all sorts of `true' stories today that aren't entirely true... True books like this one are usually called `nonfiction,' which is a funny word. All it guarantees is that this book is `not fiction,' that is, that I didn't make it up entirely. Imagine if food were labeled that way; imagine that the ingredients listed on an ice cream wrapper said only `Not stones.'". Be that as it may be, I'll take Fleischman's "not stones" over that of his contemporaries any day of the week. "Black and White Airmen" mixes different kinds of history topics alongside personal recollections with flair. The result is a book I'll be handing to any kid doing a WWII assignment or just wanting to know more about some of the great men who served so long ago.



3. Two boys from Miss Pitchell's third grade class in 1928 Cincinatti, Ohio grew up to be World War II pilots. John Leahr was one of the famed "Tuskegee Airmen", African-American pilots who flew for the United States even as they were being systematically oppressed. Herb Heilbrun flew bombers over Europe completing 35 successful missions. The parallel stories of these two men are told in BLACK AND WHITE AIRMEN: THEIR TRUE HISTORY.
   
   Full of photographs and primary sources, this book is a fascinating look at the different wartime experiences of military men in the segregated armed services. Leahr and Heilbrun became friends later in life and currently speak to students about their experiences. Fleischman details their childhoods, education, service records and their lives after the war. The narrative is exciting with many details that will keep any reader with the slightest interest in flying, history or wartime interested.

3 comments about The Eighteen-Year-Old Replacement: Facing Combat in Patton's Third Army.

1. I've read many memoirs by World War II veterans. I doubt if any memoir will ever top "With the Old Breed," by E.B. Sledge, but this one certainly ranks in the top tier. With humor and a remarkable degree of candor, Kingsbury tells what it was like to be 18 years old and find yourself in front-line combat, among men you had barely met. There's no padding here, no lengthy passages of background information about the big strategic picture--just a straightforward, well-told, well-edited story that paints a remarkable portrait not just of one young man but of the entire generation of reluctant citizen-soldier draftees who fought and won World War II. Highly recommended.



2. This book takes you back to World War II in great detail. You could almost feel their emotions as the soldiers slept in foxholes and fought the battles. I loved reading the story of their courtship as their love grew while Richard was fighting for his country. It made you aware of what those young 18 year old men went through defending our country.



3. This book provides a fascinating look at the reality of being drafted just out of high school in 1944, and immediately facing active combat duty at the front-lines during world War II. Excerpts from the many letters written between Kingsbury and his girl friend (later to become his wife) provide a romantic thread throughout the book, as well as supplying detail of how life was during the 1940's. The stories ring true, and reading this book gives you a real appreciation of the sacrifices made by our fathers and grandfathers to preserve our freedoms. I strongly recommend this book.

5 comments about Gray Ghost: The Life of Col. John Singleton Mosby.

1. James A. Ramage has written what must be THE definitive book on the life of John Singleton Mosby. I cannot imagine a more thoroughly written book on the topic. Ramage discusses his family history, his childhood and more.
   
   Of course, the largest amount is written about his service in the Civil War as a partisan ranger that terrorized the Union troops arrayed against Robert E. Lee. Ramage is definitely a fan of Mosby, but he refuses to get involved in the hype that Mosby and his contemporaries sometimes engaged in concerning how effective Mosby's men were. Ramage agrees that Mosby was cost-effective, meaning that his small groups of men - usually around 120 or so - would tie down thousands of Union soldiers, but disagrees with Mosby himself that he tied down tens of thousands.
   
   The real strength of this biography is that Ramage covers Mosby's post-Civil War career thoroughly, including his controversial forays into politics and his government posting in Hong Kong. Ramage even includes a chapter on how Mosby has been represented in film and television, including a movie in which Mosby played himself in 1910.
   
   This is not a book for the casual Civil War reader - there is too much specific detail and an assumption that the reader knows and understands the basics of the war. However, this book will continue to serve as the reference for all things Mosby.



2. Ramage is absolutely correct when he speaks about Mosby's effect on his adversaries. By the time the war was over, he was - after Jefferson Davis - the most hated Confederate in the North. Once, late in the war when a troop of Yankee cavalry bringing in prisoners (none of whom were Mosby's men) joked that they had 'caught Mosby', in just a few hours over 10,000 people gathered to see the vaunted guerrilla chief. Mosby's psychological tactics were such that often all he or one of his men had to do was approach a Union picket or vidette and say, "I am Mosby" and the man became paralyzed with fear. Yet, Mosby's treatment of those whom he captured was such that after the war, many of his best friends were former Union officers taken by him and his command.
   
   Unfortunately, however, author Ramage has a tendency to speculate regarding things he cannot prove. His theory of Mosby's 'bipolar' personality - he was kind, gentle and loving at home but fierce, overly aggressive and untrusting out in the world - does not necessarily equate with the testimony of many of Mosby's men who wrote about the man and the 43rd Battalion.
   
   Furthermore, Ramage's account of Mosby's relationship with Fitz Hugh Lee - the two men detested each other - contains a vignette in which Lee supposedly offers a terrible rebuke to then Lt. Mosby when he offered Lee a captured Union newspaper. Lee, according to Ramage said "The ruling passion strong in death" a quote from one of Pope's moral essays on Lord Cobham, a religious dissenter who was hanged and burned for his beliefs. Ramage recounted that as a classical scholor Mosby would understand this statement to mean that he would deserve his fate when the Yankees caught and hanged him as a spy during one of his 'scouts' for JEB Stuart. According to Ramage, Mosby had no suspicion of Fitz Lee's hatred of him until that point. Yet in all other accounts - including Mosby's - nothing much is made of the same incident. I would not mind Ramage's account or his conclusion if only he had given a more detailed account of how he came to know that Lee said what he said and meant it as Ramage posits. Furthermore, I would have liked to know how Ramage knew that Mosby had no idea of his superior officer's feelings for him at the time. However, Ramage simply makes the statement and let's it go at that.
   
   There are certainly many psychological indicators apparent in Mosby's life which can enlighten interested parties regarding his forceful and unique personality but I must confess that I found some of author Ramage's speculations to be lacking in credible verification on such subjective matters. If one is going to speak of 'feelings' and 'passions', it is wise to have at least some documentation to back up one's claims. Otherwise, the matter becomes nothing more than another speculation regarding the individual being studied.



3. This book is about as close to entertainment as history can get. This does not mean that it is fiction however. Ramage writes a sturdy bio of Mosby. And although Mosby is one of the most famous, or infamous if you are a Yankee, Civil War personalities around, there aren't many good reads on him. However, Ramage's bio is terrific from both a historian's and a reader's point of view. Ramage is obviously an admirer of Mosby's, but does not blindly believe all that comes with the "Mosby myth". Instead, Ramage uses both primary and secondary sources to try to find the real Mosby and see what his real exploits were. The descriptions of Mosby's forays are fast-paced and exciting. The chapters on Mosby's post-war career are extremely interesting as we see the hated Mosby become a Republican and friend of U.S. Grant. Mosby also became embroiled in disputes with "Lost Cause" people like Jubal Early due to Mosby's support of J.E.B. Stuart. Interesting all the way around.



4. This book is well written by someone who likes Mosby but this nonsense about "terror" from Union troops about Mosby sounds more like the terror that was felt by the Confederates towards Sheridan or Sherman or John Brown!
   Frankly I have always considered those who hit and run or come out at night and shoot stragglers or people from behing to be somewhat -- well - gutless. Sorry.



5. An excellent book for anyone interested in the Civil War. Ramage has written an exciting, fast-paced biography of one of the South's most mythologized and celebrated Civil War heroes. He draws the reader into the world of Mosby from his early fights with childhood bullies to his final fight for J.E.B. Stuart's memory and legacy. Certainly one of the Confederacy's more popular figures, Mosby ruled an area of Virginia causing Union officers and privates alike to fear capture if separated from the main body. Mosby's able and selfless leadership set an example to his men, and both Stuart and Lee saw that he was no ordinary partisan ranger. Even after the war, Mosby's fight continued as he supported the Republican Grant for president. Ramage aptly delves into the now out-of-favor hero's post-war life and one of the best chapters in the book is his description of Mosby's fight against corruption as U.S. consul in Hong Kong. Ramage has gone through many sources and succeeded in bringing Mosby the man to life. The author even met with Mosby's grandson and received valuable first-hand descriptions of him in his later life. This book is destined to be the definitive work on the "Gray Ghost".

1 comments about George S. Patton: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1. This book is a concise and thorough overview of one of America's most studied and discussed generals. Mr. Smith has seemingly brought Gen. Patton back to life with his vivid descriptions and page turning narrative. Kudos to Mr. Smith for his unbiased approach to his subject. This is a great book.