5 comments about To the Last Salute: Memories of an Austrian U-Boat Commander.

1. I had known of this book for many years, and had even thought about seeing if a publisher would be willing to entertain a translation. It was wonderful to see a member of the family lead the effort and have a copy back in print and in english after too many years out of print. It is a wonderful story of a patriotic naval officer, of a now absent navy tell of his adventures as the most successful captain of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. His work with his crew (from all over the empire) dealing with bureaucratic officers, sinking ships in an old sub, that his German peers recommended not taking to sea (they thought it unseaworthy and an antique), and then further adventures in a French sub, sunk then raised to strike again against them is intersting. Those who have read Lowell Thomas' account, or Edwyn Gray's books on the German WW1 submarine service will find this a very different tale and one worth comparing to other efforts.
   For those who wondered where the Captain in the von Trapp family singers came from this fills in a void covering elements of his older children and first wife. Through his first wife, he was related to the inventor of the modern torpedo, who had set up a factory in Austra-Hungary before WW1.
   The book is well written and reads quickly, and tells the tale of a dedicated and talented patriot in an prior phase of his life, which was later known to the world in song and story.



2. I've wished for this book to be translated into English for a very long time! It was worth the wait.
   
   I've always wanted to know more about Captain von Trapp, in his own words and this book is as close as I am going to get. It did not disappoint as it provided a window to see the Captain, the man.
   
   I could not help but believe this book was more a compilation from a journal he may have kept. I also could not help but believe, if not for his modesty, there was so much more he could have shared.
   
   Perhaps, without realizing it, he showed us many sides, least of which were his tender and compassionate side. How many military captains do you know would allow a rescued kitten to live on board his submarine?
   
   I gave this book five stars, not so much for literary greatess as for the enjoyment received from reading it and having a few more questions answered.
   
   It should be enjoyed by all Sound of Music fans and I believe those interested in history will enjoy it as well. Even though I knew the outcome, I could not help but hold my breath as he told of daring escapades while captaining his u-boats. I found myself, while reading about his experiences, thinking of the movie, K-9, The Widowmaker.
   
   My only complaint, it was only 188 pages log. :-(



3. Captain Georg von Trapp's Memoirs were published in Austria in German in the 1930's. One of his Grandaughters (an offspring of one of the real life von Trapp Family Singers)has translated her famous ancestor's work into English and now we can all see why the Evil Nazi's were so set on getting "The Captain" into their Navy when they took over Austria.
   
   The work is very short and von Trapp has a matter of fact writing style similar to that of U.S. counterpart Gene Fluckey in his memoir of the USS Barb. Unlike Fluckey however von Trapp had to go to war in an antequated obsolete gasoline powered Austrian U-boat which was barely a step above the Turtle or the Hunley. A german U boat Captain told him upon going inside the ship that he "was lucky to be Alive". In addition he had to deal with a multinational crew that grew more restless as the war went on and their countries began to break away from the Hapsburg yoke.
   
   The memoir is a good glimpse of a theatre of WWI which is barely mentioned, the Naval War in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. Very little has been written of the War at sea between the Austrian navy on one side and the Italians and the French on the other. Most I have seen have dealt with the Royal Navy in the Dardanelles.
   
   The book also begins with some von Trapp Family background and reveals many interesting facts such as the Captain's first wife was English and many of 'the children' were a lot older than 'sixteen going on seventeen' when they escaped Austria. Sadly when the Captain died of lung cancer in 1947 it may have been related to all of the gas fumes he inhaled on the poorly ventilated u boat during the war.



4. To the Last Salute is Georg Ritter von Trapp's memoir of commanding a U-boat in the Austrian Navy during World War I. While his style of writing does take some getting used to, von Trapp provides an engaging and suspenseful tale of life on a primitive submarine during an oft-neglected period of military history. The book also gives us an insight into von Trapp as a man, more insight than one finds in other books on the life of his famous family. His accounts of the horrors of war and the loss of his beloved navy at the end of the war are especially moving. For those interested in von Trapp, the Austrian Navy, World War I, and the history of submarine warfare, the book will be especially useful; anyone interested in the story of an intriguing, thoughtful, and courageous man will enjoy the chronicle of von Trapp's adventures as well.



5. This is reasonably light read broken into bite-size chapters covering a variety of experiences surrounding the author's service as a WWI Austrian U-boat captain, the boat technologies of the time and the everyday impact of the politics as Austria's empire unraveled. Austria's relationship with it's wealthy and larger German ally is seen from another perspective as well as the polyglot nature of the many ethnic groups belonging to and participating in the Austrian war effort. A fine military account from the man responsible for "The Sound of Music."

4 comments about A Woman Soldier's Own Story.

1. It is a great book! this book portrayed how women were mistreated in the early 20th century in China. In that old days, girls were not allowed to be educated. They only learned how to spin cotton and embroider,, how to be an obedient daughter, and later a dutiful daughter-in-law. The reading materials for them were highly restricted to certain books such as Teach Your Daughter Traditional Rules. The worst thing was that girls had bound feet! However, there were still a few "lucky one" be able to escape from these old customs. Of course, it wasn't easy. This autobiography described an extraordinary woman, Xie Bingying who struggled to free herself from the traaditional Chinese society--received education, freed from an arranged marriage, became a soldier in the National Revolutionary Army, etc. Her experience was extraordinary!! I like this book because it is not only a truth story, it also pertains very rich information about the old Chinese customs.



2. Few people in the West realize how extraordinary this book is and how much it has influenced generations of young Chinese. I used to own the original (Chinese) version of this book while growing up as a boy in South America in the 60s. I used to read it for guidance and strength in the darkest days of my youth. I must have read and reread it a dozen times before I had to reluctantly part ways with it. This is a true modern classic that is often ignored by contemporary historians of Chinese literature, who prefer the shallowness of the likes of Sanmo. The War Diaries, which were praised by none other than Lin Yutang, are also worth reading; the translators should make them the subject of their next project.
   Fine as the edition is, I wish the cover had been different. I have never seen a likeness of Xie xiansheng before and almost overlook the book because I was misled by the photograph of the woman in uniform to think it was a book about the Cultural Revolution. But I am glad the editors have included the photographs contained in the insert. I have always matched the feistiness of the woman soldier with a rather robust physique: I am surprised how fragile and delicate Xie xiansheng actually was.
   This book is correctly listed as an autobiography but it reads like a fine novel, with memorable scenes and episodes. Without opening this translation and reading a single line, I can name a half dozen right off the top of my head: the foot-binding, the escapes, the dying brother, the impoverished former army girlfriend, the love triangle, etc. This book is to the Chinese literature what the Ann Frank diaries are to the European; it definitely should not be missed.



3. I have just read this book for a Chinese Women's history class, and I have found that it is nothing more than a hagiography that oversimplifies many complicated facets of Chinese culture. These days, it seems to be the vogue in literature to publish books by Asian women portraying them as hobbling, footbound victims of patriarchy and oppression. While it is true that Asian culture is definitely patriarchal and something that needs to be reformed, this book is another hackneyed account of a young woman trying to escape "feudal" social structures.
   I have no love for this book or any book like it because its message has been written and rewritten in various books by authors such as Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston. The translators say in the introduction that Xie is the symbol of transition from "old" to "new" China. By not clearly defining what these interpretations are, they leave it to their audience to define what "old" and "new" are based on individual interpretaion. Moreover, Xie Bingying's black-and-white, old-and-new, feudal-and progressive viewpoint oversimplifies many complexities that face women in confronting modern gender ideals. If you have read Amy Tan or any other hackneyed works, I recommend skipping this book because it is another example of the oversimplification of cultural identity today.



4. Xie Bingying was many things. Unfortunately, her autobiography does not convey this well, reading like a nationalist propaganda piece. She also did not write much about the political context of the times in which she lived, although I suspect that was deliberate. Her story is still fascinating, however, because of how she navigated the shifting social intersections of China in the turmoil of the early twentieth century. To understand what women went through during this period, this is a valuable resource. I wouldn't recommend it for casual reading though.

4 comments about Command Of Honor: General Lucian Truscott's Path to Victory in World War II.

1. Although Lucian Truscott, as someone who rose to army command in World War II, is a person worthy of a good biography, this one is not it. It practically defines the word "lightweight." It is unsourced and, if the bibliography is any indication, poorly researched. Unpublished primary sources seem to have been used minimally. Large sections of the book seem to be based on nothing other than Truscott's own memoirs. The text also contains numerous "space filler" diversions irrelevant to the subject and typical of authors trying to pad the length of a book.
   
   Needless to say, there is little in the way of incisive analysis or critical examination.
   
   I don't really see an audience to whom I can recommend this book.



2. Little known today, Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. first joined the Army as a second lieutenant in 1917 through a war emergency program that supposedly turned raw civilians into officers for the expanding WW I AEF in just three months. Truscott was not sent into combat but performed so well as a "90 day wonder" that he was accepted as a professional soldier after hostilities ended. He went on to become one of the most effective and successful combat commanders in the US Army in World War II, ending the war as a lieutenant general and army commander
   
   In 1942 Truscott successfully commanded one of the three forces invading N. Africa. Later he took over the Third Infantry Division and led it to a brilliant combat record in Sicily, the invasion of Italy at Salerno and at Anzio. Truscott replaced Gen. Lucas as commander of VI Corps after the initial disasters at Anzio, and commanded the successful breakout and drive to Rome. He also commanded the Corps in the successful Allied invasion and clearance of southern France. Truscott then returned to Italy as head of Fifth Army and led that "forgotten army" successfully in the hard fighting from December 1944 to the end of the war. After the war he served for several years as a very senior officer of the newly fledged CIA. In 1954 he received a fourth star. He died in 1965.
   
   Despiite Truscott's brilliant combat record, arguably the best among US senior commanders in the European theater, he has apparently never been the subject of a good biography. This book is not it.
   
   The bulk of the book is about Truscott's WW II service. Yet it contains no maps of any kind. This alone is a fatal flaw in a military biography. In addition to the problems noted by the previous reviewer, The book fails to provide any useful discussion of Truscott's actual command methods and his tactical direction of the units that he led. The author does relate some basic facts about Truscott and his personal characteristics, mostly culled from a handful of secondary sources, but fails to provide real insight into the unusual success of this commander. In addition the writing style is lackluster and occasionally sloppy (e. g. he describes Mussolini as an officer who dabbled in politics when in fact Mussolini was a lifelong politician, never an officer and even fled to Switzerland to avoid military service, although he did serve briefly after Italy entered WW I and reached the rank of corporal). Truscott deserves much better than this.



3. I agree completely with the comments of the two previous reviewers, but would like to record some additional observations.
   
   Jeffers appears to have done little original research for his biography. Most of the book draws heavily from Truscott's two memoirs, "Command Missions" and "Twilight of the US Cavalry," and the author lists secondary sources almost exclusively in his short biography. The only primary sources other than the memoirs that he has utilized to any extent appear to be the diaries of his wartime aides and the wartime letters of Truscott to his wife, both located in the Truscott Papers at the George C. Marshall Research Library in Lexington, VA. Jeffers apparently never visited the National Archives or the US Army Military History Institute, where abundant primary source materials pertaining to Truscott's career may be found. He also apparently never interviewed Truscott' son, James, or his grandson, Lucian IV. Further, Jeffers did not attempt to obtain a copy of or review Truscott's Official Military Personnel File located in the National Personnel Records Center, nor did he attempt to obtain from the CIA under provisions of the FOIA records of Truscott's eight-year career with that agency or attempt to contact any CIA operatives with whom Truscott worked.
   
   There are many errors throughout the book. A few examples follow:
   
   1. Jeffers avers that Truscott, as Allen Dulles's deputy, was directly involved in the overthrow of Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadegh and Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz. My review of the heavily redacted materials I received from the CIA reveals no evidence of Truscott's involvement in the Iranian operation and only very peripheral involvement in the Guatemalan operation. In fact, Truscott never served as Deputy Director of the CIA, as Jeffers's account seems to suggest, but as the Deputy Director for Coordination, a position with considerably less power and influence. Brig. Gen. Charles Cabell served as Dulles's deputy director.
   
   2. Jeffers implies that there was a close relationship beteen Dulles and Truscott. Thomas Polgar, a retired CIA operative who worked closely with Truscott in Germany, informed me that Dulles was reluctant to assign Truscott to any position of responsibility within CIA headquarters in Washington after the latter's return from Germany, and relented only after pressure from President Eisenhower to name Truscott as Deputy Director for Coordination.
   
   3. Jeffers alleges that Truscott spent his early retirement years playing golf at various courses in the vicinity of his home near Leesburg, VA. Truscott's son, James, told me that to the best of his knowledge, his father "never had a golf club in his hands" during his lifetime.
   
   4. Jeffers states that Truscott was brought out of retirement and served for a year, 1948-1949, as chairman of the Army Advisory Panel for Amphibious Operations at Fort Monroe (283). In fact, Truscott served in that capacity slightly less than three months, Nov. 3, 1948-Feb. 1, 1949.
   
   I agree that General Truscott's career deserves to be recounted, but Mr. Jeffers's effort abysmally fails in that attempt. I cannot recommend this book to any reader interested in a factual account of Truscott's life and career.



4. "COMMAND of HONOR" could not have been more appropriately nor accurately TITLED.
   This book SHOULD BE A MUST READ by anyone who holds themselves to be a serious, honest and truly informed student of MILITARY HISTORY, certainly, BUT ALSO by those who seek insights into the very soul of a TRUE WARRIOR-HUMAN BEING- ALWAYS- and LEADER of Armies. It is a true, indescribably so, and candid insight into the heart and mind of a RARE and GREAT LEADER of men who NEVER lost his focus on a NOBLE GOAL nor the VALUE or UNSHAKABLE understanding and belief in, the NOBILITY of MANKIND, be he soldier or simply private citizen.
   
   General Truscott stands 2nd to NO GENERAL, certainly of WWII, if not, indeed of any conflict. His genius NEVER clouded this great man's overwhelming and sincere humility, regardless the heights of responsibility to which such genius brought to him. He surly was at least the equal, if not the singular superior General of the Allies and even the Axis forces of that WAR. Others so passionately sought GLORY, HONOR and ACCOLADES as they exercised their Military prowess but Truscott sought NONE of that; he just focused on bringing the horror of WAR to an end as quickly as possible with the least loss of human life.
   
   I can't recall EVER, being able to recommend as 'MUST READING' of a book for every person who values honor, integrity, unshakable courage, humility, honesty and enviable character, along with superior gifts of GENIUS! This is so much more than a book of MILITARY HISTORY; it is a REMARKABLE study of a truly GREAT HUMAN BEING who can stand as a model for all to emulate.
   
   Jim Girzone

5 comments about I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even In My Sleep: A Journey Into PTSD.

1. Mr. McFall uses a combination of stories and poems to pull the reader into the pain and turmoil of living with PTSD. This book is a MUST READ for veterans and their families and friends who struggle to understand the scars left from battle.



2. A combat medic lives war at its worst, and remembers every terrified scream of it.
   
   There are the memories of those who were treated and made it home; of those whose wounds were beyond treatment despite heroic efforts.
   
   Those memories are as fresh today as the emotions were at the time of treatment; memories of soldiers and civilians gushing blood; memories of soldiers and civilians having body parts torn and cascading into all the wrong places.
   
   For E. Everett McFall, there are the memories of jumbled body parts and attempts to put them together to form the remains of what were once men - individual men with loved ones, hopes, talents, and dreams that dripped into the red soil or into the floor of the jungle.
   
   There are no fancy words here. His words are direct, his pain drips off the pages and into the heart of the reader.
   
   McFall writes from the heart. He writes from a soul splintered and haunted by 365 days that have been lived over and over and over again for the last 40 years.
   
   We measure war in terms of dollar costs; in counts of the dead; in counts of the wounded.
   But we have yet to learn to measure war in terms of lives ruined by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We have yet to learn to measure the losses of those who love those who come home with PTSD.
   
   We have yet to learn the true face of war. E. Ernest McFall provides the reader with a vivid and heart tearing word portrait of the hideous face of war; of the plague of PTSD; of the rending of soul by survivor's guilt and questions of why am I still here when so very many others are not.
   
   Pfc Jay E. Keck contributes his poetry to I Can Still Hear Their Cries. May I ask you to direct your attention to the last lines of his Sand Soldiers and pay heed to his admonition, as there are all kinds, as he points out in another poem, all kinds of Bogeymen contributing to PTSD - even those who should have, and in truth did, know better.
   
   
   I Can Still Hear Their Cries is a story of the long, long road home. It is a tale that will speak to other Veterans who suffer PTSD. It is a tale needed by those who love those with PTSD to help them understand.
   
   McFall tells you, loud and clear, that drugs and alcohol only bury the pain deeper, rather than excavating it and getting help to go through it to healing.
   
   McFall notes that he is still in the process of finding his way home. It is a long road.
   
   But I Can Still Hear Their Cries may open your eyes to the possibility that there is, in fact, a road home for you too - should you choose to come up from the dark to the Light.
   
   Take the first step - there are many, many around to help you - just reach out - someone is there waiting to walk point for you.



3. I was to young to actually know the impact that this war had on our men and women. This book by Mr McFall gets right to his heart and his feelings. It is so powerful! I believe that this book should be used in many ways to help communicate the effects that war has on an individual. God bless our men and women who have served our great country!
   Thank you Mr McFall and may God continue to bless you and your family!



4. We have been told the Vietnam veterans' story many times before. We've seen it in the movies, in books, on TV, and on the corners of our streets. Yet, in an intimate way, in E. Everett McFall's book, `I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even in My Sleep,' the inner struggle of the Vietnam Vet comes home yet again. This time the reflections come from within. Having read `Born on the Fourth of July,' and seen 'Platoon,' I feel that McFall properly takes us to a new dimension, focusing on the inner torment that won't shut off.
   
   Consisting of reflections, resources, and nearly thirty poems, he focuses on the pride, bitterness, and fragility of his service as a US Marine Hospital Corpsman in The Vietnam War from 1966-67. Whether in prose or in poetry, he won't ever let us forget their sacrifices. Noting that some have forgotten the Vets of the War, the Vets of the War have taken it home with them and can't ever forget. In detail, sometimes graphic at others subdued, he shares images of the grim reality in battle that haunt him--and probably will haunt him until death.
   
   The title is a bare-bones description of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD). In his introduction McFall concisely states that "It's an instant video play-back in my mind, with cranial surround sound." That playback is given a stark treatment in poems such as "Death Angel" and "Flashback". Whether drawing from elements of traditional poetry or relying on rap-like structure, the subject matter changes with the rhythm. In "Patrol on Ambush" and "The Ooorah Warrior" the repetition reflects the routine of a marine waiting for the next development in "combat hell." At other times the rhythm is more irregular to reflect the chaos and death that surround him. To round out his repertoire, "Heavenly Star" and "Brotherhood" add much needed hope to the experience.
   
   But the main focus is on the indelible memories of trauma and death. "Tic Tic Tic" and "Undying Memories" are each aptly titled for their flashback resonance in waking moments that rush into consciousness. Flanking McFall's work are sample poems by fellow veteran Pfc. Jay E. Keck and anonymous poems (which is entirely appropriate given the unknown soldier element of every war). The guide ends with a short, poignant reflection and a resource guide for the veteran suffering from PTSD, including a handy guideline for filling out forms for VA claims.
   
   Whether approached as a cathartic guide for fellow veterans or a route to vicarious appreciation from uninitiated civilians, 'I Can Still Hear Their Cries,...' is an essential portal to understanding the trauma of selfless veterans of a tragic War. Clearly by McFall's writings, the repercussions are still being fought today. If you were at the front lines of the War or at the front of the picket lines--or even too young to remember--Ernest McFall's little book will have a big impact on how you feel about those who served their country at such a fragile time in our history.



5. Being the wife of a combat Marine I really learned alot from Doc's book. I read the book all the way through and this is a book that is alive. Our heroes sacrifice so much for us and if it wasn't for them we would not have our freedom. Doc, thank you for helping me understand more about PTSD and what y'all went through. I don't give this book a 5 star rating , I give it a 10 star rating.

5 comments about First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.

1. Somewhere in my reading, I remember someone who said that there is only one name from the 20th Century that is guaranteed to be remembered 1,000 years from now; the name of the first man to step foot on another planet, Neil Armstrong.
   
   I was alive when Apollo 11 landed and Armstrong made his historic step but, at 11 months old, far from old enough to remember the event. Despite that, though, the events of July 20, 1969 are so much a part of historical memory that it seems like we were all there. There's always been one mystery, though, and that's been the man who actually stepped off the Eagle and onto lunar soil for the first time. Now, the mystery is, at least somewhat, solved thanks to the publication of an fascinating biography of the First Man On The Moon, titled, appropriately enough, First Man.
   
   James Hansen, who was given extraordinary access to Armstrong himself as well as his family and personal records, tells a story that stretches from Armstrong's boyhood in Ohio, to Korea, to his years as a test pilot, all of which were mere training for his ultimate destiny. In addition to a mass (though not overwhelmingly so) of technical data about everything from the X-15 flights that Armstrong flew at Edwards AFB to the Gemini and Apollo programs, Hansen paints, as best he can, a portrait of an intensely private man who was thrust, willingly or otherwise, into an intense spotlight comparable to that of his boyhood hero Charles Lindbergh.
   
   Like Lindbergh, Armstrong was and is, it seems, the reluctant hero. Hansen consistently quotes him as giving equal credit for the achievements of Apollo 11 to his crew mates and the men on the ground and in the factories who built the Apollo program from the ground up.
   
   The most compelling parts of the book, of course, come when Hansen tells the story of the landing and first sojurn onto the lunar surface, including excerpts from recordings of conversations among the crew that were never broadcast publicly. After that, somewhat disappointingly, the book comes to a very quick close. The story rushes through the post-Apollo 11 euphoria and Armstrong's short involvement as a NASA administrator and offers vignettes showing the difficulties that he had coping with the public's fascination with him, some of which was obsessive to say the least.
   
   All in all, though, First Man is an excellent read, and, as the official biographer to the First Man on the Moon, Hansen has done a fabulous job with the task that Armstrong assigned to him.
   
   If you have any interest in the history of the American space program at all, this book is a must-read.



2. James Hansen's authorized biography of pilot/engineer/astronaut Neil Armstrong is a well written and long awaited in-depth look at a man who has led a truly extraordinary life. His detailed accounts of Armstrong's roots, interests, loves, successes and tragedies made a captive reading experience for me. It was Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 journey that inspired my lifelong interest in spaceflight.
   
   I feel for him in his pursuit to maintain as much of a personal life as possible over the years. NASA and the space program may be owned by the taxpayers, but it's human participants are not. Neil has recognized this more than many others have.
   
   An excellent biography. I highly recommend it.



3. Simply put, there is no finer book in print that helps us understand the modern-day Christopher Columbus of our times - Neil Armstrong. Not only will you come to better understand the man, the First Man, but you will also walk away with a tremendous appreciation for the Apollo program generally and the Apollo 11 mission specifically. Budget some serious time to get through this book but add it to your list of reads for 2008.



4. "First Man" is the long awaited authorized biography of Neil Armstrong. The book is a significant work in the body of aerospace history, as Armstrong has consciously lived out of the public eye for most of his life since the Apollo 11 mission. To say the book is detailed is an understatement (did you know that Neil's childhood dog was named "Tippy"?), but James Hansen paints a vivid portrait of the man and his life with exquisite precision. The book is stunning for its depth of information, but is also very readable on a visceral, human level. The net result is a work demonstrating both great academic rigor and the essential character of the first man on the moon.
   
   The book, while keeping Apollo 11 as the center of its arc, does not dwell exclusively on Armstrong's role in the space program. I was pleased to read about his family and personal relationships: understanding these helps the reader to understand who Armstrong is and how he got to be that way. I was found the account of his relationship with his mother, Viola, enlightening, and appreciated the recounting of his role in the Korean war as a very young aviator. Understanding his later successes (and failures) in the greater context of his personal and professional life is one of the true successes of this book. I was, of course, transfixed by the account of the interpersonal relationships between Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins, the three "amiable strangers" of Apollo 11.
   
   Certainly the accounting of Armstrong's test pilot and spaceflight endeavors is of primary interest to anyone likely to read the book, but I was even more impressed than I expected to be by Armstrong's post-Apollo choices. I am especially struck by the parallels between Armstrong and Charles Lindbergh as Armstrong has aged. While still a vital man, Armstrong has willfully chosen to live his life modestly without relying on his fame as the first moonwalker for either ego or income gratification.
   
   This book is by no means a light read, but anyone with an interest in aerospace history should make this book a priority: it is astonishingly well documented, well written, and compellingly told. My earliest childhood memory is watching Armstrong walk on the moon; only now do I really understand and appreciate the "First Man" fully.



5. For a man whose name rightfully resides in the rarified company of Columbus, Galileo, Copernicus, Cortes and de Gama, James Hansen's exhaustive biography of Neil Armstrong unspools a painstaking, sometimes wonkish narrative of how this extraordinarily talented, driven and devout man willingly exchanged his deeply cherished anonymity to become the most famous human of the last century.
   
   As an eight-year old watching Armstrong and Aldrin's first steps in 1969, I had every expectation that nearly four decades later I would be writing this review from some long-established and thriving U.S. lunar colony - a vision that was quickly extinguished through the convergence of national space fatique, severe under funding and the somewhat schizophrenic, sclerotic aspirations of NASA over the past quarter century - unfortunate developments that only serve to make Armstrong's unique story and experience all the more compelling.
   
   If you're looking for deep, metaphysical musings on how his lunar celebrity transformed both himself and the world at large - keep browsing. First Man is a walking tour through the guts of the Gemini and Apollo programs prefaced by deep immersion into his Ohio upbringing. Yes, the acronyms and jargon are a little thick but at the end of journey what emerges is a portrait of an intensely private man who remains just that. With just a nod to his place in history, Armstrong provides a much needed reminder of America's potential in microcosm - smart, fallible, unflinching, determined - and oh yeah, he also took a little trip.
   
   A fascinating read.

5 comments about Vipers in the Storm: Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot.

1. Rosenkranz provides plenty of details about exactly what a combat pilot does in a very busy F-16 cockpit, and he also details some of the interesting personal history that led him into this career. Unfortunately, he can't resist frequently venturing off into naive political and historical analyses of the wider questions of the war and the threat Iraq posed to the world, reprinting many speech excerpts from President H.W. Bush as justification for what he and his fellow service men and women were doing, extending them, in the end, to justify the current war in Iraq without ever considering the problems incurred by pursuing policy with force in the Middle East. At times the book reads like an instrument of the Republican National Committee campaign to reelect George W. Bush, or at the very least an apologist for the mistakes of both Bush administrations in the Middle East.



2. Rosenkranz is no Hemingway, but he does a good job of telling the entire story of his experience in Desert Storm. One of the things this book has that others about similar experiences lack is the emphasis on the human aspects of war (the moral issues that come from killing people, the toll that being away from one's family takes.) I immensely enjoyed the fact that this book shows that you don't have to be gung-ho all the time to be a good military man, and it in fact has given me more respect for those that serve our country because of the way it relates that one's primary drive to go to war should stem from a strong sense of duty rather than a sense of thrill.



3. This is a brilliant book.
   For anyone interested in military aviation or modern warfare I can only recommend reading Keith Rosenkrantz's excellent account of his part in the first Gulf War.
   This book is well written, easy to read, detailed and personal in a way many of these books fail to be.
   As a pilot myself (commercial) and having always dreamed of flying such aviation exotica as the F-16, this book is the key for us mere mortals to step into the world of the modern fighter pilot. It gives you a taste of the discipline, courage and commitment required.
   For all this and much more you should definitely check out Vipers in the Storm.
   
   When you're finished reading it drop Rosey a line, like I did to thank him for sharing his experiences. His email address is at the back of the book and he was gracious enough to reply to my message too. An officer and a gentleman not to mention hero.



4. Boy, I loved this book. As someone who's NOT a pilot and NOT in the military, this book provided a TON of insight into the day-to-day life of a combat pilot.
   
   One way to see what it's like to be a fighter pilot is to buy a combat flight sim for your PC. Sometimes I wonder how real these are. However, when reading Rosey's account, I can say, they're pretty real!
   
   So many times I've forgone all tasks other than countering a missile threat. So many times I've almost flown into the ground at night. Rosey did these, too, and I can't imagine how it feels to really see a SAM guiding on you, coming out of the clouds.
   
   In addition to a lot of things flight sim fans have gone through, Rosey adds a lot of real life perspective. I laughed when he described how F-16 pilots bring 'piddle packs' on long flights and he described how he went about not making a mess with them. I laughed again when he described bringing a granola bar with him on flights, for the ride home after a bombing run. I've often gotten up while playing a flight sim and gone to the fridge for a snack.
   
   For flight sim fans, this book should be REQUIRED READING. It gives a great perspective on how missions are planned and carried out. I was surprised by a lot of the real-life aspects of combat flight and was equally surprised by some of the aspects that read the same way an 'after-action' report from a flight sim mission reads. I'm still blown away by a couple of the mission accounts when Rosey went 'downtown'.



5. i bought this book as a gift for my husband who is an f18 pilot himself, we r from kuwait so a gulf war book is a must have for us.. my husband owns a bigggg library with all sort of war and military books.. but this one was sooo special he couldnt put it down in fact i was a little jealous of the book! he loved it soo much u wont believe it.. in fact i gave it a quick scan myself and i enjoyed the story too. when i asked my husband what he thought of the book because im writing for amazon, he just said that its the best book he ever read and its a very good account of what happened during the war to liberate our country!

3 comments about Around the World with LBJ: My Wild Ride as Air Force One Pilot, White House Aide, and Personal Confidant.

1. There are those who disliked LBJ. They probably would have felt differently if they had known the personal man. This book gives highly personal insights into a man often called "bigger than life." And, reading this well written and well-researched book (the author lived it), many would change those negative views.
   
   The writing is interesting, well done, and highly engaging. The author, retired Air Force General, Air Force One Plane Commander, and Presidential Military Aide James Cross said he wanted to show the unknown and deep humanity of President Johnson. He succeeds without pandering, but rather just by stating plain-spoken truths from an impressive man himself, General Cross.
   
   General Cross started as an Alabama country boy and became a close confidante of the President of the United States. He was not political; he was a highly respected and respectable officer in the U. S. Air Force who did his job and did it well. General Cross is the unsung hero here. The incidental glimpses we get of him in this book - definitely not given to build himself up - show a very decent man serving his president and his country well and with good, old-fashioned patriotism and honor.
   
   I would personally estimate that almost anyone who reads this book will enjoy it, be impressed by it, and come away from it with a much more positive image of President Johnson...plus meeting a genuinely nice guy who our country is fortunate to have had that close to the top: General James U. Cross
   Review by:
   Dick Stanford
   The Azusa Gazette
   Book Reviews
   May 2008



2. Very well written and tells a lot about the inner being of LBJ. You won't want to put it down.



3. Fantastic insight to behind the scenes situations at the highest level; apart from politics, the book describes how great and caring some people can be, particularly those who are, or may be, bludgeoned, ruthlessly and ignorantly by the media.

5 comments about Taking the Hill: From Philly to Baghdad to the United States Congress.

1. If only all of our elected officials came up the way Congressman Murphy has, then we would have a much more honest and effective government. Instead of power hungry, partisan politicians, the story of Patrick Murphy brings a refreshing look, and an inspirational one, to how people motivated by the right principles can reach great heights and most of all...make a difference.
   The book is a clean read and broken down very evenly into three parts: his upbringing in Philly, his experience in Iraq and the much needed first hand look into a Congressional Campaign. Speaking as a former veteran of the Iraq war, Congressman Murphy is spot on in his portrayal of the what goes on, internally and externally, when deployed to a combat zone. There was no glory, thankless hard work, and the overwhelming feeling of "what am I doing here?" This is not to be political, but an honest assessment of the feelings of the majority of soldiers... whose stories will never be told.
   The book was well written with a great narrative, but also educational as a first hand account into the Iraq war and the ugly world of running a campaign for Congress. A must read for future leaders of a new generation.



2. This is a great book, not a good book, but a great book. As someone who has done multiple tours in Iraq, I can say with pleasure how thrilled I am that Congressman Murphy is on the Hill representing our interests. He is a leader who has clearly not forgotten where he comes from and this story reflects that both in its telling and in his values.
   
   The life he describes in Iraq as a deployed officer is one I know all too well and I must admit it was a bit painful for me to read some sections of this book. The frustration and exhaustion are experiences I have had too often over the course of the past few years. If you are looking for story on the "reality" on the ground this is it.
   
   All the way!!!



3. This story of Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq War vet to get elected to Congress is informative and sobering. It's also a pretty good read. But, it's not a great read.
   
   The book is more informative when Murphy discusses his run for Congress than in his analysis of how and where Bush went wrong in launching the Iraq War in the first place, or how Bush, Cheney, Bremer, Rumfeld et al screwed up after the invasion.
   
   Throw in the fact that Murphy felt compelled to join the Blue Dog Coalition and renew funding for the School of the Americas, with the larger position that, as a freshman in Congress who got elected on one issue, and this is not a five-star book.
   
   If I were the first rater, I might give it four stars. But, in light of the five-star fluff, it has to get knocked down to three stars as a counterweight.
   
   Since there's nothing new on Iraq, I'll focus on Congressman Murphy.
   
   First, the amount of work involved with getting elected is huge. Especially for a first-time office-seeker with not a lot of name recognition, it can be grueling. Murphy spells that out in detail, both for the Democratic primary and the general election. He then details attack-dog Republican tactics against him in the general election, including a possible Hatch Act violation by the chief of staff of his opponent, incumbent Republican Mike Fitzpatrick.
   
   Next, he discusses the hypocrisy of some endorsements, though he's either too kind or too soft to use the word "hypocrisy."
   
   That includes the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsing Fitzpatrick, a non-veteran. That includes unions endorsing Fitzpatrick because "he returns our phone calls." (It's all about access, isn't it?)
   
   Murphy then explains his decision to join the Blue Dogs because they stand for "balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility."
   
   But, uhh, Pat ... "paygo" on budget issues is an official position of your party as a whole in both houses of Congress. No need to join the Blue Dogs for that, unless you think Pelosi and Reid are giving lip service.
   
   As for SOAR, especially in light of Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, you're naïve at best if you really think that under this administration, all its days of training human rights thugs are in the past. You should have voted to kill it.
   
   In short, contrary to some comment, a good book but not a great one. While it is interesting to read about the shoe leather of a Congressional campaign, one doesn't have to be an Iraq vet to do that, either.



4. I saw Murphy in a Discovery documentary about DNC-sponsored Iraq war veterans running for Congress in 2006. He was obviously the most impressive of the bunch and the only one who won. As a Californian who travels to Philly often for business, I am somewhat familiar with Bucks County and the demographics of that area. Murphy beat all the odds: winning his first race with no name recognition and little money. The narrative about his race kept my interest and the details of a long congressional campaign against an incumbent with name ID and money were most interesting. There are, however, much better Iraq war memoirs in print. So I skipped most the gung-ho warrior stuff (Murphy had been a JAG paratrooper, not a grunt or company commander) and went to the last third of the book. He credits his wife (a Republican) with getting him over the top. Keep your eyes on this fall's election as the GOP has recruited Tom Manion, a retired Marine colonel whose son Travis was KIA in Iraq, to challenge Murphy. Regardless of political affiliation, it's good to see fellow veterans get elected to Congress in times of war.



5. Patrick Murphy has written his autobiography. This book details how a street fighting kid from Northeast Philadelphia wound up teaching at West Point, serving in the Iraq War, and getting elected to Congress, all by age 33.
   
   Patrick Murphy graduated from Widener Law School in Harrisburg and joined the JAG Corps. He also became one of the few JAG lawyers to also complete paratrooper training. Indeed, he was the first attorney to complete 82nd Airborne Division training in two decades. Then he found himself one of the youngest professors at West Point, where he also wrote a column entitled "Murphy's Law" for the official Military Academy newspaper.
   
   While serving in the JAG Corps, Murphy was the Command Judge Advocate for a district that ranged from Sarajevo to Hungary. He then was assigned to Iraq where he served as both an attorney and as a soldier on patrol. As a military attorney, he handled the very sensitive subject of Iraqi legal claims. As a soldier, he led patrols into dangerous zones, taking on pistol fire.
   
   Murphy witnessed war and military practices and he emerged from these experiences with strong opinions. He finds the dismissal of gays from the military to be very counterproductive, especially since there is a shortage of troops. He finds it dangerous to the remaining troops that 3,500 troops, including 50 Arab language interpreters, have been dismissed at a time when the remaining troops are being overly stretched in what they need to do.
   
   Murphy is upset over the use of private contractors in Iraq are paid as much as $150,000 a year tax free for tasks such as gardening and sorting mail when privates in combat earn $15,000 a year. There are about as many private contractors in Iraq as there are troops. He was further upset that these contractors fell outside the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which meant they could not be prosecuted for just about anything they did wrong in Iraq, including killing civilians. When Murphy was elected to Congress, he proposed the Iraq Accountability Act that called for better oversight and scrutiny of how our money is spent on contractors and to eliminate the fraud and waste he saw in this system.
   
   Murphy was frustrated as seeing how the military failed to provide body armor to troops. 80% of Marines who died in Iraq could have lived had they worn such armor. He was further startled to see that vehicles lacked proper protection against mines and even after years of this being pointed out, only 6,000 vehicles were properly provide with the correct protective attachments. He is upset that this is a war where standing by existing slow delivery contracts with suppliers takes priority over rapid production of what troops require. He notes how our country could build 57,000 tanks, 109,000 airplanes, and 31,000 beach landing vehicles in a matter of months during World War II. He compares that to our inability to come close to that level of productivity today.
   
   Bureaucracy upset Murphy. He noted how over fifty soldiers had applied for U.S. citizenship before being sent to duty in Iraq. They were then denied citizenship because the law requires them to be in America for processing their application.
   
   The largest mistake Murphy observed was dismantling the Iraqi army. This army should have been brought as an ally against insurgents. We have spent much time and afford trying to rebuild this army. Many of the newly hired soldiers lack equipment, uniforms, discipline, and training and have proven incapable to follow orders and fight, according to Murphy. When the army was abolished, Iraqi soldiers suddenly became unemployed. Many became upset at America and many needed employment. Some of these unemployed soldiers developed sympathy or found employment with insurgents and became the enemy, Murphy argues.
   
   The stress on the war on soldiers also upset Murphy. Some soldiers have been called back for historic high rates of tours, up to four tours, and have faced more days of combat than was faced by soldiers in previous wars. They have left their families behind and the divorce rate for soldiers is at a historic high. When they return home, they often return with injuries and severe stress and will need much long term care.
   
   Murphy decided to run for Congress. He did so with a lifetime savings of $322 and not a single dollar for his campaign. He ran against an incumbent Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick who had won his previous election by 12 percentage points and held a 57% favorable rating. He ran a risky but successful campaign strategy. He spent all the money he first raised on early TV advertising. When various Republican operatives attempted to attack him, even claiming he had never been a combat veteran and had never been a prosecutor, the attacks failed to stick because Murphy had established his identify with voters prior to the scurrilous attacks. In time, his district was determined to be a close race, and he raised $2.4 million versus Fitzpatrick's raising almost $3 million and the National Republican Congressional Campaign spending another $3.6 million. Murphy won by 1,518 votes, or by 0.6 percentage points.
   
   This is a fascinating autobiography of a young politician who has packed a lot into his life. Students of political science, Pennsylvania political history, and the Iraq War will all find this a useful book to read.

5 comments about Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command.

1. The abridged volume of Lee's Lieutenants is an excellent title for anyone interested in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. I have looked at the original 3-volume series and the only difference as one earlier reviewer points out is that the footnotes have been taken out. Given that Douglas Freeman was the editor of a Richmond, Virginia newspaper, one would expect several pages of footnotes. However, the book's essence is still retained.
   
   Freeman covers the army's life from the Seven Days' Campaign in early 1862 to the bitter end at Appamattox in April 1865. He mentions just enough detail of the battles for the reader to comprehend the importance and result of each engagement. The deeper focus is on the main officers in Lee's army and their relationship with Lee and each other.
   
   The narrative is free flowing and is easy to read without being simplistic. Indeed, while the book is just over 800 pages, I found myself reading several pages on many occasions.
   
   If you are looking for a book about the Confederate side of the Civil War's Eastern Theater, then this is your read! The only gripe I had was the few maps - there could have been more and could have been more detailed. However, there are plenty of books out there on specific engagements that can make up for the difference.
   
   Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!



2. .....your time, and money, will be well used. Stephen Sears has done a one volume abridgment of one of the greatest works in the English language, and done it quite well. When this book came out in 1998, it filled a gap; Richard Harwell had written one volume versions of Dr. Freeman's other two masterworks back in the 1960's.
   
   For the uninitiated, "Lee's Lieutenants" is the history of The Army of Northern Virginia told from the viewpoint of those who served under the command of General Robert E. Lee. Douglas Southall Freeman's magnum opus "R.E. Lee" had been published in the late 1930's; Dr. Freeman was afraid that the "other generals" would be forgotten [and some would have been], so he published the three volumes of "Lee's Lieutenant's" during WWII. It quickly became a standard work for historians, and for students at every military academy on Earth. It was required reading at West Point for years, and may still be.
   
   The first two thirds of the volume focus on Stonewall Jackson, and the last one third on James Longstreet; that is proper. The others are not forgotten, which was the idea in the first place; John Bell Hood, A.P. Hill, D.H. Hill, JEB Stuart, Jubal Early, Dick Ewell, Billy Mahone, "Maryland" Steuart, Wade Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee, John Brown Gordon, etc., etc., etc. Dr. Freeman made the point that not every Confederate General was a hero, and that many mistakes were poured out of a bottle. Alas, he was right, BUT, there were far more good than there were bad and indifferent....
   
   Following Mr. Harwell's model, Sears had cut out all the footnotes and appendices, most of the bibliography, and much of the dialog. For 99+% of readers, this book is all you will need, or want. It will give you an excellent overview in a well written manner. I own three copies. Still...But... The full three volumes are absolutely definitive. They are not difficult to find at a decent price ["R.E. Lee" is difficult, and "George Washington" impossible]; I own two sets. While I heartily recommend the full version, I have to recognize that most people don't need to go that far. Read this; it may make you want more, and the full story will make more sense if you've read this first.



3. I have not read this abridgement. I gave it two stars because it is still Douglas Southall Freeman, more or less. I have read the three volume set twice now and no doubt will go through it again in the future. In three volumes this is a classic of the genre, books that set the standards for all the others, just like Shelby Foote's three volume compendium. An abridgement of this type is for the novice set. My opinion is that everyone who is interested should get the three original volumes. I believe they can still be found or at least ordered.



4. Even though the original three-volume version of Douglas Southall Freeman's "Lee's Lieutenants" is not absolutely punctilious about bowing before the altar of Twenty-first Century political correctness, if ever a historical study and a historian deserved five stars, it is this history and this historian.
   
   The book that has generated this review, however, is not the book that Freeman wrote but an abridgement, this is to say, about 800 pages rather than the 2,395 pages, plus CXLIII pages of introductory material and photgraphs, to be found in the three massive, dignified, black volumes issued by Charles Scribner's Sons at the height of the World War II paper shortages.
   
   As an abridgement of a masterpiece, this book isn't bad. But it is not the real thing.
   
   Even a little bit of Freeman is still a good thing, so four stars--but seek out Freeman's real, three-volume "Lee's Lieutenants"!
   
   LEC/AM/8-08



5. Bah, humbug. Having read the original 3-volume works (my parents gave it to me for Christmas of 1954), and re-read it from time to time, I found this abridgement unsatisfying and almost a mockery of the original. I recommend that any person seriously interested in the Army of Northern Virginia spend the additional money for the original.
   
   I supposed the current work would be satisfactory for a newcomer to the Civil War and might even give this work five stars. Freeman was the undisputed giant with respect to Southern History, also writing the 4-volume set "R. E. Lee, A Biography," and editing the 52-volume set of the "Southern Historical Society Papers," which is usually purchased as an adjunct to the 130-volume "War of the Rebellion, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies." All of these are still available (for up to $2,500.00), and they are indispensible for the committed Civil War Historian.
   
   Freeman's prose is as lively and readable today as it was when he wrote in the 1930s and 40s. In fact, I would give five stars to all his works including "George Washington" and "The South to Posterity." I am not sorry I purchased the LL abridgement, as it is of course a good read, but not the reference the original was.
   
   So buy this abridgement, but then move up to the original or buy the original in the first place.
   
   Freeman develops all of the subordinate commanders of the Army of Northern Virginia, with a particular emphasis on Stonewall Jackson. Personnel from Major Pelham on up are treated with sympathy and respect even when their battlefield performance was not up to par. It is as if Freeman was emulating his hero, Robert E. Lee, who spoke kindly whenever possible about his people. There is no attack-dog writing here, but the reader will be able to form valid and accurate judgments from Freeman's evidence and commentary. Many of the generals featured in this work are not household names, not having been spectacular failures or featured prominently at Gettysburg. Officers like Ramseur, Rodes, Pegram, Anderson, Rosser, Early, A.P and D.H Hill, Pender, Gordon, Mahone and Field all come alive in Freeman's work, lightly in the abridgement, but thoroughly in the original.
   
   There is much to learn here, and much to be proud about for all Americans, Union and Confederate.

5 comments about Wings on My Sleeve (Phoenix Press).

1. 
   Having spent the last 30 years living and working next door to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, I've heard a LOT of flying stories. "You can always tell a fighter pilot...but you can't tell him much".
   
   Eric Winkle Brown's memoir is the best compilation of flying stories that I've ever heard. Imagine getting your very first flight with none other than Ernst Udet. Imagine flying F4F's off a converted banana boat during the darkest hours of WW2. Imagine flying captured Luftwaffe jets right out of Germany.
   
   Most ironic was the idea for the angled deck on aircraft carriers. Purely by accident the idea was sketched out in a board meeting for another reason when someone said "What a great idea for launching and recovering aircraft simultaneously".
   
   Great book. I'm ordering another one for a gift to a good friend and test pilot who flew in the same era.



2. I am extremely dissatisified with this product. When I opened the book the pages fell out like a snowfall. It could not be read - I threw it away.



3. The content is about 4 stars, interesting and well written, my beef is the binding of this paper back edition. As soon as started reading the pages started coming out of the book. I would strongly recommend trying the regular binding if you plan to keep the book or plan to pass it on.



4. Royal Navy pilot Eric Brown may well have been the best test pilot of his generation, and his memoir covers World War II and the years afterward, when the Royal Navy (RN) pioneered the introduction of jet aircraft on carriers. The RN was the first navy to see that the use of jets on carriers would require a redesign of carriers themselves, and Brown was in the middle of a process that provided this understanding to the US Navy and thereby led to the development of the modern angled-deck carrier. Brown had a front-row seat to a new age, and his writing will keep you turning the pages.



5. This is a brilliant book by one of the greatest pilots of all time. His experience, especially in the field of naval aviation, is quite unequalled.One needs to ration oneself, otherwise you won't put the book down.