Military Books

This book tells it like it happen last year,I was there myself with 1 Mar Div.I am currently in Fallujah,Iraq with Lcpl Cassedy.Every American parent that is planning to let their child join the USMC should read this book first.Semper Fi


Sgt Vargas,J.L.
Fallujah,Iraq

This is a wonderfully written book! It will touch you emotionally while it educates you about the things our military men & women are facing today. The author also takes you back to a time in the past when our military had no support from home. The "returning son" shows us that marines & soldiers are not always kids who couldn't do much else, he's an intelligent young man that could have done anything and yet he CHOSE to serve his country. This book will enlighten you about what it feels like to have a family member serving. It's a good read for men, women & teenagers.

I am reading this book! How wonderful to see a book written with true facts of the life of the Military. Everyone in America should read this so they can fully appreciate what the troops go through for America. I recomend this book to everyone I see. It is a book of the times and struggles of Pure American Family. A Must Read!

I am impressed. Returning Son is one book I could not put down. It is about what is happing TODAY! The real world, not fiction. It is a book that positively pulls you in to the story and puts you right there. Returning Son involves everyone. Those who have been in the military, or those who know someone in the military. Even those who just have an interest in the war in Iraq. The author gives you insite on what is really going on in boot camp and then in Iraq. The hell, frustration and family ties. It's about TODAY. A book like no other.

Returning Son is colorfully written and so highly detailed that you are pulled into the Cassedy's lives as if you are part of the family, feeling every emotion. Returning Son teaches us the value of strong family foundations and the importance of interaction with our children as parents. This is a magnificent story about an average American family and their struggles to survive. This is a story about extraordinary parents that ask their children to mold their futures by answering 3 important questions. This is absolutely a 5 star book that should be read by all, especially to find out the 3 questions.

Good service, good price, the used book look new.
My uncle was with the 45th and he said the author was historically correct in his description of the men and battles in which the 45th fought. I found the book not only interesting but a keepsake for me and my family. I appreciate this indepth study of this gallant group of men.

Being a former National Guard officer and having visited the concentration camp in Dachau in a trip through Europe, I was interested in this book. The scene when the soldiers get to the Dachau concentration camp was unforgettable. This event makes us all realize how important it was to win this war against fascist and extremely racist dictators.

Whitlock does an excellent job in trying to report the facts without any moral judgements in all parts of the book. Whitlock also brings the reader to see the mistakes as well as the successes and gives his reasons. We see the events of Anzio from the level of generals, and other events from the reactions of lower level officers and enlistedmen. This book is a true testament to the sacrifice of Guard soldiers in World War II. I wish there were more books like this one on Guard units in World War II. This is an excellent book to read for the amateur military historian.

The Rock of Anzio chronicles the WW II experience of the 45th Division, a national guard unit primarily from OK, TX, and NM. This covers prewar status, the callup to federal duty, and its' prodigious battle action in Sicily, Italy including Anzio, France, and Germany. Personal remembrances of former thunderbirds (the divisions' nickname) are widely used as well as the divisional history. Far from being a dry accounting of the divisions' exploits, this book is very easily read, with many small details well covered as well as the overall strategic situation the division was facing at that time. I personally wasn't aware of the critical defense of Anzio by the thunderbirds. Battle actions are well written and exciting to read. I would recommend this book to anyone with a special interest in the Italian campaign and it is a excellent companion book to Edwin Hoyt's Backwater War.

I really enjoyed this book. It moved so well, and kept my interest from cover to cover. I have read many unit histories, and this work is the most complete. It cover the unit from activation, through all of its battles. Anzio and Dachau must get the highest praise. Anzio is written so well, I can hardly see how the US prevailed in that battle. I also never knew of the conflict between the Thunderbirds (45th ID) and the Rainbows (42nd ID), over the liberation of the Dachau Concentration camp (even having visited it). The author does a great job, buy this book!

My late grandfather was a Thunderbird (157th rgmt, M co), and seldom talked of his World War Two days. After reading this book, I now know why. I can only imagine what it must have been like to live for days on end in a wet foxhole, always cold and miserable. Only have the faintest idea of what horrors he saw when Dachau was liberated. The stories of those days were never told by him. As with many men of his generation, he did not want to remember those terrible events of nearly sixty years ago. _The Rock of Anzio_ tells the story that my grandfather was never able to tell, a story that should be told.

It was great book that was only marred by numerous technical errors. The three that I remember are the misspelling of Iwakuni and Tachikawa, Japan and the placing of McConnell AFB in Topeka, Kansas and not in Wichita, Kansas. Considering that an Air Force man wrote the story about another Air Force man, these errors should have been caught.

I have known Scrappy for several years and I have heard many River Rats talk about him. But until he wrote this book I never knew the details of his life, and what an interesting and exciting life it has been. If you have interest in flying and history, this is the book for you. Scrappy takes you through all of his adventures.

I had the honor of reading Scrappy over the past three days while traveling by air on a business trip. I found his book difficult to put down. The book just keeps moving without ever getting bogged down. Every time I turned the page I found something new and refreshing.

I feel like I have known Scrappy my whole life now after reading his story. In fact when I got home last night I kept telling my wife Scrappy this and Scrappy that.

The story is at times very touching. I felt like Scrappy was able to take words from my soul and put them on paper. He showed me insight to my own experiences as a son, or a father, or a husband. On the other hand it was full of action and excitement too. Scrappy is filled with his professional and private ups and downs. And most of all it was filled with stories about flying.

All in all this is a great book. I found it refreshing and easy to read. This was no school book that I had to pull myself through. No, Scrappy pulled me through. Page after page he carried my attention to the end. This was a real page turner of a story. This is Scrappy.

I had the pleasure of meeting Scrappy a couple of years ago at an astronaut and aviator autograph show in Florida. He was more interesting and likeable than the more famous spacemen sitting around him. His new autobiography is excellent. I couldn't put the book down until I had finished reading it...in one sitting. I enjoyed it so much I purchased another copy as a gift!

Scrappy and my dad, Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, were cohorts and compadres in a world that only fighter pilots can understand. I read this book with great enjoyment, appreciation, laughter and admiration. Through no end of great tales, self-deprecating honesty and acute analysis of the political bureaucracy in play during the Vietnam war, I learned far more about fighter pilots than I already knew I didn't know! "Scrappy" is a great read and should be on everyone's list - not only for Air force veterans but for active duty pilots of today.

As a late boomer (47) one of my earliest memories was watching Churchill's funeral on TV. I remember feeling it was such a solemn occasion, I wasn't sure exactly why at three years old, but I felt it. Many years later I live on the other side of the planet. I met Winston's grandson, who was my local MP before I left England.
This is a fascinating insight into the situation, of decisions made and my first, first hand read from his own hand, there are many very important decisions made, on the hoof, with lives at stake, national identities at stake.
I intend to read more, from his WW1 books, to hopefully gain a clearer idea of what happened in the Dardinelles, an event which is used to create a pivot for the national identity here.

In the first half of Vol. 2, 'Their Finest Hour', Churchill covers the Battle of France. As new Prime Minister he sets up his Coalition Government to fight the 'common cause' and prepare for the War. Germany was already in France and the Western Front was under attack. The Belgian Government was striving to remain neutral and soon all was being lost in the 'deluge of disaster'. The Germans broke the Maginot line and soon the Battle of France was lost. There was the successful deliverance of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk and the preparations to defend the home front.

The second half deals with the Battle of Britain with Hitler preparing for 'Operation Sea Lion'. In order for the invasion of England to be successful, Germany first had to control the air. London and various areas were shaken but neither the spirit nor the Country destroyed. Italy was on the move, in the Mediterranean, and invading the African coast. The Battle of Britain was won and the RAF had 'Their finest Hour', but the War was far from over. This volume covers the timeline of May 10, 1940 to Jan. 5, 1941.

It should be noted and remembered that England stands in a different position militarily than France. England is a small, ancient, insular island that has withstood many centuries of assaults and attempted invasions. So when Hitler and his forces sought to make the same attempt, not only the RAF and the Royal Navy but history was standing against them. Also it wasn't just England alone that was fighting. It was also their devoted Commonwealth, Dominions and Empirical Attachments that were involved in the war. England was pulling resources from all over their Empire. For instance, Australia and New Zealand were fighting on the African coast and in Greece.

America, under FDR, was moving closer to the war with the Lend-Lease Act and Japan was watching in the wings. Hilter was changing his war direction and moving into the Eastern Front. Stalin was changing his alliance with Hitler and moving closer to Britian and the United States. The impact and weight of the World's destiny was in the balance and starting to slowly shift. Nothing was yet certain and U-Boat packs still prowled the ocean.

This is another of those 'deserves to be read' books. Churchill fills in the volume with his correspondence and hindsight. It is good to read and become acquainted with Churchill's thoughts and this fateful time, in history, so that hopefully there will be no repeating of these terrible events. Well worth adding to the Library.

"Their Finest Hour" is in my opinion the apex of Churchill's 6-volume series on World War II. It tells the tale of the perilous Battle of Britain. At this stage in the war, victory was anything but certain for the United Kingdom, which struggled against the Nazi menace alone.

Like the rest of "The Second World War," the tale is told from the vantage point of Great Britain's indefatigable Prime Minister and War Minister, Winston S. Churchill. Few historical works that I have seen have the authority of being written by a principal player in the narrative.

Churchill makes liberal use of offical and personal documents from the period, including his ongoing correspondence with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As a piece of literature, the series shines. Forgetting the importance of the series as an historical document, Churchill's mastery of the English language makes for worthwhile reading.

As someone who writes for a living, I find that the quality of my own writing goes up a notch when I read Churchill.

Americans have a warped view of history, and little understanding of the role of aristocracy and class in history--our own or Britain's. Churchill was a card carrying member of the aristocracy; one of the small group of men who ran England up to, and through, World War II. Their Finest Hour is an amazing documentation of the very height, and at the same time, end, of the all powerful aristocracy in England.

Churchill's second volume of his Six Volume history of the Second World War begins with May, 1940, as the German army is rolling through Luxembourg and Belgium (both clinging to their neutrality right up to the minute the German tanks crossed the border), toward a woefully unprepared France (still reliant upon the Maginot Line, which in turn depended on Luxembourg and Belgium neutrality.

Churchill has just assumed the post of Prime Minister, after having spent the prior year (and several before that) as an outsider bemoaning the refusal of Britain (and France) to prepare to meet the rising German threat. Those years of exile are the subject of volume one.

The present volume focuses on the extraordinary difficulties Churchill and others in the British government faced once the war actually began. Once France was forced to surrender, Germany was left in what most of us think of as continental Europe without any enemies. It had allied itself with fascist Italy, made peace with Stalin, conquered Poland and France, neutralized Spain, and occupied Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, and the Netherlands.

In this sense, Britain stood alone. There was a very real risk that Germany could invade and conquer Britain in the Summer and early Fall of 1940. The German bombing of London was increasingly effective, and the British army was in total disarray, having just been forced to abandon France, leaving most of its equipment behind. Just how worried Churchill was comes through clearly and terrifyingly in this volume. Had Germany succeeded, the world might look very different today--the Second World War would have been transformed into a truly intercontinental war, with Asia and Europe allied against North America.

Of course, Britain was not really "Alone." Greece and Turkey were firm allies; Bulgaria and Yugoslavia stood against Hitler and Italy; and Britain controlled most of what we today think of as the third world--from Gibraltar at the southern tip of Europe, to Egypt, to South Africa, India, Malaysia and Burma, and Australia. Only by adopting a firmly eurocentric view of the world (which Churchill clearly had) can he title this volume "Alone."

Churchill and the rest of his government were able to move seamlessly into power, and immediately take control of this world wide empire precisely because of the peculiarly insular class system that ruled Britain. Even as an outsider, Churchill clearly had full access to all of the centers of power. He could not bend and shape them, but he was fully in the loop. Personal relationships and lifelong associations meant that he regularly met with leaders at all levels of the power structure--including most importantly (but by no means exclusively) top politicians and naval personnel. This sort of access by "losing" politicians in the United States today is unimaginable. Can anyone seriously envision Bush allowing the head of the CIA to meet regularly with Howard Dean to review the intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

The only weakness in this volume is Churchill's over reliance on his own contemporaneous telegrams and memos. he was absolutely prolific, apparently having dictated dozens of multi-page memos daily--yet still finding time to run the government. While fascinating historically, they really are bureaucratic memos. The first volume, by relying more on narration and less on historical documents, allowed Churchill greater reign to his incredible skill with the English language. Here, long sections read like just what they are--official documents written in haste, for the historical record.

That said, his brilliant use of words shines through. The most stirring passage is toward the end--his eulogy in November, 1940, for Neville Chamberlain, who more than anyone was responsible for "appeasing" Hitler. Rather than lapse into "I told you so", he marshals some of the most stirring words ever written to praise Chamberlain; urging history to judge him on the strength of his character rather than the results of his actions, which are subject to the fickleness of history.

In sum, this is a remarkable book, chronicling a remarkable time in history, written by a remarkable man who played a central roll in events. I can think of no other book by anyone at anytime which brings together all three of these elements--and is well written!

After reading this book, you truly begin to see how narrow minded the average American perception of World War II really is. Not to discount the magnificant American battles such as the landing at Normandy or the Battle for Midway, but the Battle for Britain was absolutely the finest display of honor and courage throughout the entire war. This tiny island and it's courageous people stood alone and stood tall against not only the behemoth Nazi-German menace, but at the same time fought the Mussolini in northern Africa and awaited the Japanese onslaught in their Australasian colonies. It's an absolutely inspiring work, and it's an absolute sin that American schools don't teach the story of how the British people shined so brightly during their darkest hour.

No real surpises or shocks to anyone who knows the history of the corps; but if you aren't familiar then it is a great overview. The pictures, MOH commendations, and other sidebars are also excellent. A copy of this should be on every coffee table in America.

This book was placed in our local library in memory of Staff Sergeant William J. Daniels, United States Marine Corps.(Ret.). It is the best book I have ever seen on the Marine Corps and proud to have placed it there in his honor.
Signed: Robert Morgan

There are a number of books on the Corps, but this is one of the best, professionally prepared and well produced books I have seen. With that in mind, it seems odd that the one and very serious error, as was previously mentioned, is the Birthday of the Corps. As the author, researchers, or producers should have known, the Corps of US (or Continental) Marines was born on November 10, 1775 and we (Marines) will celebrate 231 years of proud service to this copuntry in a few days.

The remainder of the book gives a clear, precise and detailed account of the history and equipment of the Corps, without getting bogged down with specific elements of that history. Should a reader wish to look further on a portion of history, as noted, there are many more detailed accounts of specific periods, battles, etc.

However, it presents the story of the Marines with gusto, like the burning of Washington by the British during the War of 1812, when Marine gunners and riflemen from the Barracks and the Navy Yard held the British advance, causing them numerous casualties, allowing the Continental Army to withdraw. One of the few buildings not destroyed by the Brits is the Marine Barracks at 8th and I, and is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city. A Royal Marine officer refused to burn the building out of respect for the gallant stand taken by the American Marines in their desperate attmpt to defend the city.

The book itself is well produced and handsomely presented, and for the price, a solid bargain, certainly for any Marine, or anyone else interested in the history of the Marine Corps.

My husband enjoyed this book so much. It is well written, the research well done and the photos awesome. He appreciated the chapter on the war in Iraq as well. It made a great gift on Valentines day including a Globe & Anker cake *grin*

I own several of the more popular table top books about the Corps,the ones with emblems in the center of the cover, but this one is really superior. First that needs mentioning are the outstanding photos of the artifacts, items that you would see in a museum. Also the text tells the story in enough detail to allow the reader to gain a good knowledge and appreciation of this historic institution. The book is well put together and really an attractive edition. Also it tells the Marine Corps story right up to our current war on terrorism. What really made me buy the book was when I saw 3 photos that were taken of Harrier jets of the Bumblebees of VMA-331 aboard the USS Nassau during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. I was a member of VMA-331 during that cruise. In fact I ran into the author, Col Chenoweth, one day in medical triage, as he was headed out to take photos of the air ops. In the book, there are two standard deck shots of the jets on the ship and then there is one of a pilot in his jet preparing for takeoff. That pilot was Captain Manny Rivera USMC of New York who was lost in an aircraft crash soon after that picture was taken.
That's all it took.

She's Just Another Navy Pilot: An Aviator's Sea Journal is absolutely one of the most authentic and personal accounts of what its really like to wear Navy wings of gold. Reading this book, you'll be there when she's about to land on a pitching deck... It's an absolute page turner. You'll love it.

This was a great book! Open, honest and to the point. There is no sugar coating here, just straight simple truthful writing. I recomend it to anybody who wants a dose of reality about trans-gender issues in a hostile environment.

I was recommended this book when I shared with a friend my interest in the Air Force and Army. I never read much, but this got my attention. Her discription of life at sea, and all the little things she had to deal with, that civilains never think about on land. The author made it easy to understand her emotions, and her life style. It was an excellent resource to how woman were integrated into the Navy, and how difficult it was. It was facts, and also her opinions as she lived through it. I loved it!

Before reading "She's Just Another Navy Pilot", I knew about the author from Jean Zimmerman's "Tailspin: Women at War in the Wake of Tailhook". I had seen her letters of rebuttal to reactionary editorial in the San Diego Union Tribune, and to unfavorably slanted articles in Newsweek. I knew her name as a successful Naval aviator and very credible advocate of women in her profession. When I received her book from Amazon, I opened it immediately, and did not put it down until I had finished it. What a fascinating autobiography of a most extraordinary person! Loree Draude Hirschman was one of the US Navy's first female fighter-pilots to transfer to fleet combat operations. She describes the early opposition to women in the jet-jock community and the sometimes open hostility she encountered. She details her first deployment, in which female aviators were isolated and ostracized. By the end of that cruise, one had been killed, another grounded for poor performance, and another had turned in her wings. But with perseverence and dignity, the majority of the sixteen women in the pioneer group had succeeded. By her second deployment, female aviators had already begun to find acceptance -- especially after one new F/A-18 pilot won the "Top Nugget Award" for best score in qualifications. (Loree herself earned placement in the Top Ten.) I hope this book will be read by opponants of female aviators. The author exposes the distortion of fact they have presented to the public. Yet she is refreshingly frank about problems which still exist in the gender-integrated Navy. I hope her book will be read by aspiring pilots in search of a role model. Her descriptions of flying and the flight deck are vivid, and make the reader feel right there with her. And her pride in her Naval service is inspiring, even though she relates her accomplishments with modesty.

While books like Jarhead become best-sellers, this
well-written account of a female navy pilot has remained
hidden from the mass market. And that's our loss.

Loree Draude Hirschman, daughter of a Marine general,
joined the aircraft carrier Lincoln as an S-3 pilot, and thereby made history. That year the Lincoln was the first West Coast based ship to depart with an integrated male-female crew. Hirschman flew jets off the deck of the carrier and brought them back -- a test of skill and professionalism. And she describes, in detail, life aboard a carrier, where the frustrations come more from living under a microscope than from battling with the enemy.

She probably pays more attention to details a woman would notice -- and enjoy reading about. For example, pilots work crazy hours, yet the mess officer was adamant that no cereal would be distributed after 10:30 AM! Four women in a cramped stateroom have to work to get along, especially when one brings her "boyfriend" home, in defiance of the rules.

Hirschman was ideally suited for her role. She knew how to be one of the boys and she genuinely enjoyed navy life. She has moments of doubt and despair, but overall she cares about her crew and manages to make a tough situation seem easy. I suspect she left only when her husband became medically disqualified; otherwise she'd probably be on her way too becoming an Admiral.

Excellent account of one soldier's story. I knew someone who served with Colonel Herbert in Viet Nam. He was very respected by his men.

I saw Herbert interviewed years ago and always wanted this book. Just found it used. He was a decorated veteran from Korea. He was one of a few survivors from his company in Korea. He felt he deserved to die in 1952 and considered his life after that a bonus.

Being in Iraq and having worked for the military for many years now, Soldier was recommended to me by a friend equally frustrated with the way the military operates.

Written by LTC Anthony Herbert (ret), the book details his life from a kid in West Virginia coal country, to enlisting in the Army, service in Korea, returning to the Army as an officer, and rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a battalion commander in Vietnam.

The book became extremely controversial upon publication in the early 1970's. Anti-war activists used it as "evidence" of massacres that were covered up and unreported.

This is definitely a "tell-all" vengeance book in every sense of the word. The book was written by a fuming Herbert who thought he was unfairly drummed out of the military to protect senior leaders from having to face the truth and to undermine his accusations. He goes into great detail about his success in combat, and in making his unit one of the most productive during his tour.

He had an ax to grind, but the reader is left wondering if the anti-war zealots who co-authored and promoted the book didn't help take literary license to a new low. According to other sources, the book is now "thoroughly discredited."

After reading Burkett's Stolen Valor, you can see there is almost certainly some creative writing woven into the story. The "red-flags" of exaggerated war stories pop up everywhere.

Herbert claims to be the sole survivor of several different super secret black operations. He is whisked around the world to be inserted into Vietnam (early 60's) on a mission for which he has never trained and with which he has no experience. The book boasts he is the most decorated American soldier (no such centralized records are kept). AFTER being forced out of the military, somebody tries to rig his car to explode (why, he was no longer a threat?) - a patently absurd farce.

In fact, some of the accusations he makes regarding his combat experience in Korea and early experience in Vietnam, prior to becoming the Inspector General (IG) during his official tour, smell and sound like kooky conspiracy theories.

While you might choose leave it at that - discredited - there is something of value in the book. Sandwiched between the fiction seems to be a very good account of a top-notch battalion commander. How much is true and how much is fiction is pure speculation, but I suspect it is very accurate - and possibly the only part he wrote.

His experiences as an IG and battalion commander are eerily similar to today. Except for the references to the jungle, you could swear he was describing the military in Iraq. That needs to be qualified - the conflicts, justification, and situation are completely different - the way the military operates though has not changed; not in a hundred years!

Reading a World War I account of Major Biddle (Fighting Airman) you first see the similarity - the gross inefficiency, the malicious effort to keep senior leadership uniformed (and therefore not liable), and the obsession with completing a task regardless of the quality of results or impact.

LTC Herbert details the same inefficiency, willful ignorance, and indifference to quality that is seen today in Iraq. The same unstable characters that sling wildly unsubstantiated accusations almost violently, and then, upon learning the facts, acts as if nothing happened are here. The same "O-4 blackhole layer" (modern term) whose sole function is to ensure no bad news reaches O-6s or above is functioning in Iraq today. This part is too close to home to be fiction.

The reports on the efficiency of his command and success of his battalion, particularly in combat, actually go a long way to proving that if other battalion commanders had equally been concerned about results (as opposed to just feigning task completion) the war in Vietnam would have been very different. Herbert was probably a very effective combat commander who understood the importance of being on the ground, in the thick of it with his soldiers. That goes a long way to explaining why he was respected by them.

All sorts of sociology studies show how non-performers are quick to bring down high-performers as a way of masking their own poor record. That and his insistence on briefing bad news to the brigade commander probably had much more to do with his reassignment and dismissal than a cover-up of any atrocity.

Did the atrocities he witness really take place? Again, with his credibility squandered in other areas, who knows? They could easily be embellished stories. That is, perhaps the unarmed combatants shot were shot by South Vietnamese on their own, not under the direction of American advisers. The same is possibly the case of the interrogations about which he complained. In any case, the incidents he describes are not in the same league as My Lai, but in fact standard operating procedures of the communists. Without condoning the actions, once can easily see why the South Vietnamese would be quick to act accordingly, and why many Americans would willingly turn a blind eye.

Unfortunately, he appears to have chosen to become a tool for the domestic anti-war propaganda machine as a way of getting even with his former commanders. Enough of the book is clearly fiction though; that there is great difficulty in determining what is not. Read Stolen Valor first, and then read Soldier. Both are good reads, and the former will help you come to your own decision on the veracity of Soldier.

The 1973 bestseller "Soldier" reveals a part of our nation's history during the Vietnam War, which should be mandatory reading in our Political Science and History classes today. It is the true account of the rise of a brilliant young soldier, Anthony B. Herbert, who achieved great fame as the most decorated soldier of the Korean War; who later dared to take on the Military Brass and expose the corruption and war atrocities occurring in Vietnam.

"Soldier" is not about a man who was unpatriotic or who sought fame or who had grand delusions of "conspiracy theories." This elite soldier completed Rangers, Special Forces, and over 20 other military schools. He served as an intelligence officer and was selected for outstanding promotion at every rank. He was on the fast track to becoming one of our youngest generals. Yet at the same time that he was cited as the Outstanding Combat Battalion Commander in Vietnam - he was being relieved of his duties.

This was not a soldier who was afraid to fight. Herbert felt that any man, woman, or child who was firing at him was "the enemy." But he drew the line at senseless torture and slaughter based on whims. Ultimately, this second-generation American felt stronger about the ethics and principles that our country was founded on, rather than about his military career. He blew the whistle regarding the atrocities and corruption in Vietnam when no one else had the courage to come forward.

At the time that "Soldier" was written, our government was not telling the American people the facts about so many issues concerning the Vietnam War. Thirty years later, these truths have long been substantiated. America now knows about our less than stellar past in Vietnam primarily due to the efforts and courage of this author. In part, our media now covers the war in Iraq - flaws and all, due to the precedent set by Anthony Herbert.

Each account found in "Soldier" was later substantiated beyond a doubt. Yet no public apologies have ever been made to Lt. Col. Herbert by our government, our media, or the military. In my opinion, this soldier deserved a medal most for exposing the corruption when no one else would come forward. The actions that he dared to take by writing this book have had such a profound influence on how America, our media and our government now view the military and conduct themselves during times of war.

No one wants to go to war and no one wants to trash our military or government. But unless someone takes the initiative to expose corruption, history only repeats itself. War crimes and atrocities only serve to do a great disservice to every veteran who has ever fought bravely for America and the credibility of the United States in the eyes of the world.

We are now fighting a different war over in Iraq. I am glad to know that many of our soldiers will be reading this book. For I can think of no better "manual" to show a new generation of soldiers that ethics and high principles are conducive both in times of war and in times of peace. And I can think of no better instructor than Anthony Herbert. For anyone who truly wants to know what the Vietnam War was about and the unique contribution made by a true hero in the deepest sense, "Soldier" is the book to read. "Soldier" - both the book and the man are truly in a league of their own.

In a review of this book Brian Carter writes, "part fiction, part farce, part sober truth." I need to set the record straight about any suspicion about Lt. Col. Anthony B. Herbert's story not being factual. The whole truth was finally exposed last summer. Writing in the Los Angeles Times 20 Aug 06, Deborah Nelson and Nick Turse reported in a feature article, "In Vietnam, Army Worked to Discredit Torture Record" that detainee abuses were more extensive than the public knew. An internal inquiry had confirmed Herbert's widely publicized charge that members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade had tortured detainees in Vietnam. But rather than make this information public, the Army compiled a 53-page catalog of alleged discrepancies against Herbert, should he try to expose the torture incidents. Finally, after 33 years, declassified records showed that while the Army was working energetically to discredit Herbert, military investigators were uncovering torture and mistreatment that went well beyond what even Herbert had described. The abuses were not made public, and few of the wrongdoers were punished. The Army internal investigation in 1973 found that military interrogators in the 173rd Airborne repeatedly beat prisoners, tortured them with electricity and forced water down their throats to simulate a drowning sensation.

The accounts of torture and the Army's effort to discredit Herbert emerged from a review of a once-secret Pentagon archive. The collection, about 9,000 pages, was compiled in the early 1970s by an Army task force that monitored war crimes investigations. The files, examined last summer by the Los Angeles Times, included memos, case summaries, investigative reports and sworn witness statements. The Army task force was created after journalist Seymour Hersh exposed the 1968 My Lai massacre, and served to give military brass and the White House early warning about potentially damaging revelations. The war crimes records were declassified in 1994 and moved to the National Archives in College Park, Md., where they went largely unnoticed. The Times examined most of the files before officials removed them from public view, saying they contained personal information that was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Other records, taken by Col. Henry H. Tufts, commander of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division in 1973, were donated after his death to the University of Michigan. Retired Brig. Gen. John H. Johns, a Vietnam veteran who served on the task force, said the files provided important lessons for dealing with the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. He stated, "If we rationalize it as isolated acts, as we did in Vietnam and as we're doing with Abu Ghraib and similar atrocities, we'll never correct the problem."

The public discrediting of Herbert all began on Feb. 4, 1973, when his reputation was dealt a shattering blow when CBS's 60 Minutes aired a segment titled "The Selling of Colonel Herbert." CBS correspondent Mike Wallace and producer Barry Lando challenged his credibility, implying that the book "Soldier" was fictitious and, most surprising of all, that Herbert himself was guilty of war crimes. Considering that the smear efforts of the Pentagon had failed to discredit any of Herbert's statements, this was baffling indeed. Supporting the CBS allegations against Herbert on the show was Herbert's old nemesis, Lt. Col. J. Ross Franklin who had been relieved of his command for throwing a Vietnamese body out of chopper (and later went to prison in 1991 to serve a five-year sentence for his role in a securities scam). During this time CBS was under a lot of heat from the Nixon administration for an earlier broadcast called "The Selling of the Pentagon." CBS president Frank Stanton was under subpoena. Ultimately, a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Herbert v. Lando (1979) ruled in Herbert's favor, and he won what had come to be called the "state of mind case." By that time Herbert had earned a doctorate in psychology, and become a police and clinical psychologist.

Herbert is one of America's best war heros and this vilifying of his record must be corrected. Of equal dishonor is the fact that the military continues to sanction torture, and anyone who blows the whistle gets vilified. Joe Darby turned in the pictures of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. This time the military could not discredit him as they did Herbert. He had pictures! But as things turned out, the military did nothing to reward or support him, and they let the public vilify him. He was not even able to return to his hometown, Cumberland, MD, so bad was public reaction to his reporting of Abu Ghraib. Cumberland even held a vigil for the accused at Abu Ghraib while Joe Darby received death threats.

You need to read this book! Since Viet Nam the U.S. has allowed a military bureaucracy of pencil pushers to rifle our military heritage with cover-up lies about real heroes and, most disparagingly, to lose wars. Herbert knew how to win, and how to conduct himself in the face of bad superiors. His book should be studied, and re-studied, by West Point students.

This review first appeared in the April 2002 issue of DR AHEAD, the newsletter of the Air Force Navigators Observers Assoication.

There is a saying, "Join the Navy and see the world. Join the Air Force and see Texas." In these two books Tom Alexander takes readers on a tour of Texas to visit 19 of the 65 Army Air Force bases which operated there during World War II.

Volume I covers the bases which were at Amarillo, Pyote, Pecos, Sweetwater, Greenville, Waco, Harlingen, and San Antonio (which alone of these still survives as an active facility). Volume II adds to the tour the bases at Pampa, Hondo, Del Rio, Midland, Marfa, El Paso, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Austin, Big Spring, and Houston. Alexander tells how and when each base came into existence, what missions were fulfilled, who some of the people associated with the base were, how the thousands of Air Force men and women, mostly from outside of Texas, interacted with the nearby community, and what became of the facility. In addition the author looks at the nearby Texas communities before and after the bases were established and the impact that the bases had on the state as a whoe.

Information about the bases is carefully researched and documented with endnotes. There are scores of histrical and contemporary photographs. The books are rich with ancedotal material. Alexander writes with skill

The heart of these books is Alexander's powerful descriptions of the opening, operation, and disposition of the bases and the resulting impacts on Texas. Those who spent Air Force time in Texas will enjoy these books. Libraries in communities which have or had a military base nearby should acquire them. This goes for communities across the country, not just in Texas, because the lessons they teach are about how war and peach change America.

I really enjoyed reading "The Stars Were Big and Bright." There was so much informative and humorous information in a well written format. It was very interesting learning about the diversity in the locations of the air bases and I loved the old pictures. It was a book I didn't want to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the life and times of Sweetwater as well as what it was like to be a WASP in a small Texas town!

This book provides a worthwhile survey of the role of military aviation...anecdotal details keep the text lively...vintage and contemporary photographs make the book valuable for anyone interested in the military buildup that affected Texas communities...

I am a native Texan and history buff, but I was never aware of the important role many small Texas towns played in the aerial war efforts of the United States. What a revelation this book provided.

Very well written, interesting, informative, humorous and sometimes tragic, The Stars Were Big and Bright is one book that will remain in my personal library for years to come. It is sure to be reread whenever the urge to revisit the history of Texas' contribution to the U.S. Army Air Force's efforts during WWI and WWII.

I was impressed also with the numerous vintage photograps, maps, descriptions of the relevant airfields, aircraft photos and specifications, as well as the high level of documentation from primary source documents.

This book absolutely has to be the best book on this topic yet written. Perhaps the author, Thomas E. Alexander, will treat us to another great book in the future.

For anyone interested in the Civil War I highly reccomend this book. There are literally thousands of books on the Civil War but most of them focus on the political or military side. This book focuses on the aftermath of the battle, something that is overlooked by many historians. The reader will get a whole new perspective on the impact the War had on areas where armies clashed. Anyone even remotely interested in the Civil War should pick this book up. For those of you who have weak stomachs, do not read the book after a meal.

This book isn't about the battle of Gettysburg. It's about the price that was paid for that battle by the men who fought it and the citizens of the town. The aftermath of Gettysburg was a nightmare beyond imagination.

After the guns fell silent Coco shows us that there was much to do. Thousands of dead soldiers needed to be buried and tens of thousands of wounded to be treated. How do you do all that? The truth is you can't, at least not very well. In the end many bodies were buried in shallow graves that didn't take long to get uncovered by the elements. Some bodies were simply dumped into the crevasses in Devil's Den. The wounded in many cases were left outside for no other reason than you had over ten times as many wounded as you had population in Gettysburg and there simply wasn't enough room indoors for all the wounded men. Toss in countless horses whose corpses needed to be gathered up and burned and you begin to get the picture. The aftermath of Gettysburg was a gruesome horror story.

This book is not for the casual or beginning Civil War reader. There's nothing about infantry charges and military tactics here. Coco doesn't hold back and to be honest the book is rather disturbing. However it tells the story that I don't think any other book does and that's the frank truth about the aftermath of Gettysburg.

Greg Coco's "A Strange and Blighted Land" is, as far as I know, a uniquely intimate and yet comprehensive look at the aftermath of Civil War combat. The Battle of Gettysburg left 6000 soldiers dead on the ground (with thousands more to later die of their wounds) and 20,000 seriously wounded. When the two great armies that had fought there marched away, the dead and the wounded remained in and around Gettysburg, creating a horror worthy of an inner circle of Dante's Hell. This is an unflinching look at the days, weeks, and months that followed. I see that a previous, anonymous reviewer at this site complained about the "author's incesant anti-war sermonizing." To the contrary, I consider that Coco did little "sermonizing". Rather, he lets the eyewitnesses speak for themselves, quoting liberally from a vast array of primary sources. The result is a powerful, fact-packed book that is certainly grim, even gruesome, and far removed from the conventional romanticing and glamourization of the very deadly consequences of genuine 19th century warfare. I think that anyone who finds him- or herself thinking back to the supposed glory of Civil War battle where everyone dies heroically and cleanly should read Coco's book as a strong antidote against such a false picture.

After the shooting stopped at Gettysburg, within a very short time the whole landscape had turned black from the flies spawned in the bodies of the fallen. The earth was soiled and black with grease and filth and the very air was heavy with foulness.

This is not a book for the faint-hearted, but it is a superbly well-researched account, drawn from eyewiteness statements and official documents of what happened when nearly 10 000 dead and two or three times that many wounded were left in a quiet farming community by armies that had gone elsewhere.

This is essential reading for anybody wishing to know the whole story of Gettysburg. It has many maps and illustrations and photographs not seen elsewhere, and a comprehensive set of notes.

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the largest ever fought on the American continent and the pivotal battle of our Civil War. Following the battle, with the retreat of Lee's Army and the pursuit by Meade's, there was a pressing need to take care of the dead, wounded, and destroyed that the armies left in their wake. There also was, and remains, a need to reflect upon the significance of the Battle and the lessons to be learned from it.

Gregory Coco's book, "A Strange and Blighted Land" (1995) gives a comprehensive account of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco is a Park Ranger at Gettysburg, and he hasa written extensively and well about the battle. He is also a Vietnam veteran. His history in this book stresses eloquently, the carnage of war, its terrors and pain, and its irreplaceable cost in human life and treasure.

The book is arranged in five rather lengthy chapters. In the first chapter, Mr. Coco offers his readers a tour of the Battlefield in which he presents eyewitness accounts of the death and destruction evident over the 25 mile square Battlefield. The second chapter discusses the dead of Gettysburg and their burials. There is excellent historical material here about the establishment of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. In his next chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the Gettysburg wounded, both North and South, the medical and surgical practices of the day, and the camps set up in haste to care for the masses of grievously wounded soldiers. In his fourth chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the treatment of prisoners of war, and the fate of the many stragglers and deserters which followed in the wake of the battle. In his final chapter, Mr. Coco discusses preservation efforts for the Battlefield, culminating in the establishment of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1895.

I have read several other accounts of the aftermath of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco's book is by far the most thorough. He has the factual details at his command and presents them in a convincing manner. He shows great familiarity with the Battle itself, and discusses well the controversies and issues in determining the numbers of the killed, wounded, and missing.

But there is much more to this book than a factual recounting of the aftermath of a battle. The book is written in an appealing, personal, sometimes buttonholing style in which Mr. Coco seems to be at the readers side offering observations and commentary on the significance of the events set forth in his story. He offers opinions on a variety of topics emanating from his reflections on Gettysburg and on war. (Specifically, Mr. Coco shows a healthy skepticism in matters of religion.) Mr. Coco focuses on the meaning to be drawn from Gettysburg and from our Civil War. His own perspective is clear. Mr. Coco is opposed to efforts to glorify or romanticize war. Again and again, he stresses the horrors of war and tries to impress upon his readers that the greatest lesson to be learned from Gettysburg is -- to try to prevent such things from happening. Thus his book concludes (p.373)

"Let us now leave behind the aftermath story with this hope: that for each and every attempt to parade the 'pomp and circumstance' of war, we give equal time to the corrupt and merciless monster shielded smugly within, because, 'if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.'"

This book is both an excellent history and a deeply-felt attempt to think about the meaning of Gettysburg.

The message of empowerment that my daugter gleans from Karen Winnick's latest installment of what I hope will be a series of books from her on young women, is extremely important. However, the original artwork and thoughtfulness of the prose makes reading Sybil's Night Ride, for me, a pure pleasure.

Our 2 1/2 year old daughter has lots of books; many of these are for older children, and are placed higher up on the bookshelf, waiting until she is ready for them. This book is the exception. She keeps pulling it down by herself, telling me her version of a story of a girl and her horse, an owl, a dog, her family, all details she gleans from the rich, evocative illustrations. It's already a favorite. Karen Winnick has created a masterpiece; her understated narrative strikes just the right tone without terrifying young readers, while providing rich, historical details of everyday life. The rendering of Sybil, her expressions, her hair, her clothes, all bring her immediately to life. Her tender relationships with her family, horse and community are the focus of the story, against the background of sheer bravery. A wonderful role model for my daughter. The archival map reproduced at the back of the book can actually be read to follow Sybil's route. Thank you Karen Winnick.

Karen Winnick's Sybil's Night Ride is the children's book every parent should obtain for the soul purpose of giving the best of children's literature and illustration to his or her child or pre-adolescent. Karen Winnick skillfully masters the historical story of Sybil Ludington and transcends it into a captivating 20 or so pages of beautiful words and detailed oil paints, the likes of which I have only seen in such genius as Van Gogh or Monet. This is a must, a bestseller, a joy. Also, look for Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, the perfect complement.

Certain children books have the magic that leaves lasting memories. The book paints a picture of a little known courageous girl that overcomes all odds to leave lasting historical mark. With vibrant art work the dark obstacles that she must surpass come alive. The book will set fire to a child's imagination. It is the perfect mix of a small simple story with a grand historical ladscape. I recommend to this anybody who wants to delight their child.

As a parent, nothing makes me happier than knowing my daughter is enjoying reading. And even better when the reading brings her inspiration. This is the case with Karen Winnick's Sybil's Night Rider. My daughter loves the book, fancying herself as Sybil. This is what a children's book should be - words that inspire upon graphics that ignite the imagination.