5 comments about General Patton: A Soldier's Life.

1. Stanley P. Hirshon has written an average study of an important American war hero. Two and a half stars is really the rating I would like to give this book. Hirshon argues that he has written a different book from other biographers. While that is true, what he is really trying to do with that statement is distinguish himself from Carlo D'Este who published his Patton biography after Hirshon had invested four years of research into this project. He encourages his readers to compare his biography to others. I am not sure most people will do that, but I am also writing a book on the making of the film "Patton." As a result, I have consulted and examined both biographies and what I find is that Hirshon comes to a number of different conclusions, but most of them seem to exaggerate minor differences and/or reflect a lack of familiarity with the military.
   
   
   
   Hirshon uncovers a number of vignettes about Patton's life that are new. His coverage of Patton's experiences in the Olympics is particularly good. One of D'Este's major themes was that the most significant factor in shaping Patton's life was his dyslexia. A major theme that Hirshon pursues without mentioning D'Este's name is that Patton was NOT dyslexic. He certainly has an argument, but he takes it too far. He also spends a good deal of time discussing Patton's father and the wide divergence in their political views. The senior Patton was an important politician in California, who played a key and underappreciated role in getting Woodrow Wilson reelected in 1916. While Patton's relationship with his father could have been better than it was and their different political values are part of that story, the differences are not what made the son historically important and the emphasis Hirshon places on them seems excessive.
   
   
   
   When most people think of Patton, they think of a 43-year old raspy-voiced actor named George C. Scott standing in front of a giant U.S. flag giving a war speech: "We have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit and the best men in the world. You know, by God I actually pity those poor bastards we're going up against. By God, I do. We're not just going to shoot the bastards, we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel." Hirshon spends a lot of time discussing the real speeches that Patton delivered to his soldiers and argues that these were the basis for atrocities that troops under his command committed. The story of killing civilians is hardly as new as Hirshon claims--other historians have looked into these events--and while some soldiers at the time tried to say they were following Patton's instructions there is a world of difference between giving a blood thirsty speech designed to inspire men to go into combat, and giving a formal order to kill non-combatants. Hirshon believes that had this event been better investigated at the time that it would have led to Patton's removal from command. This argument is difficult to accept, but one on which the author places great emphasis.
   
   
   
   On other matters, the writing is adequate. The research is good and the author has consulted new sources that other biographers have not but their importances is open to question. What strikes me most is that Hirshon came to dislike his subject during this project and it shows. On the other hand, D'Este offers his readers a detached and balanced account that shows his readers Patton's strengths and weaknesses. D'Este is also quite alert to the details of military life. (I gave it five stars in an amazon.com review). You won't go wrong reading Hirshon's book, but there are other titles out there that are better on the same subject.



2. Overall, GENERAL PATTON: A SOLDIER'S LIFE is a good, solid, if unspectacular tracing of George Patton's life.
   
   There is a photograph in the book that shows Bing Crosby visiting a war zone to entertain the troops. The crooner has eschewed a steel helmet, and wears instead a less-protective soft cap. The caption announces that General Patton threatened, in fact, to have Bing Crosby court-martialed for his choice of headgear.
   
   Okay. So here's my question. Was General Patton being serious? (Which would mean he was a mean old son-of-a-gun.) Or was Old Blood and Guts just teasing? (Which would mean he had a caustic sense of humor). I don't know: nowhere in the body of the text is Bing Crosby mentioned.
   
   Similarly: George Patton's fatal car accident is mentioned. But we don't learn whether this was a dumb, avoidable car accident, or a one-in-a-million, odds-defying tragedy, or possibly a conspiracy. Stanley Hirshson, the book's author, doesn't take us to that level of detail.
   
   Similarly: we learn a good bit about George Patton's performance as an Olympic athlete. But we don't really learn what **Patton himself** felt about the experience. We just get second-hand stuff. Mustn't Patton have spoken or written about his pentathalon performance at some point? If so--let's have it!
   
   In short, this book will give you a good overview of Patton's life and it raises some interesting, even provocative ideas, but overall it remains just a bit flat and incomplete.



3. I read somewhere that great men have great flaws and General George S. Patton was no exception. Gruff, volatile, arrogant, and self-promoting, Patton was nonetheless a bold tactician. Stanley Hirshson, far from presenting a hagiography, has decided to concentrate on the former. Indeed, it appears Hirshson has a sizeable axe to grind.
   
   Though no particular fan of Patton, I couldn't help but notice that much of the author's unfavorable narrative was not only anecdotal but defamatory. True, Patton was an extremely controversial figure with viewpoints any objective person would question, but Hirshson plainly contradicts himself when accusing the general of ant-semitism. His claim that Patton did not respect Jewish junior officers seems to be at odds with the fact that Patton sent several to free his son-in-law from a POW camp in Germany.
   
   One also detects a socialist ideologue deeply offended by the concept of meritocracy. Patton simply didn't share the author's worldview and Hirshson's dismay at this bleeds through to the written page. When not immersed in these complexities, Hirshson does the battlefield a disservice with maps that are basically worthless. The troop dispositions and maneuvers of the ETO's most daring general are completely ignored. Rather, we are given town names and not a heck of a lot more.
   
   Can Hirshson write well? He can. Did the book hold my interest? It did. But, as I closed the book for the final time, I did not feel the satisfaction that a good book provides. Instead, I felt I'd been piloted through the life of Patton by a man not disinterested enough to drive. 3 stars.



4. I was reviewing my wish list and noted the low average rating this book received. The author invested more than a decade reviewing source documents and interviewing primary sources in order to complete this book. The book is very readable, entertaining, comprehensive, flows well, and is replete with relevant facts, as it should be. Any rating below five is ridiculous.



5. Aside from excellent points made by other reviewers, I found Hirsohson's book full of repetitions, untenable assumptions or conclusions and in some cases too much detail; all of which reminded me of the lecture of a brilliant history professor who has been kept on the job too long and whose mind is approaching senility. There is useful new information about Patton and some of his subordinate generals but this is not the "definitive" biography.

3 comments about D-day Survivor: An Autobiography.

1. There are many books on Omaha beach that talk about the overall strategy, the failures and victories and talk about the leaders and commanders. There are also military-study type books that break down the action sector by sector and unit by unit. However there are surprisingly few accounts by men that landed in the first wave. This is I suppose because of two factors: 1) the high percentage of casualties on D-Day amongst the first-wave, and 2) the fact that many of the survivors cannot talk about the events of June 6th - the memories they have are of the carnage and horror and possibly lacking in detail.
   
   Harold Baumgarten is therefore pretty unique, he is an Omaha beach survivor possessed with a photographic memory AND a compelling drive to tell others the story of the young men who landed on D-Day. Through his words the reader gets to hear first-hand about the training, formation and actual D-Day landing of his unit (B/116th Infantry) and his personal tale of terrible injuries and his determination to see his mission through and simply to survive. But also he describes the equipment and uniforms worn, the tactics employed and talks about the German defences. But above all he tells of the brave young first-wavers, with his skillfull writing these men he fought alongside are not just names, they are people, we learn where they are from, what they were like and hear about their fate - some sad, and some happy.
   
   After D-Day we hear about Harold's slow recovery and his personal mission to aid family members of those who fell, his becoming a doctor, and ultimately his re-visiting of Omaha and his current role as one of the few spokesmen left of the "greatest generation".
   
   This book is humbling, rewarding, upifting, informative and fascinating



2. Over the years "revisionism" has become the norm in writing about history. In this book we have a precious gift in the words of someone who was actually there. Dr. Hal Baumgarten managed to write an autobiography that includes the lives of so many others than himself. It is a book for any young person seeking the story of a great man to admire. As adults reading this book we can only be humbled and proud of this survivor, who inspires us to reflect on all we do in honoring those who rendered to us our present day freedom. This is an extremely human book written by a true humanitarian.



3. As the title of this book indicates, the author was a survivor of D-Day, the massive Allied invasion of the beaches at Normandy, June 6, 1944.
   
   But the author was more than just a survivor. He was a member of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division that was in on the first wave in one of the bloodiest sectors of any beach that deadly day: Dog Green Sector, Omaha Beach.
   
   Before the author even disembarked from his landing craft, the one next to his was blown up, showering the author and his comrades with pieces of wood, bits of metal, and human body parts. As he left his landing craft, the water was already a churning sea of red blood. He was wounded four times that day by both bullets and shrapnel as he and the survivors of his unit slogged forward to establish a beachhead and began to scale the heavily, and easily, defended bluffs. (The murderous fire he had to undergo just to get onto the beach was so bad one bullet passed through his helmet and another hit his rifle.) Later, as he was being evacuated, he was wounded a fifth time, presumably by a German sniper.
   
   As he reflected on why he survived when so many others died, the author came to believe that he had a two-fold mission in life: first, to tell the story of the carnage his fellow soldiers underwent, and the courage (often unappreciated or untold) many of them displayed, to make the world a better place; and second, to become a doctor and save lives. The author succeeded admirably on both accounts.
   
   As an autobiography, the book covers more than just D-Day and includes the author's story of his induction into the U.S. Army (he was drafted at the age of 18 and could have gotten out of the draft because he was a student and one of his professors was on the draft board but he chose to go ahead and serve his country), his training and the training for D-Day and his life experiences after the invasion, including his recovery from his wounds and becoming a doctor.
   
   Highly recommended reading. A fascinating story well told.

No comments about Sweepers Sweepers Man Your Brooms: An Enlisted Man's Story.

5 comments about Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1. Oddly enough, before I read this book, I thought that Reichen Lehmkuhl was full of himself and drawing way to much attention away from the causes. But, as I read I discovered that he acts the way he does now because he ahs earned that right. He is outspoken, he is domineering... but most importantly, he is to some degree and to some people (like myself) heroic.
   The book starts off with a childhood troubled by what other people think. He felt he was ugly and was made fun of for it. He lived in a trailer and was also teased about that. This is so relatable by pretty much anyone because who hasn't been teased or insulted?
   Upon acceptance to the Air Force academy, things take on a darker turn as he battles trying to keep up with everyone else and sudden flourishes of same-sex attraction. The fact that he partook in and possibly founded the Underground gay group is a noble thing indeed... but sadly something that should not have existed at all. The story spans from childhood to his graduation from tha academy, and there are some devastating moments laced in between.
   Yet, the moment that really got to me was the climax when things started to unravel and it got dangerous. I could feel the anxiety as I read about it... knowing all to well what that anxiety felt like.
   This is not a great book by any stretch but it is a good one and it takes on homophobia in a homophobic military, exposing just how ugly this "religion" fueled hatred is. I found it personally refreshing that I share many of the views he does and am glad that I took the time to read this book.
   It isn't for everyone though. Be advised that there is a sexual assault segment that is fairly graphic and some of the same sex scenario's are fleshed out to rather deep detail... not quite soft core porn but just a tad bit dirty. I wasn't uncomfortable with any of the book, but I'm pretty sure that there amy be some readers who will be.
   So, all in all... a good book. It was entertaining and educational... and offered insight into a man that I am happy is so vocal about fighting for our rights.



2. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is coming out, who has a friend who is coming out, or thinks that Don't Ask, Don't Tell isn't hurting anyone. This is a very inspiring story about a guy who starts off like you and me and who ends up just trying to protect his friends. Read about the hypocrisy of the USAF and the military in general. I'm sure they won't admit it, but this is just one more story that confirms that Don't Ask Don't Tell is not a working program. I was impressed with the story and the quality of character described within.



3. This story is very fascinating and inspiring story. I am sure I will read this book many more times.



4. I lived in Colorado Springs during the late 1980s, and I had a cousin who graduated from the Academy in 1992, so I'm familiar with the culture of both the city and the Academy during the general time period that Reichen was a cadet. While he obviously had to use made-up names for his characters and create composite characters based on more than one person to protect his friends, the virulently anti-gay atmosphere that he describes is true to life. As a gay man myself, I had to remain deeply closeted in my own sports-related work environment, as well as enduring constant tirades in the local news media about the evils of "the chosen homosexual lifestyle." That Reichen was able to engage in any kind of gay-oriented social life at the Academy, Ground Zero for all things homophbic in "The Springs," demonstrates a high capacity for risk taking--some might even call it courage.
   
   While I've lost a lot of respect for Reichen in his post-military quest for eternal youth and gay celebrity status (I guess he has to play on his looks while he still has them), I'll always admire him for writing this book.



5. This is one of those books that after I finished it, I miss it. I miss hearing about Reichen's stories. He does very well doing it, and I must thank him for sharing so many personal and intimate details of his life. (I suppose this is why people write their autobiographies though). But many don't share quite as intimately as Reichen does. Since he is a young man still, we are taken right from early childhood up to the current time. A sequel would be nice. But wouldn't hold the same intrigue as this book did.
   
   I think Reichen Lehmkuhl is a lovely person and it was so exciting to read about him growing up. He was a grateful, loving child and youth and seemed like a good and obedient child. The main reason I bought the book was because I LOVE to read about homosexuals and military life. There aren't that many type books out there. And most of them end up with the author fighting the military about being gay (and always losing). Reichen played pretty much by the rules---he did graduate from the USAF Academy and helped many others to successfully progress through their training & education also.
   
   This was a delightful read. I became so scared for him that he was going to get caught in the Academy. I couldn't quite understand his falling back into women and heterosexuality at low moments, but I had to keep telling myself that he WAS young and most likely still questioning himself. I had to remember that I did similar things. This is one book I will KEEP as one of my special books and will reread again someday.
   
   I was unhappy with the photos. They are almost worthless. Like they were from someone else's camera and a hasty addition to the book. Biographies are so much better when they include photos throughout the life. These are very bad.

1 comments about Fighter Pilot.

1. Fighter Pilot lays claim to being the first published account of aerial combat during the Second World War. Originally published anonymously during the war, the author literally flew missions during the day while meeting with the editor in pubs at night to finish the book.
   
   Richey's book reads like a daily journal of his adventures after deploying to France in 1939 to wait out the "Phony War." Once Germany blitzed France and the Low Countries though, things became very busy very quickly. Richey, like his compatriots, fought bravely, but they were greatly outnumbered. As France's defenses collapsed, there was very little they could do.
   
   One of the most interesting aspects is how his view of the war changes from before the shooting war through just a few weeks of real fighting. Their original notion of their work is very chivalrous and idealistic, with lots of references to "our turn" to repeat the noble efforts of the aces from World War I. After downing their first German, they gather war trophies from the plane, take pictures, and invited a captured German pilot over for beer and celebration.
   
   A few weeks later, as the British Expeditionary Force continues to retreat, France collapses, and many of their squadron mates in the earlier photos have been killed, there is little chivalry and idealism left. They settle into the grim business of fighting for their life, realizing that the Battle of France is lost and growing fear for what will happen to Britain.
   
   Even in comparing it to World War One accounts (McCudden, Lewis, or Biddle), initially there is a lot of similarity in the events and encounters. Then, it quickly spirals into a brutal onslaught.
   
   The book is easy to read and flows very well. Most readers are probably surprised to learn the book finishes before the Battle of Britain begins. Fortunately, there is a sequel, Fighter Pilot's Summer, that Richey started during the war, but which wasn't completed until after his death in the 1990's.
   
   Any aviation and World War II history buff will be extremely happy with the book and primary source material. This is particularly true given the wealth of information on the Battle of Britain, but the dearth of writing on the air war over France that was the prelude. This book fills an important gap in first hand accounts of aerial combat during the Battle for France.

1 comments about Meade: Victor of Gettysburg (Military Profiles).

1. "Meade: Victor of Gettysburg," by Richard A. Sauers, is a short (121 plus xv pages) biography of the man described on the book's dust jacket as "one of the Civil War's most underrated leaders." The book features three maps, a chronology of Meade's life, black-and-white photographs, endnotes citing Sauers' sources, and a short bibliographic essay that covers biographies of Meade and original source material about him. The book covers the whole span of Meade's life, including his early military career, work as a civil engineer, reentry into the Army, Mexican War service, work on lighthouses as a military engineer, and family life.
   
   The book focuses on Meade's role in the Civil War. Sauers covers his command technique, his planning and preparation for the pivotal battle at Gettysburg, his relationship with Ulysses S. Grant, and his relationships with the officers who served under his command. Particularly interesting are the accounts of controversy and conflict among Meade and the other Union generals, as well as of the stormy relations between Meade and the press. We also get a look at Meade's hot temper. Also significant are the many personal trials Meade endured during the Civil War--injury, illness, and a critical family crisis.
   
   Although at times the text is a bit dry, Sauers includes some elements that give nice human touches to the story, such as a brief account of Meade's reunion with Robert E. Lee after Lee's historic surrender. Sauers also discusses Meade's problematic relationship with history, and takes issue with other historians for their reliance on original sources that were hostile to Meade. Ultimately Sauers' own portrait of George Gordon Meade is that of a remarkable soldier and leader. This is a thought-provoking work of military biography.

No comments about Zigzag: The Incredible Wartime Exploits of Double Agent Eddie Chapman.

5 comments about To Hell and Back.

1. In my opinion this is one of the best war movies of all time.You really feel like you are there in the heart of the battle.and the burning tank scene is the best of all.A must see.
   
   jim smith



2. I found "To Hell and Back" to be well worth the time and investment. While it could have contained more detailed information about the battles it did a great job of tell the human side of Murphy's campaigns.



3. This is on of the best books ever written about war. I'm a NCO in the Army and I believe that this book should be a preferred read on any soldiers list. I've served in Iraq on the front lines and the emotions that Audie Murphy writes about in this book are still identical in today's war.



4. "To Hell and Back" is an amazing account of Audie Murphy's real-life military service during WWII. As far as the writing style it definitely lacks flare and, at some points, you feel as though you need to put it down for a while just to take a break the from the abuse of English grammar. However, this man's heroics and peril he endured during the course of his service is so compelling that it far overshadows any literative misgivings. To think that the man (almost boy actually) came back and was able to be even somewhat normal is nothing short of a miracle. It's not only worth the money but should also be required reading by every high school history student in this country. This is what it means to be free and what price we sometimes may have to pay in oreder to stay that way.



5. Audie Murphy's story is one of incredible courage and tragedy. The most decorated American soldier who ever lived -- the 2nd most visited grave at Arlington National Cemetary after JFK -- his war experiences would leave with him with nightmares for the rest of his life. One of his wives once said that Murphy always slept with a .45 automatic under his pillow and would have nightmares where he called out the names of dead buddies. SGT York is revered for basically one battle. Audie Murphy was involved in every campaign from North Africa to Germany. While the movie depicts real events, some are somewhat toned down. While he did shoot down the German who killed his buddy in real life Murphy fired so many rounds into the guy that he literally blew him to pieces. His final action, jumping on a burning tank and holding off a German advance does not quite show the incredible courage of this soldier. He held off that attack for nearly an hour. This is why he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Still, a very good movie with Murphy natural playing himself and solid performances from Marshall Thompson and Jack Kelly.

5 comments about My Carrier War: The Life and Times of a Naval Aviator in WWII (Hellgate Memories Series).

1. Capt. Berg tells the true story of patriotisms conflict with his new family life and how he conquered his fears to serve two long flying tours in the Pacific war during the early and darkest hours of the war that affected and changed not only America but the entire world. Berg is one of the "Greatest Generation" and we are lucky to hear his story in his own words spoken from the cockpit of his torpedo bomber . I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. A Great Story. Eugene A. Olsen, Capt. USMM (ret)



2. I couldn't put it down. As someone who was born after WWII, I was able to appreciate better the time period where we all went through this difficult period. May we never have to do that again. Thank you Mr. Berg for a well written book and am looking forward to seeing it in movie form.



3. This chronicle is a rich tapestry of war time action woven against a background of a boy's transformation into manhood through duty, love, and acceptance of personal limitations. Norman Berg brings his combat missions alive with gripping vividness of detail. But it is the comparatively economical passges on his subjective experiences that give this book its poignancy. Staying the course in war and sixty years of reflection have added the tincture of a profound sense of fate to this writer's ink. It makes this memoir shine.



4. I just finished reading My Carrier War by Norman E.Berg. It is an absorbing and interesting page-turner. Mr. Berg's memories of his WW II experience offer a gripping picture of what it took to be a naval pilot in 1941 and beyond, as well as the human story of a young husband and father who faced combat as leader and participant.

   This account offers an in-depth variety of information and illumination, regardless of the interest of any particular reader. It's about learning to fly, about learning to be a naval pilot, about the characteristics of warplanes, about flying from an aircraft carrier, about life at sea, about falling in love, about making a personal life in the midst of war, about separation from your loved ones, about dropping torpedos and divebombing, about comradship, about U.S. strategy in winning the south pacific, and about humanity in a time of war.

   Beyond the details, this writer knits the story together in an engaging way. There is no tedium in this book, nor is it a superficial recitation of dry history. It offers a timeless lesson in facing personal challenges and prevailing. The book is interestingly illustrated with photographs and maps. It is a satisfying read.




5. This book was an excellent read. Mr. Berg is very candid about what it was like to be a naval aviator and having a family at the same time. I loved reading it. Thank you for writing it Mr. Berg.

5 comments about The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father's War.

1. A page turner, I could hardly put it down. Moving and poignant. Through reading about "the war" of the author's father, I learned a lot about my own father and "his war". He too faught with the 25th Division at Balete Pass in 1945, earning a combat intantryman badge and purple heart. He has rarely spoke of his experience and after reading this book, I better understand why. The Souvenir is a must read for anyone whose father fought in "The Pacific War". Thank you Ms. Steinman, The Souvenir is truly a gift.



2. Like so many in my generation, the author, like the rest of us, really had no clue as to what made her father tick. These men, and women, of the "Greatest Generation" were a different breed. I had to blink twice when the author described her father, his attitudes, work ethic, treatment of his family and on and on. She could have well been describing my own father.
   
   The author, after her father's death, discovers a box of letters written to his wife (the author's mother) during the war. Her father fought in the Pacific, taking part in some of its most brutal of battles. Amongst the letters, in an envelope, was a Japanese Flag, a "souvenir flag" which her father had sent home. The flag was of the type carried by many Japanese soldiers, which was a sort of good luck piece. The story is basically Ms. Steinman's search for the family of the soldier whose body it was taken from and a story of Ms. Steinman's search for her father, i.e. who really was her father, and how had the war changed him?
   
   Now I will be honest, there were parts of the book that disturbed me. I am not all that certain if the author ever did have a clue as to what made her father the man he was and how the war truly affected him. The author never actually says it, but after reading her description of her father, which gave us some idea of the kind of man he was, there is really no doubt where he got the flag, and how he got it. He did not seem the type of man who would simply pick up a flag off any old dead body and keep it. While this falls into the realm of speculation, I think it probably would have been better if the author had faced reality. Be that as it may, the author did quite a good job with her research and I certainly admire her objectives.
   
   The book is well written, easy to read, and quite informative. Like another reviewer here, I have the feeling the author actually found out more about herself than she did of her father, and that is actually a very good thing. I do recommend this one highly. You certainly will be richer for having read it.
   
   D. Blankenship



3. Louise Steinman has hit it out of the park with this wonderful, moving memoir about her father, Norman Steinman, his war experiences, and the way those experiences shaped his life--and his relationships with his family. It is also about Ms. Steinman's own odyssey in experiencing her father's war, through reading hundreds of her father's war-time letters discovered after her parents' deaths, talking to other Pacific War veterans, and visiting long-forgotten battlefields in the Philippines. Ms. Steinman eventually makes a special journey to Japan to visit the family of a long-dead Japanese soldier. It involves a simple errand: she needs to give something back...
   
   Ms. Steinman shows that the scars of war run deep and the impacts are felt through succeeding generations. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.



4. You see all the reviews having 5 stars out of 5 stars--I couldn't bring myself to agree. This book starts being really quite good--it drew me in--but then it started to dddddddrrrrrraaaaaaaaggggggggg. I put it down for a while and tried again (I did this 3 times) when I decided to give it up for good. I think it could have been better. :(



5. The Souvenir is a marvelous book for book group discussions, and is especially appropriate for Jewish groups. Ms. Steinman writes poignantly about her father, her family, and herself in relation to the military experience of the World War II theater of operations in the Pacific, and its aftermath. This is a story that is relatively unknown, since many histories and memoirs of World War II focus on Europe. Although not a book about Judaism, this is a very Jewish book. It is very much in keeping with the Jewish storytelling tradition: of creating and telling a good story that is important for the audience to hear, and to feeling a connection to the characters and values in the story. The themes of repentance and renewal (tshuvah in Hebrew) are vital to maintaining and nurturing relationships of family and friends, especially at the time of year when the Jewish holy days of the New Year (Rosh HaShanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) occur. I was moved to tears a number of times. There are valuable lessons to share that will broaden our understanding and compassion for veterans, their families, and Jewish values.
   
   Rabbi Wendy Spears