5 comments about The Forgotten Soldier.

1. Ive read this book twice. Once in HighSchool and then when I got out of the military. I must say after facing hardships my time in the service I felt it much easier to really begin to understand the hardships Sajer faces in this epic journey on the Eastern Front.
   
   Sajer describes the hardships of the German Soilder on the Eastern Front like no other. He takes great strides to explain to the reader how horrible every single moment was. He does not pretend to be a hero he only states his story like a man. I suggest to anyone interested in World War Two to ensure they have a copy of this book on their book shelf and if you are looking into reading into the subject there is no better book to get you hooked. I only warn that after you read this you will find it hard to find another book like it. Ive read countless books on the subject written by the men who were there and only a few have matched Sajers ability to hook the reader.
   
   Sajer has a way of listing characters so well that you feel has if you know them. Most books like this seem to stray in this department but this one will not let you down. You will feel has if Hals is your best friend and you will look up to the battle scared vetran in Weiner.
   
   A must have book for anyone who respects the subject.



2. I must say, I am very surprised by the number of positive reviews this book has received from Amazon readers. There are plenty of great WWII novels written from a foot soldier's perspective, but this is not one of them. The book reads practically as a day-by-day journal of everything Guy Sajer did during his three years of service. Consequently, the novel is full of trivial details and conversations that drag the book out to its 450+ pages, without contributing anything to the readers' experience of the war.
   
   One redeeming quality of the book is Sajer's account of the terrible conditions endured by German soldiers on the Eastern front. The reader is surely impressed by the shocking plight of thousands of soldiers left to freeze and starve while trying to repel Russian counteroffensives. But the misery of Sajer and his comrades becomes the total narrative of the book, practically unbroken across several hundred pages. The pulse of the story remains constant throughout; the book suffers from a lack of climactic moments.
   
   Sajer mostly fails to assimilate his experiences into a larger narrative of war. You won't find much in the way of growth or reflection. If you want a bare bones account of the Eastern front, this book might serve your purpose, but otherwise this story is rather tedious.



3. This book is very involved and a joy for WW2 history buffs. Unfortunately, after conducting a little side research, I discovered a great deal of skepticism leveled at Guy Sajer and his account of his "experiences" on the Eastern Front during WW2. His critics provide specific instances of discontinuity, fabrications, or deliberate gray-areas detailed in The Forgotten Solder, and one must take this into account when wieghing it's authenticity. I found these accusations downright troubling and didn't rate the book quite as high as a result. If you can overcome the skepiticism associated with it and consider the book a "partial" fabrication, you'll probably enjoy the storyline none the less.



4. I've quite a few excellent WWII histories but this one is one of the most visceral and savage accounts I've ever seen. Your feelings about the universality of the foot soldier will never be the same.



5. This is a good read. Most people don't know this, but this book is required reading at the US War college at West Point.
   
   Yes, he may get some of his facts mixed up a little, but hey.... it's WAR! Many people have trouble remembering the small stuff through the haze of war.

5 comments about If I Die in a Combat Zone : Box Me Up and Ship Me Home.

1. If I Die...is Tim O'Brien's first book, and his first of many inspired by his tour of duty as an infantryman in Vietnam, 1969-70. Later, more successful books, like Going After Cacciato and The Things They Carried, deliberately smudge the line between reportage and invented story (and, in GAC, he takes it all the way to outright fantasy) but this debut is intended as a soldier's field memoir, the facts as O'Brien saw and remembers them, although with much brooding personal commentary added.
   
   More than 30 years after its publication, the book is still quite powerful, reviving the sights and sounds of a war that America decided a while ago not to forget, but rather to remember in a way it finds most convenient. There are still too many people who believe we could easily have "won" Vietnam if we hadn't been "stabbed in the back" by politicians and hippie protestors at home; that is nonsense, much of which O'Brien's book helps disprove. Indispensible works like The Best and the Brightest, and of course The Pentagon Papers, prove how various US administrations allowed themselves to be deluded about the progress the US military might make in solving the political problems of a small SE Asian country. By the time O'Brien arrived as a foot soldier in early 1969, the war had reached a high-level stalemate, was essentially over, and the Vietnamese simply had to wait us out. LBJ and Nixon knew this but they continued to send our soldiers over to be killed and mangled; too precipitous a withdrawal would have hurt their administrations politically.
   
   What O'Brien does so well is dramatize this fatal stall at the personal level. His book is loaded with stories of ranking officers, brave men with Army careers, allowing their commands to ease off in the field, avoid pointless enemy engagements, even file fake patrol reports, especially at night. O'Brien's tour commenced a year after Tet and My Lai occurred, and in their aftermath, as O'Brien tells it, Army morale at even the officer level had sunk so low, and the failure of US goals was so evident, that few Americans wanted to get killed for a misadventure.
   
   What lingers most in my mind is O'Brien's struggle with his own self-loathing: he believed even before being drafted that the war was wrong, and made serious plans to desert the Army, but found himself unable to make that great break, fearful of the reaction he would eventually encounter from parents and the small Minnesota town of his birth. He gave in to tradition, rather than do what he felt to be right, and it seems he has never forgiven himself.



2. This memoir brought me closer than I had been before to the Vietnam War..it was interesting. Another perspective on the Vietnam War.



3. I've not read a ton of war books and picked up this one because it was on some list of best books of the century or somthing like that from Time. War must not change much, becuase the narrator in this book seems to be saying so much of what I have heard from soldiers coming back from the Iraq, etc. Lots of boredom with moments of great fear peppered in. I like this book a lot. The author's writing style is very matter of fact, but with as frugal as he is with his words, he says tons.



4. Being much more familiar with Tim O'Brien's fiction, one may not know what to expect in his memoir about his tour of duty in Vietnam. Written in the same style with a wry sense of humor, O'Brien challenges the war in a way few have.
   
   Courage and morality are continuing themes that O'Brien explores through his actions as well as literary quotes. It is very clear that O'Brien was uncomfortable with the war even before being drafted. He even contemplates going AWOL. In a paradox, he lacks the courage to go to war or escape going to war. Nothing is more powerful than the last chapter. Going beyond patroitism and rituals, O'Brien is numbed as he returns home. The war has left a mark that is difficult to fathom.
   
   Tim O'Brien does not flinch at the brutality of the war nor the American soldiers. Major Callicles seems straight out of Catch 22, yet he is all too real. The cruelty to a blind civilian has the ability to disgust. While making a statement, O'Brien's writing is both enlightening and entertaining. It is a remarkable perspective on a disastrous war.



5. Tim O'Brien fan and have not read this book? You will not be disappointed. Never read O'Brien? Get ready for a mind trip that will leave you addicted to what great literature is all about.
   Stunning and moving memoir of O'Brien's Vietnam years. It will move you. Period. If it does not, then you are not human.

5 comments about Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman.

1. 
   This book allows us to get to know Pat Tillman as a person rather than just the football player turned soldier. It also provides insight into how his death was used for publicity for the war in Iraq and the many lies and mistruths that the Tillman family had to endure. Most importantly as you put it down you think you know Pat Tillman and why he did the things in life that he did.



2. I perchased this book for my husband for Father's Day.
   My husband was extremly happy to receive the book and is looking forward to reading it.
   
   I will get back to you with his opinion of the book once he finished reading it.



3. This is a heart-felt expression of her grief and pain due to the death of her son. It is also an honest expression of her frustration and outrage at dealing with the deception of the military and government officals regarding her son's death. It is a moving read.



4. Our country was shocked when Pat Tillman, who left a lucrative NFL career to join the army, was killed in Afghanistan in April, 2004. But that was just the beginning of it. The circumstances under which Tillman was killed, were unclear, and as it turned out were covered up. Now comes this book from Pat Tillman's mom.
   
   In "Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman" (344 pages), Mary Tillman (with help from journalist Narda Zacchino) brings an blistering indictment of how the Army misinformed and covered up the circumstances of Pat Tillman's death that fateful day. The first part of the book brings a mix of the author's memories about her son, together with the confusion if those early days and weeks after his death of what happened. Mary Tillman's recounts of how she dealt with the loss of her son are heartbreaking (I found myself choking up one a number of occasions). But the real value of this book comes in the second part of the book, in which she dissects, page after page, fact after fact, how the Army's explanations were inconsistent and untruthful. It is nothing short of an eye-opener.
   
   When a country is at war, "friendly fires" are going to happen, you can say. But is it not acceptable that the authorities (in this case: the Army) are not forthcoming about what really happened. The culprits in this tragedy are many. I do not understand the mentality that clearly exists about covering up the facts. Pat Tillman was a 'celebrity' and hence this incident has gotten a lot of attention, but as Mary Tillman points out in her book, there are many other incidents like it that have not gotten the attention but still happen. This book is not an easy book to read, in fact it makes for a devastating read, but I nevertheless highly recommend it. The "authorities" need to be accounted for, and be held accountable. The last has not been said on the Tillman case. Meanwhile my heart goes out to Mary Tillman and her family.



5. Mary Tillman has skillfully written a complex account of military and political blunder and deceit into which she expertly intermingles her own story and that of her family. The resulting narrative is personal, political and readable - all at the same time.
   
   Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan over 500 American soldiers have died. Since George W. Bush invaded Iraq, in March of 2003, over 4100 have been killed and almost 4000 of those have died since the president's infamous declaration of "Mission Accomplished." Tillman's "Boots on the Ground By Dusk" is the beautifully written, but gut-wrenching story of one of those soldiers.
   
   By this time, I suppose, there can be few Americans who do not understand the general outline of the Bush Administration's complex push for war in Iraq. That campaign, as it has been uncovered elsewhere, involved the deliberate use of distortion and misinformation ranging from unambiguous lies suggesting a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, to tales of the non-existent WMDs, to neocon assertions of an American democratizing mission in the middle east.
   
   The larger-scale story of the Iraq war involves, among other things, the international repercussions of President Bush's attempt to assert American global hegemony in the 21st century. In stark contrast, this very personal book, written by the mother of pro-footballer-turned-soldier, Pat Tillman, is connected to that war at only the most basic level; that of the individual soldier. Nevertheless, as the book unfolds, it reveals a web of deception that matches the distortions at the international level. It is as if everyone connected to this administration's war effort is simply unable to tell the truth. It is as if dishonesty and manipulation have become part of their DNA.
   
   The book begins with Mrs. Tillman's account of staring into a fire pit. She is sitting in front of her home, the home in which she raised her children, smoking, listening to the crackling logs, and thinking, "I light my cigarette wondering what I would do if I couldn't smoke, if I couldn't blow out my anger, frustration, and sense of crippling loss into the night." It is a stunning description of the isolation and helplessness that accompanies unbearable loss, but the book that follows is, in one sense, an answer to her question. When blowing out anger and loss "into the night" was no longer enough she would ask questions, investigate contradictions, and write.
   
   In the earliest pages the reader is introduced to the extended Tillman family and how they become the people they are. They share ideas and debate issues. The attacks of 9/11 hit them hard and, in response, the two oldest sons, Pat and Kevin, decide to join the Army. It is not a popular decision. The youngest brother, Richard, reacts with anger, others are worried, and still others confused. Kevin is just about to leave a life in minor league baseball, but Pat will have to give up a promising career in pro football with the Arizona Cardinals. Pat and Kevin Tillman both become Army Rangers. On April 22, 2004 Pat is killed in Afghanistan.
   
   Initially the family is presented a version of Pat's death that has him leading a charge up a hill. That story is soon contradicted by news (first heard from a reporter!) that Pat may have been killed by "friendly fire." The army then constructs an official version of death by fratricide, but as the reports come in they are full of contradiction and ambiguity. The family, led by the author, demands answers. After intensive investigation and vigorous questioning the official version of death by "friendly fire" is altered. As more reports are written and, as the family investigates each the story, the official version is altered again and again. Tillman convincingly demonstrates that none of the distortions are accidental. Even the narrative that accompanies Pat Tillman's posthumous silver star is shown to be deliberately false. Despite the fact that the story involves detailed descriptions of volumes of official reports and two congressional hearings the book reads like a good mystery with the reader anticipating the next twist, the next revelation.
   
   Appropriately, it all begins with a quote from Charles A. Beard: "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." In Mary Tillman's examination of this very dark incident in her life and, by extension, her examination of this very dark stain on contemporary American leadership, she manages to reveal some real stars. A mother who does not give up. Family members able to support each other in horribly difficult times. And Pat Tillman, a man of honesty and honor, who deserved better treatment from his government. "Boots on the Ground By Dusk" is an important contribution to our understanding of what has become of us in an era of politics by propaganda, but it is also a wonderful story of a family dedicated to finding the truth no matter what.

5 comments about Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal.

1. This is a fast paced, exciting story of spy craft and adventures by the most successful double agent of WWII, Eddie Chapman. Ben Macintyre working from recently declassified documents has structured a narrative that cries out mini-series or major motion picture. The amazing story begins with Chapman in jail leaving behind a trail of petty crimes and safe crackings and many jilted women only to be captured by the Germans to whom he volunteers. Instead the Germans have him and a friend shipped to a prison in France. And here in a twist of fate ends up being trained as a German spy who is eventually is awarded the Iron Cross for completing his missions successfully. The Germans never guess that while in England Chapman (Agent ZIGZAG to the British) turns double agent and is involved in many of the most top secret misinformation campaigns of the war. He is interrogated over and over by both the Germans and British and also has time to find women to befriend, and handlers to be loyal too. Chapman is ultimately pardoned by the British for his roll spying for the British. The narrative is a believe it or not true story that will have you riveted from beginning to end. This is simply the most entertaining book I have read in some time. If it were a novel you would never believe it. Why this has not found its way on to the best seller list is beyond me you should not miss Agent ZIGZAG.



2. Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal
   
   Very interesting true story of a double spy (Britain and Germany) during
   WWII. After the correspondence from wartime had been released, the author pulled together thousands of details and presented a very informative behind-the-scenes look at the life of a spy on both the Nazi
   and British sides of the war. A fascinating peek at wartime in both
   countries, as well as the amazing life of a double spy!
   
   Not a fast read, but a very interesting one!



3. The trials and tribulations of Eddie Chapman might have made an interesting story with another author, but this story was a disappointment to me. Many of the reviews mention how much this book is just like fiction but that it is a true story. If that were the case, I'd never read another spy fiction story the rest of my life. There is no excitement, no glamour, no dark secrets, no interesting double-cross-save-the-Brits-and-sink-the-Germans storyline, or even any tricks of the trade that I found engrossing. While I would not call this book tedious, I was not anxious to pick it up everyday and get into it. It was just there; just interesting enough to finish, but not the highlight of my day.
   
   This is purely about Eddie Chapman and his love of excitement (as least it was exciting for him) and putting his life on the line into the unknown role of double spy. Unfortunately for the reader, the book concentrates on the mundane learning of various espionage antics that are never used. He was wined and dined by both sides and given anything that he wanted. But what does he really do to earn this treatment? Very little - a couple of weeks of misguidance during the V1 bombings and some misdirection about anti-submarine devices, but nothing in any detail. As this story is told, the ineptness of the German spy ring to England was interesting but hardly something that becomes a page turner.
   
   I was expecting to learn more of the British Intelligence and how they handled the intricacies of the double spy. Other stories that I have read have shown the British to be light years ahead of everyone in this business, but you get only a glimpse of their thinking; almost as if it is tangential to the plot. There could have been some interesting detail on the alluded to, but never really divulged nervousness at the wireless. The reader never gets a feel for the danger involved. The story is too vague.
   
   Eddie Chapman was a pawn used by both England and Germany and really never did anything that can be gleaned from this book for either party except to put a feather in each "spymaster's" cap for their respective governments. There are other acts of sabotage by other agents that are mentioned in the book, but basically nothing interesting is from the main character.
   
   It seems that Chapman's life consisted of living in one hamlet after another while he was "trained" (with at least one woman in both England and in Norway) with one group of spymasters in one country or another for most of the book.
   
   The author did a nice job with the description of what was happening in Norway with the Nazi occupation, but again you are left wanting more details and that was one chapter.
   
   I guess I expected more thrills and danger. This was like a spy club for singles. The Germans are portrayed as totally bubbling idiots in almost all phases of the book. The politics of the situation were not very well explained. There is quite a bit of haggling over whether Chapman was a good spy or a counter intelligence spy by the German authorities, but the author doesn't go into any detail of the decision process.
   
   It seems to me that this is a book about an small time crook that attempted to throw himself into anything that was life-threatening with the rewards of a romp in the sack and as much money as he could get. It does make for somewhat interesting reading, but I can't help but feel that the book was written with a movie in mind; it has that vague and incomplete feel that a movie book has.



4. Those skeptical about how compelling a non-fiction book can be, especially one that recounts events from nearly 70 years ago will be pleasently surprised. The author is a journalist who brings the story to life with a quick pace and paints avid picture of the setting without needless words.
   
   I am not a World War II buff particularly, but I was thoroughly engrossed by the story; if you are then I would expect you would be swept away. The book has a great "plot" that has a pace like a novel and provides a greater character study of all those that appear in the pages. Knowing it is a true story makes it even more fun. A great read for the summer!



5. A suposedly true story, but frankly it did not have much of a ring of truth about it. Certainly parts are true, but as much of the story relied on the writings of a con man, how much can one believe. It has that, after the fact ring, of the victors did nothing wrong and the vanquished did nothing right. The con man, if the story is to be trusted lived like a prince in both France, Norway, Germany and England fetted by all sides. Hmmm, Doesn't pass my litmus test.

5 comments about Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills.

1. This is a great book. I had wanted to read it ever since reading an article about Carlos Hathcock years ago. I have to say the book is as good as I possibly could of imagined. You get a good feel for the characters and the story is very moving because the characters are real people, not made up.



2. good read. good proof reading as darn few irritating mispells & punctuation mistakes make it a pleasure to keep reading.



3. Henderson tells the story behind the legend of Carlos Hathcock.
   
   I was already familiar with the many of the stories, but was pleasantly surprised to discover Hathcock was such a "normal" person. He definitely had unique skills and a level of self discipline that is rarely seen but he was also a humble and unassuming gentleman who knew what he needed to do and pursued it regardless of who was watching. His fame is the result of others who told his story based on their respect for his deeds, not because of his own self-promotion.
   
   A great book about an outstanding Marine and role model for many.



4. This book will make you sweat like you are in the jungle with Hathcock, his bravery, the tactics, the killing of he NVA officer, alone as he slowly crawls thru the jungle and grass, day after day far behind enemy lines! his surprise sniping attack on NVA regulars as they crossed a berm in the middle of a rice field, his ingenuity using the 50 cal machine gun as a sniper rifle with one round fired each time. This man beat the NVA at their own game, he kicked their butts, showed them that Americans produce fighting men who are fearless and aggresive, life takers. God bless the corp and God rest Hathcock, you have paid your dues here on earth. well written book, the author is a man who knows how to write, from another writer.



5. This is a superb biography of Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, Marine sniper, from his enlistment to the brutal end of his second tour in Vietnam. Readers shall be as impressed as me when they remind the chase of the North Vietnamese woman sniper and the killing of a vietcong general. Many stories are so astounding that they stand better than any fiction.
   The man was a great warrior. He knew well how to fight and protect the ideals of his country. Excellent.

5 comments about Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units.

1. I absolutely loved this book! I was hoping for more details on Israeli Special Forces, but I understand due to the sensitivity of the disclosure of information, that wasn't possible. However, it was still a riveting read and amazing what Cohen went through. I enjoyed it so much I finished it cover to cover in less than two days.



2. I bought this book hoping to see if Aaron received any Krav Maga training and what he thought about it, and I got what I wanted. His descriptions of the Krav training were terrific. It's pretty aggressive stuff, always testing your determination. But he also tells a compelling story. Growing up in LA, seeing his parents hang out with the stars, he needed some direction in life. He, of course, goes to Israel, joins the military and tries out for their special forces. Very gritty descriptions of the hell they put him through, the long-distance march, the heat, becoming delirious. He details some of the Israeli special forces missions, which are fascinating. I loved the story where he pretends to be a reporter "interviewing" a bad guy. Then he unleashes some pent-up aggression. I wanted more special forces stories. But I realize he can only tell what he is allowed to tell.



3. Aaron Cohen is the epitome of strength and courage. He's a man who wouldn't let anything stop him from achieving his goal; making aliyah to Israel and joining the toughest counterterrorism military units in the world. The reader gets an inside view of Israeli special forces training along with Israeli history, culture, and values. Cohen tells it like it is, very in-your-face. It was very hard to put down and an intense fast read. One of my favorite moments was when Cohen returned to the kibbutz and Gali greeted him in Hebrew and treated him like a fellow warrior. Very touching, inspirational, and fascinating story.



4. I found this book to be very interesting. It takes you thru the life of an individual who leaves CA to return to Israel to become a special operator. It was interesting to read of the differences between American and Israeli training methods. Easy to read, well worth the money.



5. A good read and a fascinating story, Cohen becomes a man in the IDF and makes it to a special unit. The story brought me back to my days in the IDF. Some details are a bit exaggerated for effect or inaccurate but it doesn't take from the quality of the story.

3 comments about Dinner with Mugabe: The Untold Story of a Freedom Fighter who Became a Tyrant.

1. "Dinner with Mugabe: The untold story of a freedom fighter who became a tyrant", is a wonderful read that describes acurately why Mugabe is so angry and pushed into his current situation. My complaint is the subtitle of the book that Amazon advertises, " the man behind the monster". The real subtitle is on the front of the book. This other thing is a heading for an inside flap note. The average American has no idea about how England and the United States have colluded to destabalize The Zimbabwe nation state primarily because of Land Reform differences. Heidi Holland is trying to teach us how Mugabe got to this point in time, and Amazon's mangling of the subtitle of her book does not help people approach this book in a positive way. Please use the real subtitle which is plainly written on the front of the dust jacket.
   Marion W. Sykes



2. Although Heidi Holland met Mugabe only a couple of times, she still provides some good interviews and insights into Mugabe. He has unfortunately proved to be one of the worst leaders of the past couple of decades. Look at the results of his presidency--100,000% inflation, massive food shortages and an 80% unemployment rate. Zimbabwe is an embarrassment to Africa and it didn't have to be that way. Here's a detailed critique of what went wrong, where it went wrong and who is responsible. Mugabe is an intriguing figure because he began his career largely heralded by everyone as a freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela. To see how tragically it turned out, leaves many questions; it's a void Holland is clearly trying to fill.
   
   Holland writes well--the words are fluid and vivid and so it's easy to see how her years of reporting for the BBC, the Guardian and many other reputable news organizations has helped. The book is broken into 15 chapters with an index and bibliography for further reading. I do have one complaint, that I wish this were written by someone who had spent more time with Mugabe instead of relying mostly on interviews and a couple of brief encounters with him.
   
   However, I am glad this book was written and even more glad that it was published in America! I heard Heidi interviewed on the BBC and was dismayed that the book was available for sale only in South Africa. (Note: The book was rushed into production here so the British grammar remains. IE: magnetised instead of magnetized.) Yes, we are interested in the subject here too and are horrified by the still unfolding tragedy of Zimbabwe. If only there was something more we could do to help, but what?



3. This is a very interesting book and a poignant reminder of how Zimbabwe could have been a success story. The author is familiar with the history through her life as a radical and supporter of black rule in Rhodesia when she, and her husband a surgeon, lived in Ian Smith's outlaw colony. She interviews people who knew Mugabe well and then corrects their misrepresentations from her own knowledge. This is a very valuable technique and, with a man as private as Mugabe has always been, is as close as we will get to the inside story.
   
   Robert Mugabe was a studious child, educated by Jesuits and abandoned by his father at an early age. His mother, something of a mystic, was always convinced that he had a special destiny. The author describes Mugabe's mother, Bona, as "a cold, stern nun of a mother."(page 7) He has been emotionally crippled all his life although, with his first wife Sally, a flamboyant and colorful Ghanaian teacher, he had a loving and loyal marriage. She is described by some of the interviewees as warm but by others as imperious and corrupt.
   
   There is a very interesting interview with Mary Churchill Soames, Winston Churchill's younger daughter and wife of the last colonial governor of Rhodesia. Lord Soames became very close to Mugabe who, in a moment of truth just before the election of 1980, which put him in power, asked Soames to stay on for a lengthy transition period to help rule the country. "And Mugabe then said, 'I want you to stay because I need to be able to talk to somebody. I don't know anything about governing a country and none of my people do either.'" Soames told him that it would be impossible and Mugabe was on his own. When Lord Soames died, Mugabe and his wife arrived at Lady Soames' home uninvited to attend his funeral. This was an example of the rare personal empathy that Mugabe could establish with certain people.
   
   There is also a chapter on Denis Norman, a wealthy white farmer who had no interest in politics but who was prevailed upon by Mugabe to take several ministries to solve problems created by incompetent members of his cabinet. Here was another white man trusted by Mugabe, who insisted on European dress by all his ministers and who emulated English manners and education. In fact, the author comments that his education policies (similar to those in India, in my opinion) left the country with too many white collar workers clamoring for government jobs and not enough auto mechanics and other technical trades.
   
   Unfortunately, in another of the disastrous mistakes made by almost everyone in Zimbabwe, the white voters supported former dictator Ian Smith's party in the legislature, enraging Mugabe who had actually treated them quite fairly, even allowing Smith, who had imprisoned him, to live freely in the country and to seek office and serve in parliament. This was a serious mistake, compounded by Mugabe who then dismissed Denis Norman from his post as Agriculture Minister. He told Norman that the whites had chosen to treat him as a black and he would reciprocate, although he later called on Norman again and again to solve problems.
   
   The story continues to 2000, when Mugabe was losing his power to a new generation and was besieged by "war veterans" while he watched white farmers donate checks to his political opponent on television. The result was the disastrous occupation of the commercial farms and the descent of Zimbabwe to ruin. It seems to me, after reading this book, that Mugabe is no more in control of his country than is Assad of Syria. Both are basically run by warlords and secret police.
   
   The book is excellent and the lesson to me is that there were many opportunities for a happy, or at least happier, ending. Mugabe is an educated man, if emotionally stunted, and he did reach out to some of his white opponents for help early on. Some helped him and became friends. Many of the white residents foolishly voted for his enemies and fed his paranoia. I don't know what the chances for success in Zimbabwe were originally, but it seems that everything that could go wrong, did so. This is a very well written account of what happened. He is a monster now, but he wasn't always.

5 comments about Flags of Our Fathers.

1. I'm an amateur World War II historian, a huge fan of the USMC, and I love the country of my birth, the United States of America. So please don't think this review is meant to be anti-soldier or anti-American.
   
   What's funny about this book is that the son/author TOTALLY misses the big points that his father/warrior tried to teach. Namely: (1.) if you have to serve your country in wartime, you do it AND THEN YOU SHUT UP, and (2.) the heroes of conflict are THOSE WHO DIED FIGHTING, not the ones who acted bravely and were lucky enough to survive. And I'm not making this up out of spite: I have read the book, and that's the understanding I derived from the description of the father/warrior.
   
   Yet in "Flags of Our Fathers," the flag-raisers of Iwo Jima are somehow superior to the thousands of GI's who died fighting on that island because the former were in an iconic photograph, and the ones who died weren't. The author of the book both milks that photograph (i.e., no photograph = no book entitled "Flags of Our Fathers") for personal glory and simultaneously shames the federal government of 1945 for cashing in on that iconic image.
   
   Throughout the whole book, there is some sort of "you-can-have-it-both-ways" fog. For example (and I cite this example from another Amazon citizen reviewer), why is it BAD for the Iwo Jima flag-raiser Rene Gagnon to have tried to make money off his experience, and OKAY for James Bradley (who wasn't even born in 1945) to write a book and make money off the same event?
   
   Why is it commended in "Flags of Our Fathers" that the Marines are all about teamwork and brotherhood, but also okay for the Bradley family of suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to arrange a VIP trip for themselves to Iwo Jima in the 1990's to deposit a plaque on Mount Suribachi that mentions and honors ONLY their relative, and NONE of the other flag-raisers?
   
   This is a GREAT book about The Greatest Generation, and a great honor to a small group of brave, very young men who raised the flag over Iwo Jima on that hellacious day. No doubt! But this text is limned in insincerity, contradiction, and (what must be unintended) irony.



2. I am glad I saw the movie first. The book and its story of the real life men who raised the flags over Iwo Jima is far superior. Better yet is that the book focuses more attention on the Battle of Iwo Jima itself, whereas the film devoted a inordinate attention to the bond drive.
   
   FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is not just one story, but multiple tales about the Marines who stormed ashore on the black sands of Iwo Jima and raised the second flag over the pork-chop-shaped volcanic isle. Through the book we follow them through their very unremarkable varied beginnings through the survivor's post war battles with their fame. Author James Bradley had particular interest in the subject matter as his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, was one of the flag raisers.
   
   John Bradley rarely spoke to his son about his part in the flag raising. Indeed Bradley's method of coping with his horrific wartime experiences was to be a loving husband, good father, successful businessman and contributor to his community. James Bradley's search for his father's wartime experiences found his dad's story linked to that of that great battle and the Marines. Of the three surviving flag raisers John Bradley was the only one who was able to pull his life together and move on, albeit with occasional nightmares that left him sobbing.
   
   The book does a great job contrasting the lives of the surviors. Bradley's veteran years contrast sharply with that of fellow flag raiser and Pima Indian Ira Hayes. In the book we find the beginning of Hayes' downward spiral months before he even set foot on Iwo Jima. Hayes eventually sought post war refuge through alcoholism and inability to rise above anything other than living a hard life. Bradley's narrative highlights some intersting parallels in both men's lives. John Bradley harbored the true fate of his horribly tortured close friend Ralph Ignatowski, while Ira Hayes carried the truth about the misidentification of one of the flag raisers. Both men made their own pilgrimages to the families of the dead Marines to unburden their souls.
   
   A large portion of the book covers the battle itself. Twenty-two thousand Japanese defenders fought from caves, concrete blockhouses, and miles of tunnels carved through the volcanic tuff. For many Marines, supported by numerous quotes in the book, Iwo was Hell itself.
   
   There are very few good contemporary books written about Iwo Jima. Although FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS leans heavily on actions directly related to the flag raisers, it includes numerous vignettes representative of the overall battle. FLAGS is much better than Bradley's subsequentwork FLYBOYS. Where FLYBOYS straddles a potpourri of seemingly unrelated topics, FLAGS remains focused on the flagraisers.
   
   This book is available in several different editions, sizes, and print formats.



3. I'm so glad to have read this book. It created so much discussion among my social circles because I was amazed by the information. I learned more about WWII than I did in my history classes in high school and college because I was drawn into the book through learning about the lives of the 6 flagraisers at Iwo Jima. The book introduces you to each character, how they "joined" the war, their experience at the flagraising and their life after their service in the military. A GREAT read!



4. 
   This book is the story of the the amphibious landing, the battle for Mount Suribachi, the three airstrips, Nishi Ridge and finally Kitano Point. Sixteen of three hundred and 82 pages tells briefly of the stateside Bond Drive.
   
   Nothing in this book, approaches the moral ambiguity shown in the film of the same title, which shows only the amphibious landing as far as battles for the critical features of the island. With Bradley's book, there is only a respectful tone, and the heroism of the men is never brought into question. This is one of the great military histories concerning a critical battle in the South pacific.
   
   /



5. I'd read "Flags of Our Fathers" after the superb "Flyboys," and perhaps it was only too easy to be disappointed. "Flyboys" is an amazing book, both focused on the immediate and on the greater picture; even for people who've read plenty of history, there are fresh revelations on every page.
   
   "Flags of our Fathers," on the other hand, is a much more conventional history book, much more narrowly focused. Bradley does do a good job of reaching beyond his father, as he didn't have to do; but he doesn't do a particularly good job of bringing readers into the moment, or of putting them into the greater context.
   
   The story of the men in the famous -- almost ignored -- photo is one that could be told, and should have been told, and was told well enough in "Flags of our Fathers." It's just hard not to wish for something a bit more, as when the author caught his voice in "Flyboys."

5 comments about A Rumor of War.

1. In keeping with the theme of this Memorial Day weekend, I would like to offer my thoughts on "A Rumor of War," a classic tale of Vietnam. Philip Caputo has crafted one of the most moving and disturbing testaments to the men who fought and died in that far away land. When the book was first published in 1977, the New York Times called it "The troubled conscience of America speaking passionately, truthfully, finally." I became aware of this classic memoir when my friend, Capt. Kyle Kalkwarf, West Point Class of 2002, told me that it was one of the best books about war he had ever read. He recommended that I add it to my reading list. He was right in doing so.
   
   Caputo's recollections of his time as a Marine in Vietnam are filled with anger and sorrow at the misbegotten policies promulgated in Washington and carried out with disastrous results by General Westmorland and his subordinates. The author makes it clear in his introductory remarks how he felt and feels about that war and the impact that it had upon him and his comrades in arms:
   
   "Beyond adding a few more corpses to the weekly body count, none of these encounters achieved anything; none will ever appear in military histories or be studied by cadets at West Point. Still, they changed us and taught us, the men who fought in them; in those obscure skirmishes we learned the old lessons about fear, cowardice, courage, suffering, cruelty and comradeship. Most of all, we learned about death at an age when it is common to think of oneself as immortal. Everyone loses that illusion eventually, but in civilian life it is lost in installments over the years. We lost it all at once, and in the span of months, passed from boyhood through manhood to a premature middle age. The knowledge of death, of the implacable limits placed on a man's existence, severed us from our youth as irrevocably as a surgeon's scissors had once severed us from the womb. And yet, few of us were past twenty-five. We left Vietnam peculiar creatures, with young shoulders that bore rather old heads. . .
   
   This book is partly an attempt to capture something of its [the war's] ambivalent realities. Anyone who fought in Vietnam, if he is honest about himself, will have to admit he enjoyed the compelling attractiveness of combat. It was a peculiar enjoyment because it was mixed with a commensurate pain. Under fire, a man's powers of life heightened in proportion to the proximity of death, so that he felt an elation as extreme as his dread. His senses quickened, and he attained an acuity of consciousness at once pleasurable and excruciating. It was something like the elevated state of awareness induced by drugs. And it could be just as addictive, for it made whatever else life offered in the way of delights or torments see pedestrian." (Pages xv-xvii)
   
   Caputo's last comments in the section just quoted seem to be eerily in keeping with the themes of the stunning films, "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now."
   
   In one of the most gripping passages in the book, Caputo recaptures the spectrum of emotions he felt during a helicopter assault - running the gamut from fear to courage:
   
   "A helicopter assault on a hot landing zone creates emotional pressures far more intense than a conventional ground assault. It is the enclosed space, the noise, the speed, and, above all, the sense of total helplessness. There is a certain excitement to it the first time, but after that it is one of the more unpleasant experiences offered by modern war. On the ground, an infantryman has some control over his destiny, or at least the illusion of it. In a helicopter under fire, he hasn't even the illusion. Confronted by the indifferent forces of gravity, ballistics and machinery, he is himself pulled in several directions at once by a range of extreme, conflicting emotions. Claustrophobia plagues him in the small space: the sense of being trapped and powerless in a machine in unbearable, and yet he has to bear it. Bearing it, he begins to feel a blind fury toward the forces that made him powerless, but has to control his fury until he is out of the helicopter and on the ground again. He yearns to be on the ground, but the desire is countered by the danger he knows is there. Yet, he is also attracted by the danger, for he knows he can only overcome his fear by facing it. His blind rage then begins to focus on the men who are the source of the danger - and of his fear. It concentrates inside him, and through some chemistry is transformed into a fierce resolve to fight until the danger ceases to exist. But this resolve, which is sometimes called courage, cannot be separated from the fear that has aroused it. Its very measure is the measure of that fear. It is, in fact, a powerful urge not to be afraid anymore, to rid himself of fear by eliminating the source of it. This inner, emotional war produces tension almost sexual in its intensity. It is too painful to endure for long. All a soldier can think about is the moment when he can escape his impotent confinement and release this tension. All other considerations, the rights and wrongs of what he is doing, the chances for victory or defeat in the battle, the battle's purpose or lack of it, become so absurd as to be less than irrelevant. Nothing matters except the final, critical instant when he leaps out into the violent catharsis he both seeks and dreads." (Pages 277-8)
   
   Caputo's thoughtful and passionate recounting of the growing up that he did in the cauldron of Vietnam added to my understanding of what many of my generation experienced as they fought in Southeast Asia and returned to a country that had grown sick of the fighting. As our nation once again wrestles with combat fatigue and the questions of when to withdraw and how to withdraw from Iraq, I am grateful that this time around - unlike the situation that existed in the late `60's and 70's - even those who oppose the war have not showered those returning from the Gulf with opprobrium. They desire our admiration and our gratitude.
   
   Thanks Kyle, for recommending this book, and for your continuing service to our nation.
   
   Al



2. I assigned this book to my college students for a closer glimpse of the Vietnam Conflict. I had not read it before, but had done research and study on the subject. I found Caputo's book to be insightful, controversial and thought provoking. He doesn't glamorize the war but explains how it effected soldiers and one of the many reasons it was such a mess. Throughout the book, Caputo shows how the conditions changed the average American teenager into a robotic killer and how their experiences stayed with them. In the end, he speaks against the war, but not in the normal Jane Fonda version of bashing the military and labeling them rapists and baby killer. Caputo talks about how the government was at fault and created the situations that lead to PTSD and other issues for returning soldiers.
   
   A must read to understand the war and its effects on our soldiers.



3. Caputo wasn't much of a marine. He started complaining about Vietnam before he arrived. Every page is filled with criticism, cynicism, griping, complaining, and self-serving tripe. He wanted to be a hero, but he didn't have what it took to be anything but a whining wimp. Certainly he writes well. But writing well and living well are entirely different. He doesn't understand honor or duty. Sure the war was politicized, but so is every war. Sure the rules of engagement were stupid, but a soldier serves. Caputo did not serve; rather he whined. Many of us who served in Vietnam believed there were many things that made no sense. But we didn't turn tail and run. We served. For those who want to understand what is was like to be a soldier in Vietnam, read "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young" or "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts". If you want to know what is was like to be useless in Vietnam, read this book.



4. Its a page turner from start to finish. A very unique view of the war.



5. I thought this book was the best book on Vietnam that I have ever read. Its a facinating look into life as a line officer in a front line Marine Infantry batallion during the early part of the war. Caputo holds nothing back when it comes to describing life on the front line and what goes through the minds of these young, too young Marines who fought on the front line. An excellent read and I highly reccomend it.

5 comments about Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters.

1. True insight through the eyes of a great combat leader inspiring men to fight under difficult circumstances to protect each other on a none forgiving battlefield. Major Dick Winters is a man who understands the art of war and making the right decisions under pressure. A true warrior and a great American.



2. This is a great book .. if we had a country full of men like this it would be the greatest country in history.



3. I am hooked on the mini-series and can almost quote the dialogue. This book fills in a lot of the the missing parts and solidifies a lot of the truths of the film. A well written and very good reading book that is filled with facts and great memories. Probably should be read after seeing the series.



4. The moral character of Maj. Winters is impecable and unimpeachable. His book is one every kid in school chould read to learn what it is to stand fast in the face of fear and the enemy wether foreign or domestic. This is important now because we may be facing a time when we must once again face a enemy that is domestic. I would hope we would have leadership similar to that given by Maj. Winers.



5. A wonderful companion to the HBO "Band of Brothers" miniseries. The book fills in some gaps and details to give you a more complete picture of Easy Company's trek through the war in Europe. Highly recommended!