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

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



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



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



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

5 comments about Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II.

1. This book is probably the finest memoir of any junior officer in WW2. Unlike so many war memoirs, MacDonald keeps his focus firmly on his own experiences, and doesn't waste his readers time by speculating on `the big picture' or describing incidents which he didn't personally take part in. He sticks to what life was like for a junior officer in command of an infantry company - disorientating, stressful and very dangerous.
   
   On the strength of this book MacDonald was selected to work on the famous Official History of the US Army in World War Two, and produced two of the best regarded volumes in that definitive series.



2. Charles B. MacDonald wrote what it was like for a 21year old to command two infantry companies in WW2. He took notes along the way (I have a page of his notes that survived). They cover the capture of Hombressen in Germany. I also have the original typewriter on which he typed the manuscript of his book. I have trvelled the route he took in 1944/45 and found his descriptions of the various lovcations to be exceedingly accurate in every detail.
   
   Will Cavanagh



3. An excellent book about the leadership of an army officer during the
   crucial battles that ended WWII in Europe. As an untested officer thrown
   into the Battle of the Bulge he performed magnificently. His mettle was sorly tested,and his humanity shone through. A very,very good read



4. I loved this book. It depicted the toil and drudgery of the WWII combat infantryman. There are no frills in this story, just the day to day experience of being on the spearhead of the Allied push into Germany. It portrayed the feelings and emotions of the men, in a very accurate light. I'm sure that there are people that will read this book and feel that they haven't been entertained. However, this book is not about entertainment. It is about the reality of the men that fought so unselfishly in the Ardennes Forest, and suffered intense hunger, cold (this was one of the coldest winters ever recorded in Europe), anxiety and fears. It also portrays the humor that existed amoung these brothers in arms. It is a great companion to Mac's other history, "A Time for Trumpets." Great, GREAT book! Thanks Mac!



5. Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II by Charles B. MacDonald. I highly recommend Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II by Charles B. MacDonald. At just 21 years of age, Captain Charles B. MacDonald first commanded I Company, 3 Battalion 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division from October 1944 to January 1945 and later G Company, 2 Battalion 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division from March to May 1945. This memoir was written in 1947 when recollections were still sharp. It resulted in a very detailed account of what it was like to take command of a line infantry company and lead it into battle. The book gives us template for writing a personal military memoir.
   
   It is by far the finest memoir of any junior officer in World War II. Charles MacDonald does a great job of keeping his focus on his own experiences. He does not speculate or waste my time by giving conjecture on the big picture. We only have first hand information from the events of his personal participation. He sticks to what life was like for a junior officer in command of an infantry company, sleepless, hungry, dirty, stressful, and very dangerous. He takes us from the Siegfried Line in the Ardennes, through the Battle of the Bulge, and to the end of the war in the Czechoslovakia.
   
   This book is a must-read for all army officers who seek to command at company-level and it is informative for military historians as well. It is still required reading at West Point and on the company level officer (second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain) recommended reading list by the U.S. Army today. Upon this book's publication in 1947, Charles B. MacDonald was invited to join the U.S. Army Center of Military History as a civilian historian, the start of a career during which he wrote three of the official histories of World War II in Europe and supervised the preparation of others. The book is simply the best. Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler in June 2006.

5 comments about Flyboys: A True Story of Courage.

1. This book had promise of telling a story that needed to be told of Japanese atrocities during WW2. However, the author was not focused in his efforts electing instead to tell the story of airpower in the military and trying to justif the actions of the Japanese by telling of what the Japanese held as US atrocities. In fact he himself indicates thet he might have crossed the line when he stopped just short of calling one naval aviator he interviewed a babykiller as a result of a mission he had flown. Interspersed within these pages was an effort to tell in very graphic detail the story of the death of several US Naval Aviators. Overall a poor experience and would cause me to stop and think before I read another one of his books



2. This book really surprised me. It was the first one I read by this author (and I will now certainly read Flags of Our Fathers), and I thought it would be a super-patriotic book about how brave the American airmen were and how awful the Japanese were to them. What really surprised me is that Bradley gives such a balanced view of the two sides in the war, and, while not favoring the Japanese in any way, helped me as a reader to understand the war from their perspective. It also pointed out how horrific and dehumanizing war is to soldiers on both sides who are fighting each other, and how they come to cease to view the enemy as human beings. I certainly came away from the book heartbroken over what happened to the American flyboys and how much their families suffered their loss. I also came away from the book convinced that one should be very wary when a government demonizes people on the other side of a conflict, and how important it is never to forget that all people are human beings with the same needs for love, family, security.



3. The author begins the book trashing America for its Indian policies in the 19th Century, but ignores how Indians brutalized each other when their Asian ancestors migrated to the Americas, and later. The issue is tangential to Japanese atrocities to American prisoners of war. Its an excuse to kick America.
   
   Leave this bilge at the college where you teach.



4. A book that goes into great detail about the Japanese-Korean_Chinese relationship before and during the war as well as the American_Japanese Relationship is the book 'Flyboys: A True Story of Courage ' . Yes the description says its about American Pilots, and yes it is. BUT the first 1/3 to half of the book intimately describes the Japanese-Korean_Chinese relationship and how the Japanese went from *stone age to massive war machine in only a few decades, It also explains the Japanese mentality back then and how they became like that and WHY. This is not just a book about some American Pilots. It is a (sometimes gruesome)detailed look into the origins of the pacific war and more important the Why's ...
   Edit your post:
   A book that goes into great detail about the Japanese-Korean_Chinese relationship before and during the war as well as the American_Japanese Relationship is the book 'Flyboys: A True Story of Courage ' . Yes the description says its about American Pilots, and yes it is. BUT the first 1/3 to half of the book intimately describes the Japanese-Korean_Chinese relationship and how the Japanese went from *stone age to massive war machine in only a few decades, It also explains the Japanese mentality back then and how they became like that and WHY. This is not just a book about some American Pilots. It is a (sometimes gruesome)detailed look into the origins of the pacific war and more important the Why's ...
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5. This book should be used to teach an American reader the Japanese perspective before and during WWII. Bradley delves deep into historical Japanese views of America (many critics often confuse these views with the views of the author). Bradley cites specific American events the Japanese used and taught to justify their American hate, their militiary dedication, and their own manifest destiny. If you like to read history rarely taught in your everyday classroom, don't miss this one.

5 comments about Fortunate Son: The Healing of a Vietnam Vet.

1. If you have doubts about war and America's place in the world, check this one out. Mr. Puller left behind a story of sacrifice difficult to fully understand and perhaps we owe his memory some time and consideration. Is there some dirty work to be done against sinister, murdering enemies of the open society, free institutions and consumer-driven prosperity? Maybe we should consider the problem ( for a few seconds ) just as we drift off to sleep in warm beds, protected by laws and courts and most of all by our valiant young warriors on battlefields we will not have to see.



2. The only time I ever met Puller was on October 3, 1991, at the Pentagon where he had been working as a staff attorney. I was shocked when I first saw him. He appeared dimunitive in his wheelchair as compared to the book jacket photo. We ate lunch at the cafeteria and he autographed his book for me. It is one of my most-treasured signed copies.
   
   I had picked up "Fortunate Son" in the summer of 1991 after I returned from the Gulf War. I remember lying on the hot sand in Laguna Beach, California, and being blown away by the brutally honest and wrenching narrative. Puller took me back to Camp Pendleton where he grew up as the only son of the most decorated Marine ever--Chesty Puller. From there, I learned of his tumultuous, alcohol-soaked college years at William & Mary during the 1960s, culminating in his entry into Marine OCS where he received no special treatment. Sadly, just after three months-in-country, Puller stepped on a land mine while retreating with his platoon from a VC ambush.
   
   He returned home, raised a family, carried on a marriage, became a lawyer but was still burdened with alcohol. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Democrat, losing to a man who dodged Vietnam but he temporarily beat the booze.
   
   After his book came out and became a major sucess, Puller and I occasionally spoke via phone. Sadly, his marriage faltered and he succumbed to the bottle again. I last spoke to him via phone in 1994, just a week before he committed suicide.
   
   Puller and Robert Olen Butler remain to be the only Vietnam veterans to win the Pulitzer Prize, the latter for fiction. He will always be on my mind when I think of the American veterans who fought and died for my freedom. Moreover, he was the first person to encourage me to write my story which was finally published in 2005. I wanted to write about meeting Puller but never received a reply from his ex wife who is an elected official in Virginia. Semper fi Marine!



3. What can we say? If you lived it you know. The War, the Times, the Government. Our country was lead by falures and the grunts were the ones that took the bullet. I remember in 1968 I quit reading the newspapers as they made me sick and I wondered if our great country would survive. We did but patriots as Lewis didn't. In my heart and I hope in millions of others we will always remember him. The book is the most touching I have ever read.



4. The recent scandal exposed by the WASHINGTON POST's coverage of conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center reminded me of the power of this book. One legacy of America's unfortunate invasion of Iraq will be untold numbers of young Americans--and Iraqi civilians--who will live the same sort of horrific nightmare that Lewis Puller describes so vividly in this harrowing autobiography.
   
   My retired Marine father once served under Lew Puller's legendary father, and the two of us stood in line to get our copies of "Fortunate Son" autographed by Mr. Puller, an experience I still remember vividly all these years later. Puller's prose is equally memorable, and this book should be required reading at any American high school in 2007--and for any American who plans to vote in the next election. Lewis Puller's words are more important than ever.



5. It is difficult to not be moved by the horrific series of incidents related by Puller here. As pointed out by other reviewers, the self-portrait he renders is of a person so unappealing that the reader must conclude that what he has written with an eye first to honest description, as well as he can render it.
   That said, this book is not really worth reading as a book. The writing is stultifying flat and, for whatever reasons, the only thing Puller does here is whine, in an equally grating voice and with an equal intensity about whatever happens: the mortifying loss of his legs and much of both hands is treated with exactly the same weight as minor slights that occur in his run for office. Furthermore, a very great deal of the book is devoted to pointing out the obvious: for example, Puller insists on notifying the reader that his son learns to talk while his father (owing to a stroke) is losing the capability for speech. Should an editor have cut out this and the many similar needless explanations, the writing would have far greater impact than it does.
   Should the story of Fuller have any lessons for us, those lessons will surely be better learned by reading a (much, much shorter) article about him rather than this tedious book.

5 comments about Hugo!: The Hugo Chavez Story from Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution.

1. I thought this was a great book and really gives the inside scoop on Chavez's life and ideas--since he is a leading political figure of the times and and especially of change in Latin and South America it behooves us in the US to know what motivates him and what he has done-even if one is not personally fond of him-I happen to be a great admirer of his and loved this book!



2. Journalist Bart Jones's detail-laden HUGO! tells the story of Venezuela president Hugo Chavez, the complete story that America's corporate "news" media ignores. And reading the HUGO! passage regarding the Venezuelan people's demand for Chavez's release after moneyed interests overthrow his administration in 2002, you realize this book also tells the story of that South American country's citizens. World history is nothing more than the wealthy few attempting to steal from and dominate the poor masses. In Venezuela, the rise of Hugo Chavez personifies the people establishing democracy, the most radical notion in humanity's chronicles.
   
   Read HUGO!



3. Since retirement a couple of years ago, I have read over a hundred books on Latin America, and political science...subjects I never studied in college. This is one book I place near the top of the list. It is accurate, unbias, and reads like a great novel. If only people could/would take time to become better informed, we could have a better world. By the way, another good book on Hugo Chavez is by Nikolas Kozloff.



4. We have been receiving a one-dimensional, Bush Administration-driven perspective on Hugo Chavez. Bart Jones paints a complete picture of this Venezuelan Abe Lincoln. It helps us ordinary readers to remember that we certainly have no reason to dislike a man just because he is unpopular with the rich and influential. Jones's experience as a Maryknoll missioner and an AP reporter in Venezuela give him the depth of knowledge and discernment necessary to dissect a complex figure such as Hugo Chavez.



5. Bart Jones, in my opinion, wrote one of the best biographies about a man who might lead South America in a revolution that will upset or at least seriously impress all of us. As he makes very clear, Hugo Chavez is brillent, sleeps little, moves around a lot with restless energy, has a definate goal, an admirable goal, and is on his way to reaching it.
   
   But there is another side to Mr. Chavez.
   
   I recommend that Mr. Jones read the life of Huey Long, who came from an immodest background in Lousiana, surrounded by the poor an oppressed, worked his way through enough college to meet his needs and was on his way to making a serious run for the U.S. presidency, all for the successful work he did for the poor. And he did a lot. But his passion was for power, not just helping the poor.
   
   The depression produced a lot of these guys, the ones in Itly and Germany come to mind.
   
   Being dedicated to the poor can be dangerous.

5 comments about The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq.

1. I had to read this book for a war lit class. This was followed by "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien which I had read bits and pieces of for another lit class. Knowing that Crawford took a few creative writing classes, I'm sure he had to read O'Brien's work because it is so widely used in creative writing classes. This book is a cheap imitation of the very well written Tim O'Brien book.
   
   I've never been in the military, regretfully, but by adding "Accidental Soldier" to the title, the author discredits himself. Every time a police officer or fireman goes out on a call, they know their life is in danger, they knew that when they signed up for the job. I'm guessing that being in the military is the same way. You know that when your country says go that you have to go. When a coal miner enters a mine, he knows the dangers that lie within the throat of the tunnel he enters.
   
   I consider the book a piece of creative non-fiction as opposed to straight non-fiction, and I do hope the author tries his hand at something other than more Iraq stories. I think everyone is tired of the mis-information that comes from those with agendas--whether they are for or against the war. To the author, congrats on a publishing credit!



2. Those of you that walked away with a sour view from this book, read "Detained Differences" by J. Robert Rowe. You wont be disapointed.



3. First off, let me say that a am a National Guardsman who has not been deployed.
   
   I enjoyed reading this book, and sometimes had a hard time putting it down. It is a good read in my opinion.
   
   Crawford and i have nothing in common, and a lot of things he says and does are the opposite of what my words or actions would be... but it was still an interesting read of HIS views, opinions and events that HE went through, so I respect this book. I would recommend it, it's an interesting/entertaining read. Btw, i'm pro iraq war, this author is the opposite, and I could still stand reading it.
   
   To the author: (should he read this review)
   
   Do the right thing. Keep your head up. Dont fall to the darkness. I pray you find happier times ahead of you if you have not already.



4. I just finished reading John Crawford's book, "The Last True Story I will Ever Tell -- An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq."
   An easy and excellent read that provides vivid images of war's ugly, soul-sapping aftermath. Crawford nails it with original descriptions and bitter humor. This is no war story; it's about the horror that always follows.
   
   Crawford was newly married and two credits away from earning his BA in Anthropology at Florida State University when he was tapped to go to Iraq for four years of war as an infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division to fulfill his National Guard commitment. This book has nothing to do with heroism but it gives readers some idea of the price people pay for war, any war, no matter where it is. Crawford simply shows it to you the way is, the dirty underbelly of postwar from the closest perspective possible -- that of the foot-slogging infantryman. He offers no excuses but ends his book with a statement every soldier who has ever tasted action knows to be true. Here it is:
   
   "Naturally the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do it tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."
   
   --HERMAN GOERING, SPEAKING AT THE NUREMBERG TRIALS AFTER WORLD WAR 2
   
   (Yes, indeed, and it still works doesn't it?)
   
   Robert F. Burgess
   Formerly with the 88th Division
   Ski Troops, Northern Italy, WW2



5. For the most part, I've been avoiding the deluge of books coming out of the Iraq War. I've had family serve there, and it's one part of modern history that's simply too depressing for me to dig into. Nonetheless, this personal account looked more appealing than most, and its bite-sized vignettes seemed more likely to contain truth than some of the massive tomes seeking to make particular points.
   
   It's important to acknowledge right from the start that the book is burdened the unwise use of "an accidental soldier" in the book's subtitle. The general consensus is that if you sign up to take the National Guard money for school, you can't complain if you get called into action. Some reviewers seem to find Crawford's take on his unit's call-up overly whiny, however it seemed to me that his main gripe was with his unit's continued indefinite deployment following multiple assurances of being sent home. His unit was repeatedly attached to "regular" Army units that got rotated back home, while he and his fellow Guardsmen stayed. Whatever one's position on this, throughout history it has been the privilege and solace of soldiers everywhere to gripe about their lot -- and this memoir is firmly part of that tradition.
   
   The eighteen pieces are all more or less all vignettes linked only by Crawford's presence and desire to be elsewhere. They run the gamut: the boredom of guarding a gas station and bouncing line-jumpers, dealing with corpses cut in half by .50 caliber rounds, botched ambushes, the lure of morphine, spending Christmas at a traffic control point, a beer heist, the consequences of befriending a local homeless kid and flirting with a local girl, broken or inadequate equipment, serving under bad officers, and so on. On the plus side, Crawford writes with apparent candor and conviction. On the minus side, his generally plain-spoken naturalistic prose sometimes drifts into pretension and cliche. Also, some of his episodes have a familiar feel to them, which is probably a function of the basic similarity of war throughout time.
   
   Several reviewers seem to have misread a paragraph in the final part of the book, interpreting it as some kind of statement that the memoir is a work of fiction. What the passage actually says is that the initial item he wrote for the book (and which does not appear in it) was a work of fiction -- not that the pieces included in the book are fiction. For confirmation, check out the review posted by a soldier from his unit, affirming the veracity of Crawford's stories. And to a certain extent, it doesn't even matter -- he was there, I wasn't, and his writing made the war quite real and alive, in all it's banal and surreal ingloriousness.

5 comments about Diary of a Legionnaire: My Life in the French Foreign Legion.

1. The author was looking for some adventure after graduating college.So what does a young man do?Why he joins the military.In this case the author joins the FFL looking for adventure before he has to settle down to a life on civvy street.There were some grammitical errors but this book was fast paced with good detail on the FFL.I would recommend this to those who enjoy a great read.



2. Gareth Carins' story of his life in the Foreign Legion is different than most other autobiographies in that he enters the Legion soon after graduating from an English Univeristy. Carins joins the Legion because he liked the army, walking, travelling and is looking for a little adventure. Unlike many of the classic Legion memoirs, Carins is not escaping poverty, fleeing political turmoil or running from trouble with the law. At his core, Carins is a middle class Englishmen in search of adventure.
   
   "Diary of a Legionnaire" has all the obligatory scenes one should expect in a Legion memoir. We see him as he enters the recruiting barracks, experiences his brutal basic training on the "Farm" and then goes off to further adventures in his new Regiment. Like many of the English soldiers who write their stories, Carins enters the elite Parachute Regiment based in Corsica. As with many of the recent autobiographies, Carins also goes to Africa where he partakes in some bloody skirmishes.
   
   The real strength of this book is that Carins is a good writer and does an excellent job of describing the day to day life of a Legionnaire. This book is filled with gritty details that anyone curious about the Legion will greatly enjoy. Legionnaire memoirs may span the decades but there is a core Legion experience that seems eternal.
   
   The only fault I have with this book is that Carins wrote this book too soon after leaving the Legion. He does a great job on the day to day details but we learn very little about the inner person. Why does a middle class, university graduate subject himself to the rigorous discipline of the Legion for five years? If Carins likes the military and wants some adventure, why doesn't he join the Royal Marines? Carins comes across as a decent person but in the end, he is still a mystery.
   
   In my opinion, the best Legion memoirs are all about the inner life of the Legionnaire. For me the Holy Trinity of Legion memoirs are Simon Murray's "Legionnaire", Tony Sloane's "The Naked Soldier" and Christian Jenning's "Mouthful of Rocks". All three memoirs are radically different but at the end of each book, the reader feels they know the person and root for him as he struggles to survive in some very harsh conditions. It is that personal connection between reader and Legionnaire that lifts a competent memoir into the realm of a "classic" account.



3. This is a very interesting book to read. It did not take me very long to finish. It is full of interesting details. It makes the reader feel almost everything the author had to go through: the physical training, the lack of sleep, the abuse, occasional boredom and routine, the adrenaline rush during the battle and everything else. My only complaint, and it is a very big complaint, is that only the first two years of the author's service is covered. The other 3 years of service are covered in just two pages of the book. We do want to know about them in every single detail! Was your editor hurrying you up?



4. I liked the book. The author tends to keep to the truth, unlike
   a few other attention seeking "mythomans", who thought their
   rubbish experiences needed to be published.



5. When I want to read about the Legion I want to be entertained, and educated about Legion life. This author does that and the book is very enjoyable to read. If you liked Simon Murrays tale, you will enjoy this one.

No comments about Hitler's Soldier in the U.S. Army: An Unlikely Memoir of World War II (Alabama Fire Ant).

3 comments about Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle-Aviation Pioneer and World War II Hero.

1. This book is about the family life of Jimmy Doolittle written by his granddaughter. It's touching in every aspect of what a family goes through over the years. After reading this book you will understand why his biography is titled " I Could Never Be So Lucky Again" by CV Glines, and why he is known as "The Master of Calculated Risk."



2. This book was purchased for my son who is interested in WWII planes and fliers, and since I was a civilian during WWII and lived through that era, this book was definitely to be read (especially after watching Life and Times on our local KCET station and the granddaughter was interviewed regarding this book). Both of us enjoyed reading the life of this remarkable man and it was a must for his growing library.



3. I can sum this up in a very short space. This is a well written book that not only gives an insight into General Jimmy Doolittle's contributions to our nation and the world, but also into his family and his wife's contributions on the home front during WWII. As far as I am concerned, no history class should be taught without this book as required reading.

5 comments about Joan of Arc: In her own words.

1. Reading Jehanne's own words is simply an amazing experience. The way the book is written, you can almost hear her speaking with all the passion & fervor she posessed. Reading this book is like being there, back in time, actually watching & hearing all as it happens.



2. I read this right after buying it, but it was published in 1996 and the publisher apparently went out of business in 1997. I would like to know whether it is my copy or the entire edition that is defective - the Notes end in mid-word ("Excluded with then are passages merely rou-") on p.147! Then p.148 is blank, and there is no p.149/150, after which the pagination resumes with p.151.



3. This was a good book. It enlightened me to many things I didn't no about Joan of Arc. Like her childhood which it covered very well and even mentioned her dreams of becoming a solider and father's nightmares and even her favorite spot to play.
   It covered her military conquest in great detail and made it interesting in a way I have not before on her. But I have to question the parts that reveal personal information on Joan's dreams. She was illiterate her entire life, right? So how did the author get the documents to prove this.
   
   The trail sequence was also very well done. The questions and answers, even though very redundant, were both enlightening and showed Joan's personality extremely well. The references to the saints were like said in the notes slightly changed to make it make more sense.
   
   All in All, good book but contradicts itself in some parts. Probably when the author was changing the letters to first person instead of third, but that is mention in the notes. There are also some randomly blank pages in the notes leaving parts out. The book is very accurate and is a good read for people who wish to learn more about the heroine.



4. I bought this book several years ago and it is one purchase that I do not regret. Wonderful for grabbing a thought, it often ends up in the pile of my inspirational books. There is nothing like a word from Joan before facing the day. As history, it is an excellent tool from which to derive direct quotations from one of the greatest enigmas of all time. JOAN OF ARC: IN HER OWN WORDS puts the reader in contact with the mind of the saint and the events which she faced so courageously. Her boldness, her femininity, her adandonment and her triumph are all there.



5. I've begun reading this, along with 3 other books I purchased. It is not a narrative read, and more along the lines of a journal or notes, but it is excellent, and breathes new light into Joan of Arc as a woman beside & within her every belief.