Military Books

In the introduction, Wistrich provides an overview asking the big Why. He disagrees with Daniel Goldhagen, pointing out that prior to 1933 antisemitism had been worse in countries like Russia, Romania, Poland and Austria and that the rule of law applied in Germany until that year. The Holocaust was a pan-European event in which millions of people participated. The times were evil; even Britain and the USA experienced a rising tide of antisemitism. Unimaginable horror results when a society does not distinguish between good & evil. The lessons of this abyss are that evil must be resisted in its early stage and that individuals are responsible for their actions.

The first chapter briefly reviews Jewish history from the Hasmoneans to the Roman yoke in which era a new religion was born. Its foundational documents contain calumnies and demonizations of the Jewish People. The "Church Fathers" perpetuated this hostility in their writings; the victory of Constantine Christianity ensured ever increasing oppression. Martin Luther amplified the hatred in his writings. This chapter also covers Europe in the 1930s as night was coming on. Wistrich also considers various atrocities and genocides like that of the Armenians, the Gulags of Stalinist Russia and the suffering of the Roma.

Disillusionment in Europe after the First World War was profound. The pointless death & destruction spurred the growth of revolutionary movements like fascism and communism. The history of Austria and Germany in the 1920s & 1930s, Mein Kampf, the political parties & the reaction to Jewish refugees arriving from Eastern Europe are discussed. The depression hit Germany in 1930; that year the Nazi vote increased dramatically. In 1933 Hitler took power and German Jews started leaving.

The destruction of Crystal Night followed, the most violent attack on Jews since the crusades; 100 people were murdered. The international conference held at Evian in France encouraged Hitler since he noticed it was all talk; no country was prepared to welcome Jewish refugees. The discriminatory racial laws did not encounter resistance from any sector of German society. The German annexation of half of Poland in 1939 and the later invasion of Russia placed millions more Jews under Nazi rule. Terrible massacres occurred on the front.

Hitler's apocalypticism was a blend of Christian and anti-Christian Judeophobia, a secular salvationist ideology. He referred to New Testament passages during his speeches in Catholic Bavaria, saw himself as a messianic figure and claimed that Christ had pioneered the struggle against the Jews. Thus in the early years the Nazis mined the ancient vein of Christian Antisemitism. Only the Confessional Church openly defied the Nazis and in the 1937 Encyclical "Mit Brennende Sorge" Pope Pius XI objected to Nazi supremacism and paganism. Nazism co-existed with the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches but its bestial heart harbored contempt for Judeo-Christian values and ethics. Leading Nazis were fanatically anti-Christian. As the evidence of atrocities accumulated, including reports from Croatia & Slovakia, the Vatican's reaction was muted. It still viewed Jews as representing its modernist enemies like liberalism, freemasonry, secularism, etc.

Chapter 6 was almost unbearable, were it not for the exceptions where the Angel of the Lord must have drawn his sword or the Spirit moved the hearts of the people. Collaboration - particularly cruel in countries like Ukraine, Romania and Slovakia - occurred throughout Europe. Jews were safe in Hungary until March 1944 when the Germans invaded. Despite the efforts of especially Calvinists, more than 80% of Holland's Jews were deported to Poland. Belgium fared better - people deliberately undermined the German efforts but 44% was lost. In the areas controlled by the collaborationist Vichy Regime, French Jews were protected to an extent but not recent arrivals. In 1942 the Germans occupied all of France. I'm not sure if Wistrich mentions it, but General Franco of Spain accepted refugees.

In this demonic darkness of indifference, hostility & complicity with the Nazis, there were three areas where the divine light was not extinguished. Protection was provided in the north, east & south of Europe. Bulgaria was a German ally but the people, never antisemitic, stood firm: King, government, civil society and church! Orthodox Metropolitan Stephan of Sofia declared that men had no right to persecute Jews, whilst the King supplied many reasons why its citizens could not leave. Denmark saved almost its entire Jewish community by ferrying them across to Sweden. Of course the proximity & willingness of Sweden made it possible. In their absence, Danes tended their homes & gardens and cared for their pets. Finland flatly refused German demands. Italians openly sabotaged the Holocaust; the Italian army shielded and protected Jews in places like France, Croatia, Albania and Greece. Later when the Germans invaded, Italians hid and protected Jews to a degree unseen anywhere else but in the aforementioned countries.

One recognizes the sacrifice of Britain & Americans whose soldiers fought and died, but these countries do not have clean hands. First, they instituted restrictive immigration policies. At that time, the American Jewish community was weak, divided and afraid of antagonizing its fellow citizens. The worst action of Roosevelt was turning away the ocean liner St Louis with its Jewish refugees. Back in Germany they were all murdered. Perhaps even worse from the quantity angle, the UK established quotas for Jewish immigration to the Levant. Not only that, but the British navy intercepted refugee ships en route to the homeland, and that under Churchill! It is incomprehensible. Moron me who thought the Prime Minister had more authority than the State Department. So in the Atlantic Anglo-Saxon sphere political hypocrisy and heartless bureaucracy triumphed over mercy.

Sensitive people beware! The final chapter, on modernity and genocide, evaluates various theories and provides examples of sadism and torture in the death camps. One can skip it, just reading the last two pages which are safe. Wistrich concludes that the Holocaust was inspired by a millenarian apocalyptic ideology of annihilation that cannot be separated from the dominant religious tradition of Western Europe. But unlike Christianity, Nazism was a death cult that saw human sacrifice as the road to redemption. The book contains maps, notes arranged by chapter, 3 timeline charts covering 1933 - 1945, and an index.

Wistrich does a wonderful job of condensing information about a huge topic into a very useful small volume. It doesn't go into a huge amount of detail about every aspect of the Holocaust or the anti-semitism leading up to it, but it is a great book for beginners, particularly high school or college undergraduates looking for an introduction to this horrible subject.
As the previous reviewer said, Wistrich does do a wonderful job of documenting his sources and I too got a lot of further reading and research ideas from this book.

This interesting book by Robert Wistrich is an attempt to concentrate on the question as to why the Nazis placed so much emphasis on the extermination of the European Jews, often when doing so meant endangering the other goals they were surging toward during the conduct of the war. The author, of course, understands that the whole of the national Socialist movement sprang from the discontent and absurd racism of the Volkist history of the Reich, much of it dating back centuries. From the time Germany was forged out of the crucible of Prussia and its environs, the collection of Germanic peoples looked for those unifying themes that would untie them as distinct people and extend to them the greatness that had so eluded them and their culture. Given their history of cultural insecurity, it seems as no surprise that an entity like the Jews had to found and scapegoated to justify their grandiloquent dreams.

As the author points out (and as others such as Lucy Dawidowicz so famously in "The War Against The Jews'), this scapegoating effort was no only an expediency arising from the discontent and chaos of the Weimar years after World War One, but also a deep-seated cultural tradition extending back hundreds if not thousands of years. Indeed, questions regarding Jewish claims to citizenship had been hotly debated both officially and unofficially every place from the many legislative forums to the floors of the local pubs as long as anyone could recall. There was nothing new or novel about German prejudice against and antipathy for the Jews. And as he adds so succinctly, this was (and indeed is) a problem extending far beyond German borders. After all, we do well to remember that most European countries turned their backs on the problems of the Jewish émigrés attempting by the thousands to flee the coming horror in Nazi Germany. Indeed, many such as the Swiss and the French cooperated in handing over indigenous Jews to the German authorities during the war.

Moreover, the climate of blind indifference extended to the pulpits of the clergy, as well, and persistent rumors claim that the Pope himself was cognizant of the plight of the German and other European Jews and did little if anything to intercede. In fat, this book provides a yeoman's service by articulating and discussing a number of salient and competing interpretations, ranging from Daniel Goldhagen's controversial thesis enunciated in "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust" to Christopher Browning's thesis as expounded in several recent books (see my reviews of both authors' works). Wistrich also recapitulates the differences between the so-called "intentionalist' and "functionalist' theories of the Holocaust, and as I have written elsewhere, I believe that while the evidence indicates a functional approach, I also believe that the same evidence is consistent with the idea that Hitler and the Nazis always intended to exterminate the Jews (along with all of the indigenous populations of the conquered territories to the east). All the functional argument really proves, as far as I can see, is that existential circumstances played into the execution of a standing policy which was a virtual cornerstone of Nazi social policy.

As someone professionally educated as a sociologist, I was fascinated by the author's discussion of the meaning of the Holocaust in terms of history, and the question as to whether or not it represented the "antithesis of Western Civilization" or its realization. This treads very close to a searing indictment made by sociologist Max Weber of the eventual drift of rationalism as practiced in western societies toward a kind of non-thinking and non-substantive form of the rational impulse, a shadow which contented itself with the forms and practices of rationalism but none of its intent and rigor. To the extent he was correct that such a society would become an "iron cage" imprisoning man and endangering everything good that he stood for, perhaps Mr. Wistrich is onto something here. Enjoy!

Although some might say this is good for introduction to Holocaust study, I'm not convinced it succeeds on that level as it should. First, the title was a bit misleading. I expected it to focus on Hitler's involvement in the Holocaust, yet there is little discussion of Hitler compared to what other angles the book delves into. I also thought that jumping to different issues, it is not focused enough to be effective as a whole as compared to other books that might be longer in reading but you come away with much more understanding. Too much is just touched upon, but not conveyed. I found "Auschwitz" by Deborah Dwork and Robert Van Pelt to give a much clearer perspective than what I read here, and it's not that much longer than this.

And I think, contrary to the author, that the entire extermination of the slavic population was practical for the Nazi's and it did serve a major ideological agenda. From reading Hitler's "table talk," it seemed to me like that was the future plan.

Also, the author says that "When Himmler instructed Rudolf Hoss to establish the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the reason given was expressly ideological; the need to extirpate the biological roots of Jewry." In something as serious as this, I think it's important that every fact is presented where there can be no confusion- otherwise, if they learn otherwise, it can cause problems. This would lead me to believe that Auschwitz was erected at the time of this talk with Himmler, when actually, the talk with Himmler happened in 1941, and Hoss had been camp commandant since 1940- and that Auschwitz was first established as a labor camp and turned INTO a death camp for the purpose of extirpating the biological roots of Jewry." that might be nitpicking on my part and it could be said that the Birkenau addition implies the time, but since the Nazi's crime is so terrible, every word is important, every sentence is a voice from the Holocaust crying out, so you have to make sure everything is clearly said. That's what I think, anyway.

This is a good book, but something like "Never Again" by Martin Gilbert might be a better introduction than this,

As the previous reviewers have already noted, this is a great book defining how the Holocaust happened in one of the most civilized nations in Europe. Wistrich notes the rise of anti Semitism in Germany and the rest of Europe during the ninetenth and twentieth centuries. Even though thousands of German Jews gave their lives in the trench warfare on the Western Front during World War II, the Nazis blamed the Jews for the stab in the back.
In this book, Hitler's main aim was to rid Eurpe of all its Jews. His goal continued despite setbacks on the fighting fronts. Hungarian Jews were murdered up to the closing months of the war, even though Germany was in the process of being defeated. Germany's loss was also blamed on the Jews.
Wistrich gives us a scholarly analysis of why the Jews were selected, how the lack of solidarity in the Jewish population helped the Nazis kill their victims, and why the Western Allies did little to stop the killing. As Wistich states, other genocides in later years just shows how little has changed in the history of genocide. A minority group is selected for the blame of something, and revenge is exacted.
This is a great scholarly read for why the Holocaust happened. It places Hitler front and center in one of the greatest crimes of all time.

now that I have finished the book and have to catch up on all the things I put of for fear of tearing my eyes away from the paper (things like food, sleep, s-x) I feel that I should tell you one simple thing. READ BOLO BOOKS they are plain awsome they are stand alone but each builds on the whole univese so you do not have to read them in any order. And when you are driving to work imagining that you are a hellbore blasting, infinite repeating, morter spewing incarnat of destruction, just remember that you are supposed to protect all those buggers who cut you off. (the life of a bolo aint easy)

"Bolos Book 1: Honor of the Regiment" (ISBN 0-671-72184-4) is a collection of stories written by several of today's best science fiction-fantasy authors and edited by Bill Fawcett, continues the history of the Bolo, huge, self-directing and self-aware combat vehicles, first penned by Keith Laumer. Honor of the Regiment is a title, I feel, was developed from Keith Laumer's story "Field Test," which tells the story of the first Bolo, named Denny, to use the full capabilities of self-directing and self-aware computer circuitry. Denny's unknown capabilities and the fear by his creators of not being able to control this powerful war machine also prevent him from being deployed to fight off an invasion of his creators country. When Denny was deployed there appeared to be no chance of stopping the enemy advance, even with his added firepower and other capabilities. Denny does the unexpected, instead of doing a fighting retreat against a superior force he charges towards the enemy's lines. This charge eventually breaks the enemy's invasion and forces them to retreat, but the victory came with a price. Denny, in human terms, was going to die from the many wounds he had taken in his charge, and there was no way to save him. Just before Denny dies, his Commander asks "Why he had continued his charge, when he knew he would be destroyed?" Denny's last words were "For the HONOR OF THE REGIMENT." Each of the stories in "Bolos Book 1: Honor of the Regiment" continues the story line penned by Keith Laumer. Further, after serving my country during a twenty-year naval career I can relate to the ideal of self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds and to maintain the history and traditions of my unit and branch of service. I highly recommend the book to all science fiction readers.

One of the few books that I have read were I found myself cheering out loud for victories, and tearing up over the loss of friends. Truly a well written work. Causes empathy for our mechanized warriors. All of this series are must reads.

Bolos: Book 1, is the first in a series of books based on the fighting machine created by Keith Laumer. The idea was that tanks would develop not only better weapons and stronger hulls, but would also have computers build into them which would allow it to perform certain duties without a crew. By the time Bolo Mark XXX was developed, human strategic thinking was no longer required. Book 1 and the rest of the series are short stories done by some of the best, including David Drake, S.M. Stirling, Mercedes Lackey and more. Bolos may be machines, but the ones in the stories show heart.

I had never read a book that is a collection of works by different authors on the same topic. I was not sure I would like it. As it turned out I liked it very much. I am an avid sci-fi reader and this book really satisfied me and I found myself ordering book 2 before I even finished book one.

If you absolutely insist on full character development this book is not for you. Each of the stories are fairly short and really only tell a comprehensive tale when taken together. I was also longing for much more of the story from the POV of the BOLO than was given.

I'M JUST A SURVIVOR - My Life, Before & After My Tour of Vietnam by Ritchie Wilson

Rating: Good

Ritchie Wilson was a Marine at the age of sixteen and in Vietnam combat at the age of seventeen when he received his first Purple Heart. At that time, he weighed about 135 pounds and with gear . . . about 200 pounds. Can you imagine?

I'm Just A Survivor is a short book about some of Ritchie's experiences while in Vietnam but also includes significant aspects of his life before and after his military service. It's well-written and flows smoothly; however, it would be my recommendation that it be professionally edited and proofread.

I personally find honest, true stories more appealing than fiction because real life, when someone has the courage to share it, is far more amazing, thought-provoking and complex. Ritchie Wilson is one such honest writer, and therein lies the value in this book. Allow me to quote from pages 8 and 9:

"...At some point after the divorce, my mother met Mr. C. Smith and soon after they got married (oh joy our new dad). I was still very young, I think five years old. My sisters, JoAnn and Janet, one year older than I and Kitty one year older than the twins and Boosie one year older than Kitty.

"My mom worked days and went to school at night. Leaving us in the hands of this sexual pervert, giving him control over us. I guess he found that he had the opportunity and the time to fondle or sexually assault Kitty on many occasions. Over time, he decided to take things a little further by making me have sex with my sister, by touching my genitals until I became erect, then he would place me on top of Kitty, having her spread legs so he could insert my penis into her.

"He would move me back and forth, until, `I said, I have to go pee.' He told me to pee inside my sister; it was ok.

"After I had ejaculated, he would put me aside, then he would get on top of her, trying to put his penis in her, or push his fingers in her, when she would tell him it hurts. Nevertheless, he would still try until he'd ejaculate by hand or on her vagina. He did this many times over the months; he would do the same with Boosie, or both with me being his starter on all occasions."

There are a lot of things that go on in real life which are hidden and not discussed, such as the above, and it takes considerable courage to bring them to the surface and put them out there for all to see. If you're like me, and admire an honest writer-even with the minor grammar errors-you won't be disappointed by this author and his story.

Reviewed by Kaye Trout for Kaye Trout's Book Reviews, specializing in POD published books.

It was an compelling store of one man life.It was well written,very emotional,It kept you reading,It give's me a sence of feeling that our lord is needed in all our life's each and every day.

My dad also went to Vietnam, & deals with some of the same issues, Good Reading...

Dealing with Veteran's as I do it is very informative and interesting to find true to life and honest information that can assist me in my quest to help them through the struggles of PTSD, disabilities, etc. I have known Ritchie personally and this let me see a side of him that provided inspiration to my work.

The Vietnam War ended well over 30 years ago...yet, for many thousands of our veteran Vietnam combat warriors, the war never really ended.
Many thousands of these veteran warriors continue to suffer emotionally and physically from their wartime horror and grief experiences.
The author, Ritchie Wilson, is one of those veteran Vietnam warriors. Mr. Wilson provides the reader an up-close, personal, (and thankfully, sometimes humorous) account of his life both before and after his US Marine Corps Vietnam combat trauma stamp.

This book is a look behind the war, involving two American soldiers and an Iraqi. Good and fast read from start to finish. Not being a big fan of techno-talk and gore, I was pleased to find that this story did not focus so much on war but rather people.

Into A Dying Sun is excellent (could have been longer, but there are no distracting storylines). Overall the author has done an excellent job of relaying the horrors in Saddam's regime and Islamic prejudice and tolerance. A must read, considering we are on the verge of Persian Gulf War II. This is not a book only for war/history buffs, this is a book for everyone.

After I read the prelude, I couldn't put this book down for two days. It's a story about a Gulf War helicopter pilot named David, his co-pilot Paul, and an Iraqi sympathizer named Saud. Filled with adventure and history, this is a well recommended book.

To anyone that wants to read a human-condition story while unknowingly learn something about Islam, Iraq, and the 1991 Persian Gulf War: this is the book for you.

Finally through a sweeping narrative we learn something about the Persian Gulf War and the treatment of Iraqi citizens by Saddam's government. I was especially moved by the author's description of Barakah, the poor girl in the beginning of the story. This is a different type of war story without the familiar war hero artificial flavoring. So let the buyer beware! This story does not soothe the soul, it stirs it!

Since this is written much as a diary of a young WW2 fighter pilot there are some sections that, like life, are a little tedious. That fact aside I found Mr. Lopez's work an interesting and inciteful view of the famous Flying Tiger unit after it was absorbed into the Army Air Force after the US officially entered the war. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the China theater of the war and how it was used to get the Japanese to attack us and get us involved in WW2. The vivid air combat descriptions are great insights into what pilots of that era were up against as opposed to the "video game-like" air battles of today.

Haven't read a pilot's memoirs for quite a while, although doing much more of it now. Into the Teeth of the Tiger was the first of a long line of new purchases that I need to read and it was well worth the purchase. Mr Lopez, while an excellent flier and leader, is also a wonderful writer. He writes with modesty and is not afraid to describe his errors in addition to his successes. The action sequences are superb and the humour used by the pilots and crews to lighten things up a bit is guaranteed to generate a smile and even a chuckle. Of course, this is war and the deaths of friends and the treatment of the civilian population was no doubt shattering for all involved. I get the impression that this book has become somewhat of a classic and justly so. It is a well-written account of a less publicised theatre of the war by a (then) very young pilot. What these guys did at 20-25 really puts things into perspective. A bloody good read!

I've read a lot of World War II flying book and this is the best! Mr. Lopez writes well and tells the unvarnished truth of what it was like to fly a P-40 against an agile and determined foe.

Don Lopez was a 23-year-old fighter pilot in the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers, flying a war-weary P-40 against the Japanese army air force in such close combat that he once took a wing off a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa ("Oscar"). Good pilots are easy to find, and so are good writers, but Don is that exceptional individual: a pilot who can write well and to the heart. This book is a keeper.

This is an engrossing story of a young fighter pilot's experiences flying P-40s and P-51s in mid to late World War Two with the 75th Fighter Squadron in China. Donald Lopez writes excellent flying sequences and conveys the essence of the people he flew and fought with. A good read if you have any interest in military history or aviation.

I've read dozens of WWII books and this is one of the best! There is nothing quite like reading about Great Americans' experiences in their own words. They answered the call, did their duty and risked their lives every day to protect their Country and our way of life. Now everyone can find out what it was like in graphic detail. This is the first book written by Brooks Mitchell that I have read and I look forward to reading his other works.

My father was the pilot in this book and he passed away prior to it's being published. I can only read a few pages at a time as the emotion of the events wells up very quickly. It is a wonderful look into one airplane crew from different individual perspectives as they faced each mission not knowing what they were to encounter. My father would be proud!! They were good Americans applies to the ones who gave their lives and the ones who made it to tell their stories. God Bless You

My Dad is 79. He was in the Army Air Corp and Air Force from 1944 to 1949. He now spends much of his day reading and, on occasion, still enjoys assemblng a WWII model airplane. He does not have the same eye for detail and the dexterity he once had, but the pleasure of his hobby remains. I gave my Dad Kipling's Error III as a gift. His emotional response and heartfelt appreciation was my gift. He enjoyed the sensitive writing style and personal diaries with a tear in his eye and a flood of memories. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Brooks Mitchell and Capt. Lloyd Mitchell for kindly and respectfully honoring and remembering our veterans. Thank you.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/06)

Brooks Mitchell, PhD, wrote this biography about his father, a B-17 navigator of Kipling's Error III, and his crew's 25 combat missions that took place over Europe during World War II. Mitchell gathered his information from diaries written by his father and four of his crewmen. He also used a taped interview with his father that his daughter created while she was doing a high school paper. There are also vintage photographs that bring the stories more vividly alive.

Through this story, Brooks achieves his goal of preserving the experiences of these crewmen during the time of war. The reader learns about the difficult times that these men experienced while they were stationed in Snetterton-Heath England. "Kipling's Error III" provides excellent insights into what these brave men had to sacrifice during their time of serving our country. Because the information was taken from some of the crewmen's personal diaries, the reader gets to see life as it really was during this time. Every aspect of the men's lives is covered.

This book provides so much more rich detail, than a traditional history book. When Captain Lloyd Mitchell wrote in his diary, "They were good Americans," he was referring to friends of his who were killed during a raid into the Third Reich. He had to help clean up their remains. By learning about the war from the experiences of these men, the reader is able to see the full range of emotions that they had to deal with while they were at war and then the personal issues they faced being so far away from their family and friends.

I highly recommend this book to World War II fans. Reading through the diary entries and seeing the photographs will really make you feel like you are present. Passing on this story also an important way to preserve this historical experience of American men who were truly, "good Americans."

Drawing from flight crew diaries and enhanced with vintage photographs, Kipling's Error III: They Were Good Americans is the story of the men who flew a B-17 Flying Fortress on twenty-five successful raids over enemy occupied Europe. Striking out from their base in Snetterton-heath, England, these were men who were put through every possible human emotion in a bloody and savage aerial war that included bravery, terror, duty, patriotism, love and hate. The author, Brooks Mitchell , is the eldest of three sons of Captain Lloyd Mitchell who served as the navigator of Kipling's Error II and has provided an invaluable contribution to the growing library of World War II aviation combat histories. Kipling's Error III is impressively informative, exceptionally well edited and written, very highly recommended reading for military buffs, and a core addition to academic and community library World War II Military Studies reference collections.

It was a great book and i couldent put it down. Its so good that it will keep you up tell 3am reading it. I was very sad to have the book end and found myself practiclly crying at the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

The Last Run by Leonard B. Scott was a amazing. He can really show a detailed look into a Ranger unit because he was there. His stories are geographically correct also. The villages and landmarks are all there. Vietnam was not a war that was widely accepted and Mr. Scott shows this. Also, he shows a perspective from the North Vietnameese Army. This is especially neat because the stories converge in the end. The suprise ending has really built throughout the book. A reader must carefully read because the details are important in the end. I recomend this book to anyone joining the military and any history nuts. Read this book to find the suprise ending

Once I read The Last Run, I couldn't help but read all of Col. Scott's books. I went back and started with Charlie Mike. As a woman affected by the Viet Nam war on the home front, the books gave me insight into many of the views my peers who spent time on the front lines still hold today. The Colonel is an incredible author. I would like to see another book soon!

A WELL WRITTEN NOVEL. IT ANSWERS THE QUESTION 'WHAT IS HELL REALLY LIKE?' VERY INTERNAL, IT'S LIKE YOU KNOW THE CHARACTERS. CRYING IS UNAVOIDABLE AT THE END.

I have read them all from Clancy to Brown and LtCol.(Ret) Scott is by far one of the best military writers to date. My father served in Vietnam and after he came back my mom said he was never the same and I always wondered what it was like, why men like my father and Col Scott, why they went when they were called knowing they might not return and those that did would be forever altered. I joined the infantry at 17 to see for myself and after serving in Panama and Somalia I understand. Col. Scott says it best in the books with way he connects you to the characters you come to realize they did it for the men to their left and their right, not so much for America, but the men who represent America. Sad to know that he won't be writing anymore books but the four vietnam books he wrote are some of the greatest military fiction ever written and in my opinion should be required reading for all young soldiers and leaders.

I would give this book more than 5 stars if possible. Wisconsin high school teacher James R. Ebert does a masterful job as he combines interviews and printed primary sources in this remarkable telling of the infantryman's experience during the Vietnam War. Ebert tells the story of the US Army and a few US Marine infantrymen during the Vietnam War. He takes their story from induction into the service through basic and advanced individual training, arrival in Vietnam, their first combat experiences, the first killed in action they experience, in some cases the soldier's death, and the freedom birds that take them back to the world. Ebert points out while infantryman accounted for less than 10% of the American troops in Vietnam, the infantry suffered more than 80% of the losses.

Ebert uses an interesting technique starting every chapter with a letter by Leonard Dutcher to his parents. Dutcher just wanted to do his part for God and country and go home at the end of his tour. In the last chapter, we find out that Dutcher was killed. It caught me off guard and really added to the impact of the book. Ebert takes many of the soldiers and Marines experiences word for word from the individual himself through interviews or letters. It is a collective look at similarities of the many infantry soldiers and Marines in the war. It is a very personal account from many points of view.

This is an important book in Vietnam War literature. This is what the grunts really went through. I was left with somewhat of feeling of guilt from reading the book. Why? I graduated high school in 1971. Some of my high classmates went to Vietnam and fought. My classmate Everett Maxwell was killed in action. I went to college and was ultimately commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry, went through airborne school and served three years active duty. My becoming an officer deferred my entry on active duty from 1971 to 1975. This is the reason for my reflective thoughts.

Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler.

This is the best book by far. You get to "meet" these boys from the very beginning of their military life all the way through their hell in Vietnam. You can't help but get attached and you're cheering them on in the most horrible of circumstances. I watched the war on TV every night back then and didn't realize how much more brutal it really was. This book will open your eyes and give you a newfound respect for these teenagers caught up in one of America's worst & bloodiest wars. These are the heros that were never given a "Welcome Home". It's a must read...it will change your life.

Do you want to understand what a grunt went through in vietnam?
Then read this book. By far the best book that I have read on the Vietnam War. After reading this book, every American should thank the Vietnam Veteran for their service to our Nation.

When I first started researching the Vietman war, I happened to come across this book at the library--exactly what I was looking for since I wanted to understand the individual experience of the infantryman. I had been warned by veterans that a lot of inaccurate books were out there, and since the writer's credentials were simply that he was a high school teacher, I first read it with a somewhat skeptical eye. As I continued to read memoirs and histories and speak with veterans, though, I also kept coming back to this book. Finally I just broke down and bought it. Though I've only spot read various passages throughout the book, it is even-handed, always rings true, is consistent with other information I've gotten, and offers factual information to set things in context (I wish there were a little more of that). Ebert has done a great job getting vets to talk--not always easy--now maybe he should create an updated edition to flesh out the coming home aspects. I hope this author still teaches high school.

When I first started researching the Vietman war, I happened to come across this book at the library--exactly what I was looking for since I wanted to understand the individual experience of the infantryman. I had been warned by veterans that a lot of inaccurate books were out there, and since the writer's credentials were simply that he was a high school teacher, I first read it with a somewhat skeptical eye. As I continued to read memoirs and histories and speak with veterans, though, I also kept coming back to this book. Finally I just broke down and bought it. Though I've only spot read various passages throughout the book, it is even-handed, always rings true, is consistent with other information I've gotten, and offers factual information to set things in context (I wish there was a little more of that). Ebert has done a great job getting vets to talk--not always easy--now maybe he should create an updated edition to flesh out the coming home aspects. I hope this author still teaches high school.

For any woman whose better half is in the military and/or has served in war, this book is a must read. I just finished reading it and it has brought me more healing than I could have imagined. My better half is a Marine who lost his left eye when a bomb hit his humvee convoy in Iraq. Unlike the author, I did not live on a military base and did not have the support of other military wives to help keep me together through this experience. I had a 2 year long weight lifted off of me because for the first time I read the words of a woman who had the same thoughts and fears that I did when my Marine was in Iraq and when he came home. For the first time I did not feel alone in my experience that is often ignored and underestimated by society. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Novak for having the courage to write her story as well as encourage other military wives, girlfrieds, mothers, sisters, and daugthers to read it as they try to find comfort.

In 1989, I took a writing workshop at Simmons College in Boston, mostly because Robert Cormier, a great writer, was speaking. I wound up in a class taught by C. Michael Curtis, the fiction editor of The Atlantic(!). Every morning he'd read aloud one of our stories anonymously and we'd comment, analyze, and give our feedback, which was often very emotional and passionate. But the class was always civilized, even when the critique was not very positive. Some of the writers had been published in some good journals, unlike me. I couldn't be objective and didn't know whether I was incredibly out of my league or would be benignly considered a neophyte with some potential.

During the class I'd become friendly with a student named Marian. She was about 15 or 20 years older than me (26) yet despite apparent differences we got along well. She was emotionally honest, smart, and we had fun talking about and trying to figure out our fellow students: the Hollywood guy who had been to a million workshops and had sold a story on it's 54th submission, the literate 70ish guy who had only been writing for a few years, etc. She talked warmly about her husband. I believe they both taught at Simmons. I didn't connect as well with anybody else and like what happens during a lot of these kind of short, intense experiences away -- vacations, week-long conferences, temp jobs -- we made a pretty solid bond.

Near the end of the workshop, Mike Curtis read a harrowing story about a group of Marines, all Vietnam vets, who get together for a reunion at a hotel on the Charles River in Boston. They all fought together (if memory serves) and tell stories about the people they knew and experiences they had. But the conversation doesn't really get going until one of them says something like, "What scared you the most over there?" I wish I could tell you some specifics about those tales now but all I can say is that they were full of terror, strangeness, anguish, intense love, loyalty, and dread.

The class was pretty quiet after Mike finished. Finally we started speaking and the general consensus was that this was one of the best stories heard all week. We speculated about who wrote it. The Hollywood guy's story had been heard, the old guy was too old for Vietnam, I was too young, and the one guy left didn't seem the type.

As we went to a little lunch the college had prepared for us I told Marian all these thoughts and my confusion over not being able to figure which guy wrote the story. I was frustrated -- I'm pretty good at sizing people up, listening, and reading things that are under the surface (I became a social services family counselor right after this).

I looked at her and her face was red and her mouth was taught. "I wrote that," she said. I think now that she wasn't red from embarrassment but from something like pain, conviction, and pride. "My husband was in Vietnam when we were first married. I know all those guys or guys like them. I've heard them tell their stories." There was a tense second as I looked at her in shock and I guess she waited to see what the hell I was going to say. I laughed a little and said, after saying "Wow," a bunch of times, "You sure as hell do." She was one great writer.

Marian, if you ever read this, I hope I didn't get any of the big details wrong. Some of the quotes are correct and some are paraphrased but, I think, pretty accurate. To everyone else, at the very least, remember the last line above.

I read this book many years ago but I still recall some of the writing and how powerful and moving it was. This is a book for anyone, whether you have family in the military or not. Those who do will get even more from it.

I think this book was in great condition, and I am satisfied with it.

I've been a military spouse for 16 years now and a lot of the experiences that Marian Novak writes about, though way before my time, still ring true to this day. I found the book years ago at a local library and liked it so much that I went out and bought it. I've read the book several times since, sometimes just to remind me that there have been and are women out there in the same situation, with the same fears as me. A very informative, meaningful book for any spouse in the military but especially for those whose better half had to endure service in a war.

I bought this book from a thrift store. Every time my husband goes to Iraq I read it. He's been over there four times. Every time I read it as this war goes on it becomes more relevant as the level of discontent towards this war increases. It's the things you think and feel when your not sure your husband is coming home, but can't ever say to anybody. It's a wonderful book and I am so glad I have it. I wish it were required reading in college classrooms. Whatever your position on any war, I think people need a bit more compassion when dealing with people who are facing the possibility of death every day, It's an invisible hand that presses down on you. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of the toll war takes on both the servicemembers and their families.

In my haste I incorrectly wrote Saipan....I meant to write Peleliu

James Johnston gave a vivid, poignant and heroic account of his life with the Marines fighting in the Pacific during World War II. It was fascinating to read how it life was for the Marines in the Pacific as like he said, the media tended to focus on the European theater and thought of the Pacific theater as "easy."

Using letters that he wrote home, Johnston managed to add a personal touch to his account. It was interesting to get a glimpse on how he felt emotionally, the friendship that was formed between the soldiers and how a lot of times, soldiers are fighting as hard as they did, for their friends because they did not want to let their them down. When Johnston was the section leader, he was able to show the burden of responsibilities as you were not just in charge of your life but of others too.
Lastly, how he was disappointed with the Marines. He found flaws with the system but at the same time, it was very much part of him.

"The Long Road of War" is a wonderfully-written, highly-emotional story of Marine Corps combat from the "flat-trajectory" soldier's perspective. Johnston shares his own personal horrific views of World War II Pacfic combat. With stirring text, he shows the sudden transformation from Nebraska teenager to Green recruit to hardened veteran. This book is an excellent addition to any historian's bookshelf, once they can find the time to put it down.

In my haste I incorrectly wrote Saipan....I meant to write Peleliu

This was a book that I could absolutely not put down. Mr. Johnston's description of his transition from a Midwest teenager into a battle hardened, front line Marine is told with a grim honesty that is seldom found in books about war. This book does away with any glorification or self-promotion and gives you the tragic, ugly truth about the war in the South Pacific.