4 comments about Accidental Warrior: The Forging Of An American Soldier.

1. This is the story of a man that is so rightoeusly correct - and almost everybody else is wrong. Despite his sensitive nature and his traumatic childhood trying to live up to his father's expectations - he still gets through his father's rigorous alma mater. But he makes a go of it in the Army - despite experiencing searing pain through two combat tours in Vietnam. On top of all this the author is angry that the 'liberal media' were traitors to the country by reporting the war inaccurately. It seems the media were antagonistic to the war because LBJ lied to them - and so the media had to get back at the country by radicalizing itself.
   
   pray that the author will find peace and learn that when one thinks his country is making a terrible mistake that it is important that people make their concerns known. I thank the author for serving his country as he though it was right. He like so many of us were seduced by Kennedy's "Ask not...". I am sorry that the author saw so very few competent and honorable officers in the US Army in the 60's and the 70's.



2. This is the story of Andy O'Meara, who never intended to be a soldier. His plans were quashed by an overbearing father, who had his own notions of a career for his son. As a result of parental pressure, he went through West Point, but admits he didn't have his heart in it, and didn't do as well academically as he should have done.

   Once in the Army, he managed to get a bad reputation at the outset, one that dogged him (literally -- read the book) throughout the rest of his career. Nevertheless, he "soldiered on." The book describes his Vietnam tour up to his being evacuated as wounded, his tour of duty in Germany and then the U.S., both with an armored division and later the Army Staff.

   Much of his story deals with the way the Army was mismanaged throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and how this affected the troops. The reader gets to see the peronsal effects of the mismanagement on the troops themselves, through the author's eyes. In particular, he condemns Defense Secretary Robert McNamara for robbing forces elsewhere to fund the war in Vietnam. (I spent much of my 25-year military career as an operations analyst. I share his opinion of McNamara.)

   He doesn't spare himself either in the telling. He describes the breakup of his marriage, placing much of the blame on himself. No harsh words about his "ex," just straightforward description.

   Overall it's the story of a man who went through some trials that would have broken a lesser man. He's honest about how much of his problems were his own fault.

   For those who were in Vietnam or who served in a Cold War assignment, it will ring true. For those who want to understand what those years did to the men who lived through them, it will give the unvarnished story. I highly recommend it.

   One thing should be kept in mind. We read only Andy's side of the story. His father might have some different views.




3. Behind the posturing and political facades, ignored by media and entertainers, and neither praised nor appreciated are the men and women warriors who chose the harder course to wear the uniform of our country's military and serve honorably and successfully through the cold war and Vietnam. One of these, Andy O'Meara has courageously told his story in this moving, informative, and historically appropriate book. His story needs to be read so that our people can understand the brave men and women who did their duty faithfully and honorably, then were treated so badly. Here in stark detail is the other side of the story.



4. This is a look into the mind of a successful soldier and leader. It's plainly, forcefully and honestly told. This is the story silenced by the media. If you get your news from Dan Rather, it may shock you. But the truth is evident in every word of it.

No comments about Raising Tiffany - Portrait of a Special Girl.

No comments about A Sky for Arcadia.

No comments about Dementia: the Loss . . . the Love . . . the the Loss . . . the Love . . . the Laughter.

5 comments about Journal of a Mental Patient: The Story of a Mind and Its Man.

1. I was truly amazed by how horrible this book really is. I was so excited to read it since it seems like such a good book but don't be fooled. I love to read but this book was so hard to get into, he confuses you and makes no sense the entire time.



2. This book really helped me through a tough time in my life.I had just broken up with a long term boyfriend, had to choose a college, trying to maintain an above 4.0 GPA, and had to get a super good score on my SAT. Just when I was going to just give up on things, I started reading this book. It was very insightful because it describes the feelings that ever person gets and how to deal with them. This book describes the problems that most teenagers deal with, like: the feelings of wanting to kill your parents, love and lost love, sex, losing friends, and starting over. By reading this book I realized that you have to take life in strides and keep yourself happy, even if it pisses off a lot of other people. Also I learned that you have to remain at a certain level of happiness all of the time to keep yourself sane. I would reccommend this book to any teenager who is looking for answers to lifes most common problems that are not easily solved. Loved it!



3. This is an awesome book. It'll take your emotions and opinions for a ride. This book is a must have for anyone who likes to read books that make you think. So go ahead and buy the book. You won't regret it.



4. This book reflects so many hidden thoughts of both, open and closed minds. If you are looking to escape your reality and enter a world of simple logic, questions and answers, this is the book to read. You grow to love this charactor and his mind in so many diferent ways. It's the perfect story with the perfect and most enlightening ending.



5. As incoming authors go few kick in the door with such a confident breath of fresh air. This unforgiving and unrepentant allegory to life amongst the consuming masses in an at times repellent society have moments of dark wit that, while funny, leave an odd feeling remorse in the back of your mind. At times the mood is almost farsical... reading like a child runs though slick grass after a rain. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something unique to read.

1 comments about My Husband, My Child.

1. .....Eve Jensen has captured in loving details the path she shared with her husband. She has written in essay form events which show great insight into the gradual deterioration of a life, a love, a man.
   .....With the masterful skills of a former English teacher,
   Mrs. Jensen tells about how her husband was taken
   from doctor to doctor to find out the cause of his behaviors
   and physical problems. He was never labeled with Alzheimer's
   disease but had many of the same symptons.
   .....As these steps were being taken together, she captures
   daily events, personal activites, the loss of skills,
   the loss of friends for her true love-Hal. The trip was
   long but well documented.
   .....Hal and Eve were both teachers. Hal was a music,
   science, and CWE teacher. He was also a master of
   several languages, had lived in the Orient and Europe
   and was a fun loving Dane. At one time, they both were
   employed by the Dept. of Defense Overseas Schools,
   met, and married while living and teaching
   in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. After retirement,
   their lives were intermingled with many adventures
   but the biggest, longest, and hardest of these was
   the trip they shared with Hal's dementia.
   .....THIS BOOK SHOULD BE PURCHASED BY
   ALL WHO ARE DEALING WITH EVEN A HINT OF DEMENTIA
   WITH A LOVED ONE. Books should be purchased
   by Alzheimer's Associations across America
   to be given to other families dealing with their
   loved ones. A good idea would be to give gifts to

   the directors of local organizations to see what
   they think. I know that they will see the
   potential help for personal experiences which
   families are currently sharing.
   .....PASS THE WORD! Help someone else
   through Mrs. Jensen's capture of her and Hal's
   "... 14 Years into Dementia."
   SIGNED:
   A friend and former peer-- Cathryne N. Blocker

1 comments about Patient Betrayal.

1. This is a wonderful book and after reading it I really want to be involved in my medical healthcare. The guide to good medical care in the back of the book is great when you are finding a doctor or having a procedure done.

   I was amazed what this family went through because of human errors that were covered up. Claiming God's promises was the only way they could survive. A MUST READ for everyone. We need to know about malpractice because it can happen to everyone.

No comments about It's Always Something: Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

1 comments about TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD: A BLIND MAN'S JOURNEY TO CLIMB FARTHER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE.

1. The author, who is totally blind, gives the reader his life story. Told with humor, he regales the reader with insights into his early life, when he could still see, and describes how his gradual loss of sight impacted on how the world perceived him. Fighting all his life against stereotypic notions that the sighted population has about those who are blind, the author has proven that those who are blind can do just about anything a sighted person can do. They just go about doing it in a slightly different way.

   It is truly amazing that the author climbs mountains, because in order for him to do so, he must climb with others in whom he can place his complete and absolute trust. To some extent, he must rely upon them for precise descriptions of the terrain that lies before him. He also sometimes requires them to direct him accurately. Often, accurate directions and descriptions of the terrain are all that lies between the author and a precipitous drop of several thousand feet. I marvel that anyone would dare to venture up a mountain they cannot see in the traditional sense. The author has nerves of steel and is blessed with a very supportive and loving family.

   Yet, he climbs, not for the visual beauty of the mountains, but for the sense of freedom that it gives. For him, the mountains he climbs are a reassurance that he is just like everyone else. They are also trophies. He is working on climbing the seven summits, the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents. At this reading, he has reached the summit of four of them. I hope that he will reach his goal.

   The author is a very handsome, athletic and driven young man, and I give him a lot of credit for that drive and athleticism. When one reads his book, the reader realizes just how much it took for him to be able to do what he has done. What he has accomplished has flown into the face of conventional wisdom and traditional expectations of one who is blind. His story is unique in that he alone has made it so. He is a shining example of a person who will not let others dictate the parameters of his life. Yet, at the same time, he occasionally comes across as somewhat unfeeling of others and a bit shallow. Those who read the book will, undoubtedly, know what I mean. Nonetheless, he is certainly to be credited for expanding common perceptions of what the blind are capable of achieving.

No comments about The Story of My Life.