No comments about Called to Command: A World War II Fighter Ace's Adventurous Journey.

1 comments about It's A Long Way From Llano: The Journey of a Wildlife Biologist.

1. This is one monumental book, in that the author weaves together his personal experiences from notes he kept in a journal, along with a fictional novel that he constructed from those events, during his tour. He also flashes backwards and forwards with his life before Vietnam and then returning on rice business much later. In so doing, he develops the very story we all went through as young men in college in the early to mid-sixties, who did not mind a military obligation or the hardships of deployment to SE Asia, and served well. (This is three books in one.)
   I was a helicopter pilot with the 175th Outlaws and know the Vi Thanh area well. IT was a very hostile province, and the VC owned it and all the territory to Rach Gia and the U Minh Forest. Tom Hargrove describes life with the MACV teams very specifically, and superbly addresses their thoughts and intentions while living so sparsely. The dangers of interactions with the local VN are so typical; it is a wonder we all survived our valiant attempts at pacification.
   
   This necessary book covers the Advisor side of the war, which was much more commonplace than the conventional war, being waged "Up North" with the American divisions. For those of you who want to read about this realistic Vietnam conflict in the hinterlands, read this book of outpost living and agrarian assistance to these poor rice paddy farmers. Way to go, Tom!! It was always nice to climb back into our Huey and return to Vinh Long after resupplying you guys! A lot of truth here, and maybe it has taken all these years to get it out--the way we lived our war in the Delta...

3 comments about Isaac Shelby a Driving Force in Americas: A Driving Force in America's Struggle for Independence.

1. Isaac Shelby fought in 3 wars for Independence. Lord Dunmore's War, The Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He instigated the Battle of King's Mountain, South Carolina in 1780 that eliminated one third of Lord Corwallis' British Army. Named first Governor of Kentucky. Nine states have counties named for him, and there are countless towns and cities that carry his name.



2. This book is replete with gramatical errors, and the writing becomes incoherent in a few places. Example from page 65 "The `Kentucky Gazette`, Kentucky's first newspaper, was organized to act as a forum for statehood and seperation from Virginia. But debates started endorsing secession from the Confederation of States." The incoherencies in this book are topped off by contradictions of facts stated in it. Facts are stated often times more than once but don't corroborate each other. I think there is a minimum level of writing proficiency that is anticipated, and expected, by readers but the writing in this book falls far short of achieving it. The book should never have been published, for there are too many claring errors in it.



3. The book may not be perfect, but Isaac Shelby was a great man, and this is the first biography I have found of him. The book belongs in the library of every descendent of Isaac Shelby.

5 comments about MiG Master, 2/E: The Story of the F-8 Crusader.

1. This book focus only on the F-8, thelast Navy fighter that was designed for gun air combat. You can find very detailed air combat record in Vietnam, including the time, place and names and you can really enjoy the contents and understand the other side of the stories of Navy air combat history in Vietnam



2. Barrett Tillman has long been the "gold standard" in naval aviation writing, and nowhere is his expertise more evident than in MiG Master. Long a classic in naval aviation literature, it is a solidly researched, exciting account that blends in equal measure the history of aviation technology, naval strategy, and combat operations, all well-seasoned with a strong "in the cockpit" flavor that is guaranteed to keep the reader firmly glued in the seat from the moment the book is opened until it is finished. Tillman's take is that the F-8 was a crucial fighter at a critical period in Vietnam air war history. Called at the time the "Last of the Gunfighters," it was the most successful air-to-air fighter of the war in classic high-g swirling furball dogfights. Considered by many an anachronism before the war began--an era when air-to-air missiles, then in the early stage of their own development, were hugely overvalued--the F-8 instead proved its mastery over a variety of opponents, all the way from supersonic merges and breaks in the substratosphere to tail-chases at levels so low that reeds in rice paddies were blown about by the F-8's aerodynamic wake. The combat results validated both the expectations of its designers, the training and expertise of its particularly aggressive pilots, and the dedication and skill of its maintainers, both ashore and afloat. Altogether a remarkable book by a remarkable historian, and an evocative portrayal of an era in naval aviation that is, alas, no more.



3. Book arrived within a few days and was in the condition that it was described or better, very happy with there service.



4. An account of several F-8 versus Mig encounters during the Wietnam War.
   It also gives an insight about the men that flew them and their opinions.
   A wonderful read for anyone interested in military aviation.



5. MiG Master tells the tale of the F-8 (also known as the F8U) Crusader. The F-8 Crusader was a fighter developed in the 1950's and was flown by Navy and Marine pilots during the Vietnam War. Mr. Tillman tells us of the development, procurement, deployment, and fighting history of the Crusader.
   
   My Likes:
   I picked up this book because I was mainly interested in learning about the Crusaders service during the Vietnam War (note: I learned some from Clashes: Air Combat over North Vietnam, 1965-1972 but wanted to expand my horizons somewhat). To support this, Mr. Tillman provides two chapters on Crusader service in Vietnam, one on the general usage of the aircraft and the other describing the air-to-air engagements. The air-to-air engagement chapter (MiG Encounters is it's name) provides good details on the individual engagements between Mig's and Crusaders.
   
   Another nice piece is the Glossaries. Here we about lots of interesting trivia about the Crusader from different variants, mapping for the original Navy identification code (F8U-nnn) to its Joint code (F-8E, F, etc...), to it's service in Vietnam (carriers it was assigned to , kills, etc...).
   
   My Dislikes:
   I'm going to open with the general structure of the book. Mr. Tillman writing seems a little clunky and chunky. In repeated chapters Mr. Tillman failed to define acronyms in their first use (Glossary F does function as an acronym/slang list) and repeats portions of his story. Furthermore several chapters layout promoted confusion about the F-8 or had data that seemed totally out of place or not really related.
   While the Vietnam chapters (The Vietnam Years and MiG Encounters) were the best in the book, I had problems with the layout because The Vietnam Years covered all uses of the Crusader and MiG Encounters then went back and only covered the air-to-air engagements. I would have rather have had one chapter where Mr. Tillman presented the Crusaders Vietnam service in total, blending air-to-air with its other missions.
   My last dislike was the failure to include drawing depicting engineering aspects of the F-8, armament configuration, or cockpit layout.
   
   The Rating:
   Three stars. I was really excited to learn about the F-8 Crusader and this one let me down. I was looking for a good book on the F-8 Crusader (ala F-105 Thunderchief: Workhorse of the Vietnam War) but got something that didn't scratch the itch I had. This book is a good summary of the F-8, but not one I'd want if I could only have one book on the F-8.

4 comments about Whispering Death "Tuag Nco Ntsoov": ...Our Journey with the Hmong in the Secret War for Laos . . . Lub caij peb thiab Hmoob koom tes ua ntsug rog ntsiag to nyob Los Tsuas teb.

1. I spent two tours doing what this book is all about, and over the years there are alot of time gaps, dates, buddies, and names that just fadded over the years. This book put me back in the right seat, same planes, and on the same missions. From Phu Bai, to Udorn, and Thuay Hue, Bob Curry tells it as it was being an enlisted man in an officers world! A great book that placed me right over the PDJ 35 years ago, to returning home to the same welcomeing that so many of us recieved. Well worth your reading time!



2. I read it and couldn't put it down. I cried, I laughed. I understood for the first time what the Hmong did for this country and how we left them to die alone. Are we doing this to our allies today?



3. I am having trouble getting into this book. Not at all because of the topic, which is very interesting, but because the American author (not the Hmong author) complains about how hard he had it. When he was aircrew and slept in a bed every night with clean clothes to wear. I'm sorry, he did just not suffer 1/100 th physically and emotionally the way the that grunts (in any war) did.
   
   He explains his thousand yard stare started after one of his buddies didn't make it back. After reading memoirs of infantry, whose diarrhea was so bad that their pants were soaked with their own waste, freezing cold, their friends shot and brains splattered on their buddies face , not sleeping or eating for days, I just can't stand that part of this book where he whines. If I can ignore that and I may be able to finish this book. It has other parts that are very informative and new to me.



4. A great book about enlisted flyers in Vietnam. Not the usual I'm a pilot and your not type of book. Good detail about daily life. Well worth the purchase

2 comments about Wake Island Pilot: A World War II Memoir (Memories of War).

1. The first two chapters were a warm up for the real guts and glory! I have never met the author but just reading his book made me proud to be an American. Using the genious approach to cannibalizing parts to fly planes that had no chance of surviving against such great odds is overwhelming.

   My advise is to buy the book and read, start to finish!




2. In any story one reads about Wake Island, Lt. Kinney is always mentioned as a key player. It is interesting to piece the Wake saga together with the individual stories and anecdotes of the men like Kinney who were there.
   The story Kinney tells is a humble one, considering the events he has seen and endured. He is the original "MacGuyver," fixing equipment not only at Wake, but also throughout his career.
   Kinney's story is like walking through nearly every chapter of military aviation history. Few can ever say they flew in everything from Curtiss Jennys to early Vietnam era jets.
   A great read for Wake Island, WWII, aviation and Korean War enthusiasts alike.

5 comments about I Flew for the Fuhrer (Cassell Military Paperbacks).

1. just a beautiful true not hyped up story of a fighter pilots everyday life with clean well writen storys.How wounderful and full of energy knoke was in the early 40,s to the total destruction of his fighter wing in 45.



2. If Heinz had been an RAF pilot he would have been out of the cockpit more than in it. An absorbing account of the never ending and punishing grind of the German combat pilot. His accounts of aerial bombing of US B17's and B24's is made all the more remarkable in the way the tactic came about. His regard for his enemy and his comrade admirable. Not to be missed.



3. "I Flew For the Fuhrer" was written by a former German interceptor pilot who was officially credited with 52 kills (planes, not airmen), and he undoubtedly bagged more.
   
   Will we ever be able to sift WWII truth from wartime propaganda? This book is a start.
   
   The author tells us both the overall picture and the situation in his own unit. For example, he informs us that the German attack on Russia was a pre-emptive strike because of an imminent Russian attack.
   
   "We soon reach Grodno. The roads are clogged with Russian armies everywhere. The reason gradually dawns on us why the sudden surprise attack was ordered by our High Command. We begin to appreciate the full extend of the Russian preparations to attack us. We have just forestalled the Russian time table for an all-out attack against Germany for the mastery of Europe...The situation is ideal for the Bolshevists to launch their attack on Europe in furtherance of their general plan for world revolution."
   
   The recounting of the aerial dogfights was thrilling. The author had a special move, a spiraling corkscrew climb that enabled him to escape many times. The author and his friend also dreamed up the idea of bombing tightly packed bomber formations. They used rockets too.
   
   The numerical superiority of the allies was 8 to 1 in fighters, so it's not surprising that the author was shot down five times. He also experienced a few crash landings during training and in non-combat circumstances.
   
   At the end of the war the odds became suicidal, and after ditching his aircraft the author had to escape from the French resistance.
   
   Ahh, but all war is not Hell. "If we should lose this campaign, the conduct of the Frenchwomen must bear a major share of the responsibility. Nights of passion and debauchery..."
   
   I've heard of being swallowed up by the Russian winter, but swallowed up by the French ... oh, never mind.



4. Written largely in diary form, the book will give you great insight into the mind of a German aviator in WWII. He seems sincere and straightforward, but the book was published after the war and everyone benefits from hindsight. Still, there are comparisons to be drawn with today's world. That is, how a country can be duped into starting a useless, destructive conflict.



5. This is a quick read. It takes the form of a diary, although it was written after the war. Knoke was a high-scoring Luftwaffe pilot. He fought briefly in the Battle of Britain, and then on the Russian front, but the majority of his victories were against bombers and escort fighters during the Allied bomber operations against the Reich in 1943 and 1944. At first he approaches this task with gusto. He comes up with a scheme to drop time-delay bombs onto the American bombers, and eagerly awaits the introduction of Me262 jet fighters. As the war continues his comrades are shot out of the sky, or crash in accidents, and he is frequently ordered to send his last half-dozen Messerschmitts against thousand-strong bomber formations, guarded by Allied fighters. He is shot down several times - there is a period in 1943 where he seems to be shot down every other page, but each time he gets back into the air, escaping from hospital if needs be. He ends the war with a smashed foot, numerous minor wounds, and a crippled right leg. This is all conveyed in punchy, precise sentences. He becomes accustomed to death early in his career, during one of his first training flights, and he does not become philosophical until the final chapters.
   
   Knoke comes across as a complicated man. He seems likeable, but there are flashes of darkness. He enjoys flying, and writes about the beauty of Norway's mountains, but he is clearly a product of his upbringing, and of a terrible regime. He describes the invasion of Poland as a liberation of the German minority from wanton massacres - perhaps he believed that in 1939, but the book was written in 1953, and is not a literal presentation of his diaries, it is a post-war adaptation. By the end of the book he is aware that the Nazis have brought nothing but death and destruction to everything he loved, but he is still puzzled that the world hates Germans. He wants the Allied forces to team up with the Germans and fight the Soviets. The book was written in 1953, and he ends by wondering when Stalin's tanks will roll across Europe. There is a postscript from 1991, in which he contemplates the fallen Berlin Wall, but he does not mention politics.
   
   It is interesting to compare the book with information that has emerged since it was published. The introduction credits him with fifty-two victories, but an appendix from 1997 notes that this is a mistake, and that he actually shot down thirty-three Allied aircraft. The 1997 appendix does not point out that Knoke died in 1993 (his wife, Lilo, who is mentioned throughout the book, died in 2000).
   
   On a tangent, there's a very informative website about Heinz Knoke's career, made by a man called Franck Ruffino. Amongst other things, it fills in some detail about Knoke's first shared kill, a Spitfire reconnaissance flight over Norway. Knoke writes that he is happy to see the pilot bale out, and later shares a brandy with him. The website identifies the RAF pilot as F/Lt Alastair Gunn. Sadly, it points out that Gunn was later executed for his part in the "great escape", something which would undoubtedly have horrified Knoke, if he had known.
   
   The website suggests that at least one of Knoke's anecdotes in the book was actually a white lie. There is an incident where he has to belly-land his 109 onto a Norwegian glacier. Knoke attributes this to a faulty fuel system, but the website makes a convincing case, based on photographs and personal testimony from a Norwegian urchin, that Knoke and two other pilots of his flight had been flying hundreds of miles off-course in order to take photographs of Norway's scenery, and they had simply run out of fuel. He could not write this down at the time, because he would have been court-martialed, and so would his friends.
   
   Knoke recounts a story in which he is shot down, and gets into a gunfight with some French resistance soldiers. It does not ring true. It seems very James Bond, complete with a witty quip from Knoke after he shoots a man in the head.
   
   If you are into fighter planes, Knoke generally does not go into detail about his aircraft, although there are little titbits here and there (he tests a 30mm cannon, and his 109 is equipped with unguided anti-bomber rockets on at least one occasion). He flies a 109 throughout his career, and seems to skip from an E to a G model, although he apparently flew an F model as well.
   
   Overall this is an interesting contrast to typical RAF pilot memoirs. Knoke seems to have been made of the same stuff - wet, soppy upbringing, followed by a brief burst of enthusiasm for the war, followed by grinding fatigue and fatalism - but at the same time his politics are laughable, and I have to wonder how much of the book is true to life, and how much is embroidered.

5 comments about American Nightingale: The Story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy.

1. I just finished reading American Nightingale. What a FANTASTIC book. The story of Frances Slanger is truly inspirational and the greatest testament to this inspiration, and to her heroism came from the very men that she cared for while in Europe. I am an avid reader of WWII books and I rank this up there as one of the best that I've ever read. Great job!



2. Frances Slanger has been overlooked in histories of World War II and D-Day, and it is entirely due to Bob Welch (and to his chief informant, Nurse Sallylou Cummings, a spry 82 when she contacted Welch) that we now know her name and her amazing story. If ever the word "hero" was deserved it was here, and it gains luster from use when applied to Slanger, Cummings, and all the nurses who landed on Normandy sixty years ago and more. Can you imagine trying to jump off a boat, eying the water ahead of you, and trying to guess if it was three feet of water--or ten? Poor Frances, burdened down with a pack almost half her size, sank to the bottom of the ocean floor almost immediately. Why, her helmet alone was nearly 50 ounces. Luckily some strong men rescued her, for she was needed on the bloody sands of Omaha Beach.
   
   A girl of European origins, young Frances was nearly turned back at Ellis Island due to a swollen eye. We do not know the details, but we suspect that some now unknown kindness bent the rules a little bit and allowed Frances to remain with her kin even though she was, by strict standards, "damaged goods." The girl grew up eternally grateful to the USA for allowing her and her family safety and security (for they were Jewish fleeing an anti-Semitic overlord in Europe) and it seems only natural in retrospect that she should have chosen to become a nurse.
   
   In Europe she died a heroine, but she always insisted, "No, it is not I who have done anything--it was always the boys, the brave boys." It was almost as though to call attention to her own heroism would have been to diminish it.
   
   Bob Welch should be proud of what he has done here. The book isn't always brilliantly written, and he employs a confusing time structure of trying to tell the day by day story of Frances Slanger's war, with interspersed flashbacks of her difficult pre-war life, and it just doesn't always work. But it doesn't have to. The story is riveting nonetheless.



3. As a nurse that has retired from that field, I read this book and was touched beyond words about the person Frances Slanger and the nurse and heroine Frances Slanger. I am an avid reader and love to read about WWII era; this book opened a new area of history that hasnt been adequately covered. It is well written and I highly recommend!



4. This was melodramatic, trite, and completely lacked any sort of understanding of real life. As a military nurse and veteran of the current Iraq war, I was apalled by the way the author milked this story for all the melodrama it was worth.
   That said, Frances Slanger's life and death should be recognized. If you want to read about her, look her up online, or contact the Stars n' Stripes newspaper itself to view the original letter she wrote along with the responses she never got to read.



5. I loved this book. I am a nurse myself and it was touching to see the lives we make an impression on and do not realize. It will bring tears to your eyes. It will touch the heart of many.

1 comments about The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke: November 20, 1872, to July 28, 1876 (Diaries of John Gregory Bourke).

1. 
   
   Captain John Gregory Bourke (June 23, 1843-June 8, 1896): 3rd U.S. Calvary, Civil War veteran, graduate of West Point, staff officer to General George Crook for 16 years, writer, diarist, ethnologist, holder of the Civil War medal and Medal of Honor, and later Indian War medal, now buried in Arlington National Cemetery with wife, Mary. What a life he packed into those short 52 years of life!
   
   If any primary sources should see print, it is the written diary that John Gregory Bourke kept throughout his life. We owe a true vote of 'thanks' to Mr. Robinson for taking on this venture.
   
   Though Captain Bourke published many works during his army years his diary, far as I know, has never seen the light-of-day in book form. John Bourke, General Crook's 'Dr. Watson', was himself an ethnologist, a military historian, as well as writer. To the Sioux (Lakota) he was known as "Ink Man" and later to the Apaches he was known as "Paper Medicine Man". He was both an "accurate reporter of Indian custom and ritual".
   
   Eventually he was invited to work with the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology and his interest in tribal welfare did some damage to his long army career. Many readers will remember two of his better known works: ON THE BORDER WITH CROOK, and AN APACHE CAMPAIGN IN THE SIERRA MADRE. Faithful to General George Crook, to whom he had served 16 years in field or post as staff officer, Bourke's writings offer an historical chronicle of their joint military campaigns. In 1986 Joseph C. Porter wrote a fine biography of Captain John Gregory Bourke entitled PAPER MEDICINE MAN.
   
   At the time of this review, 3 volumes of the important historical diaries have been published by Mr. Robinson and University of North Texas Press. May this noble, worthy effort be blessed with much success; what a boon for any reader interested in plains history and the Indian War campaigns of the 19th century.
   
   Semper Fi.

5 comments about She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story.

1. I pinched COL Cornum's book from my boyfriend, curious to find out more about his boss. She jogs by my workplace almost daily, she seems frail and full of girlish energy. Recently,I met her at a LRMC function and she IS full of girlish energy. As she's a former POW, I was unsure what to expect. Since then, I've been even more curious about the woman my old mentor COL Ron Blanck described as "a woman to watch". That was back in '91 - we'd been following her release on AFN-TV from FARMC HQs during Morning Report. I was hungover but jolted out of my stupor by the respect in his voice. He later made it 4-star and respect was never something he's doled out like party favors.
   I've just finished her book (coincidently on the anniversary of her release thirteen years ago). It was staunchly pro-military and pro-American without resorting to gush-mode. It made me laugh unexpectedly, it made me run to my PC and download Lee Greenwood, it made me understand my former mentor. I took it to bed, I took it to breakfast and finally, I took it in the tub with me where I cried so hard at the reunion passage that I dropped it in the water. It was the autographed copy which she'd recently presented to my boyfriend on his birthday. I hope her sense of humour has rubbed off on him. If not, I'm in big trouble. Buy this book. Buy your own copy and buy some for your family. Then buy some for your neighbors. I need the karma points.



2. I'd heard that there was a female soldier captured during the first Gulf War, but I didn't know anything about her until I read this book. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Rhonda Cornum's strong personality comes through the pages of this book. Just her description of how she coped with her untreated injuries is impressive, and I second the person who admired how she kept her spirits up by singing in her prison cell. I hope if I ever found myself in as adverse a situation as she did, that I would be able to remain as courageous and confident throughout. Her description of the struggles she faced as a woman in the military is blunt without sinking into self-pity. An interesting and impressive slice of the first Gulf War, and a courageous role model and heroine.



3. I express my deep respect, admiration and gratitude for Colonel Rhonda Cornum's service to our country and the medical profession. She is a soldier's soldier. Her book is as entertaining and as inspirational as her career. Read it and it will change your life forever.



4. I thought I'd let readers know that now Col. Rhonda Cornum was nominated for promotion to Brigadier General today.



5. I got this book after the First Gulf War. Rhonda Cornum's courage as a POW is inspirational, especially under the circumstances in shich she found herself. It is well-known how the Ba'athists rotinely employed torture (real torture, not redefined torture) in order to get airmen to make statements critical of the Coalition war effort. In fact, the enemy we were fighting against at the time were barbarians who had no scruples when it came to the men and women who fell into their hands.
   
   An awesome book about an awesome Soldier.