1 comments about Tenting on the Plains.

1. I can not say enough good about this book.....for think of it more as what Little House on the Prairie should have been if it was interesting....and what Tom Sawyer and Hunk Finn would have been if Mark Twain was a good writer.
   
   I consider this a fabulous work, because it is first hand history of the wife of General Custer in the year after the Civil War. It is the excitement of times on a broad scale and the narrow joy of a married couple coping with life.
   It honestly is a conversation between Libby, the reader with literal colorful commentary by her black maid, Eliza.
   You will read how black history really was and not what is written now.
   
   You get to see women in all their supposed helplessness at times, but when a tragedy strikes time and again their real courage and strength comes out.
   
   I have yet to read anything from Libby whether it is her personal letters...to the absolutely heart wrenching account of the day she found out her family was slaughtered at the Little Big Horn which did not show one of the most charming and delightful personas ever to imprint upon the written word.
   So as Mrs. Dockter, my 5th grade teacher always read to us after noon recess....if you have children or grandchildren....read to them...and if you have grown children get them this book as it impressed me enough to recommend it.
   
   This book should be required in every school as a reading assignment along with Dickens and Irving.

1 comments about Churchill at War: His "Finest Hour" in Photographs 1940-1945.

1. As the author or co-author of the bulk of the official biography of Sir Winston S. Churchill, few people can be said to approach Sir Martin Gilbert in their knowledge of the man and his life. Here, in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum, Gilbert has produced a wonderful visual record of "His 'Finest Hour' in Photographs."
   
   The book is divided up by years, with each year receiving a brief narrative introduction. It is not a photographic history of the war, and there are few photos of Churchill "off duty" -- to the extent he ever was in those years. But what it sets out to be, it achieves extremely well.
   
   Looking through this volume, I was impressed by the quality of (most of) these photos, and especially impressed by the sharpness and clarity with which they are reproduced here. I admit I have a particular distaste for photo-books with few or insufficient captions, and so I was very pleased to see that Gilbert gives each photo a thorough description, including not only what Churchill is doing in the image, but also naming other key people in the image and often even giving the date on which the photo was taken.
   
   I think this would be an excellent addition to the shelf (or coffee table) of any member of the vast legion of Churchillians around the globe. I have no hesitation in recommending it for the gift list for the Churchillian in your life.

5 comments about Walt Whitman's Memoranda During the War.

1. This collection of notes by Walt Whitman written during a period of time when Whitman was visiting war hospitals and camps is superb.

   Whitman gives one a glimpse of the war that is photographic and poetic. Its attention to detail, and sympathetic approach must raise a lump in the throat of even the most hardend reader.

   He shows you the places, the times and the players. He lets them speak their stories through his lines. Through sadness he exalts them.

   This book should be a required reading for all highschool or college American History classes.




2. I read this book while also reading "Don't Know Much About the Civil War" and Lincoln's letters and speeches. What a wonderful view into the century that gave rise to this great one. If you are planning to cover the civil war, or even the nineteenth century in America, this would be a central piece to help modern readers understand that time. Whitman's prose style is very modern.



3. How great that this amazing book was liberated from the dusty
   shelves of the Library of Congress rare books collection.
   In a weird way, it's sort of like Walt Whitman's "On The Road,"
   except HIS On the Road was the Civil War. It's a touching, sad,
   glorious & never boring book. Perhaps the most incredible thing about the prose is how "modern" it reads; and isn't it sad, about humanity in general, how Walt's accounts from 1862-1865 are still TOTALLY relevant today, in 2005; and will probably remain TOTALLY
   relevant for as long as human beings occupy this blood-stained planet.



4. Walt Whitman, upon hearing the news of the wounding of his brother George at the battle of Fredericksburg , took off from New York City to find him on the battlefields of Virginia. After discovering him at a hospital, and spending time with his company, Whitman decided to live in Washington DC. His sojourn there, which last many years, is brilliantly recounted in the simple book "Memoranda During the War".
   
   While working at the Patent Office during the war, Whitman volunteered much time caring and tending the wounded at the many Civil War hospitals that sprang up to take care of the men. Whitman would bring the men simple treats, such as fruit, or paper, or things to read, and spend hours tending to these brave men. This book is a recollection, however brief, of those times he spent caring for the men, including some important events of the time.
   
   While people learn about the history of the Civil War by memorizing dates and places, they often miss the impact of the Civil War. Whitman's book brings the impact of this war into real contexts. Even he, in his writing, says that the true reality of this war may be unknowable to those who would never see it. Whitman attempts to correct this by telling stories of the wounded soldiers he tends; stories of battles; and a particularly gruesome story of a raid gone bad and its horrific consequences.
   
   Whitman's prose is succinct and touching. The few soldier's lives he manages to capture on paper, some in just a few sentences, are compelling. Anyone wanting to understand this war certainly should spend an hour with Whitman as he describes his small part in this grand conflict, for with his words, comes a grander understanding of this war.



5. From 1862-65, Walt Whitman visited hospitals, camps and fields of hospital tents, over six hundred visits or tours and ministered to 80,000 to 100,000 wounded and sick. He wrote letters for them. To his dismay, he found far more Union Southerners, especially from Tennessee, than he expected. After the Battle at Columbia, Tennessee, no Rebels were left alive. "They let none crawl away, no matter what his condition."
   
   Hero stories are almost always myths. MEMORANDA DURING THE WAR is made up of articles published in the New York 'Weekly Graphic' and published in 1876 to go along with his special "Centennial Editon" of 'Leaves of Grass.'
   
   "I shall not easily forget the first time I saw Abraham Lincoln. It was a rather pleasant spring afternoon on 19th of February, 1861, in New York City." Whitman was from Brooklyn, New York. "The figure, the look, the gait, are distinctly impressed upon me yet; the unusual and uncouth height, the dress of complete black, the stovepipe hat..., the dark-brown complexion, the seamed and wrinkled yet canny-looking face, the black, bushy head of hair, the disporportionately long neck...." He describes Lincoln as having eyes with a deep latent sadness in the expression. Mrs. Lincoln, too, when she ventured out always wore black.
   
   At the first Inauguration, Lincoln's carriage had been surrounded by a dense mass of armed cavalrymen eight deep, with drawn sabres; and there were sharp-shooters stationed at every corner on the route. Four years later, he was in his plain two-horse barouche with his ten year old son, with no soldiers, only a lot of civilians on horseback, with huge yellow scarfs over their shoulders.
   
   April 14, 1865, a day to be remembered, as President and Mrs. Lincoln attended a performance at Ford's Theatre; at intermission, a shot was heard. Booth, dressed in plain black broadcloth, bare-headed, with a full head of glossy, raven hair, and his eyes like some mad animal's flashing with light and resolution, yet with a strange calmness, jumps to the stage holding a large knife. After he sprains his ankle, he turns around and looks at the audience his face of statuesque beautuy, lit by those basilisk eyes, flashing with desperation...launches out in a firm and steady voice the words, "Sic semper tyrannis."
   
   At the Cemetery in Andersonville, with its thirteen thousand graves, on the slope of a beautiful hill in June, 1875, he wrote: "And now, to thought of these -- on these graves of the dead of the War, as on an altar -- to memory of these, of North or South, I close and dedicate my book."
   
   Whitman was an old man with a bushy white beard and white hair in the photograph by Matthew Brady in 1863. The first part by Peter Goviello appears to be a thesis on this particular book. He is an English professor at Bowdoin College, and previously published INTIMACY IN AMERICA: DREAMS OF AFFILIATION IN ANTEBELLUM LITERATURE. I didn't know there was such a thing, but then I took English Lit. and learned American Lit. by typing the exams for my college teacher/husband who taught both.

5 comments about The Last Great Ace : The Life of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr..

1. Charles Martin has written the definitive account of the life of Tommy McGuire, one of America's greatest fighter aces. It is fascinating, exciting and instructive. The background information that Martin gives us about McGuire makes us privy to the motivation and inspiration that produced America's finest. I have read most of the books on WWII fighter pilots and find "The Last Great Ace" to be one of the best if not the best.

   Max D. Isaacson




2. There is only one word to describe this book; TREMENDOUS! Author Charles A. Martin has written a masterpiece of aviation history. In this book, the reader is given insight into the life of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. who would end up as America's number two all-time ace with thirty eight confirmed (and many more unconfirmed) victories. This book does a superior job of giving the reader insight into McGuire's life. The first half of the book deals with McGuire from a young age until he entered flight training. Some of the other reviewers of this book thought that the first half was a waste; I highly disagree. Mr. Martin gives us insight into Tommy's youth and his upbringing, which in the end ultimately resulted in the kind of pilot and leader of men he turned out to be. His upbringing had a major impact on the type of commander he was, and I applaud Mr. Martin for including the early years of McGuire's life. Too often, biographers just concentrate on a specific area of a person's life. I'm glad that I found out what type of person Tommy McGuire was when he was younger. It's easy to see from his childhood how he grew to become such an effective leader.

   The second half of the book deals with the actual combat life of Tommy. From August 1943 until his untimely death on January 7, 1945, Major McGuire compiled a record which most fighter pilots only dream about. He shot down thirty eight enemy aircraft; second only to his rival and friend Dick Bong's forty. He also grew to be a highly respected leader, tactician, teacher, and friend. Tommy was a fiery individual in combat, but he was a true friend to his comrades in every sense of the word and he always looked out for the well-being of everyone in his squadron.

   I've read dozens of books about the Pacific war, but this book rates as one of my all-time favorites. This is a true classic of aviation history. Read it and discover the life of a true American hero.




3. I am a flier and I find this to be one of the finest books about flying I have ever read. McGuire was a great flier and a daredevil, but also a leader of men. Big surprise: he was raised by his mother and grandmother--no father in the home. He learned much of his leadership skills from ROTC at Ga. Tech. These factors go against some of our commonly held ideas about where heroes come from. This story would make a great movie. I've corresponded with the author and have found that McGuire will soon be the subject of a Legends of Airpower program on PBS.



4. I have been a student of aviation history since my childhood. Major Tom McGuire was one of my boyhood heroes and one of the aces I enjoyed learning about. To my knowledge this is the first biography dedicated to McGuire. Let me say that Mr. Martin has done a terriffic job with his book. It is well documented and paints a wonderful picture of McGuire's rather complex personality.

   "Mac" doesn't live up to the cliched image of ace at all. He was no poor child growing up hunting in the hills or in the plains. Rather, he came from a well to do family and was something of a "geek" in school. He didn't play football, he played the clarinet.

   Mr. Martin does a good job of presenting his facts and his documentation and he draws conclusions where appropriate. He finally introduces the world to Marilynn, McGuire's wife and the inspiration for his airplanes to be named "PUDGY". For the record, she wasn't. The book goes into some detail explaining the so called "ace race" between McGuire and Bong (it was perhaps a bit overstated) as well as McGuire's last flight (there was a reason to hold onto those drop tanks).

   If you have ever had any interest in the life of Tom McGuire let me recommend The Last Great Ace to you. My impression about McGuire personally is that I am not sure I would have been friends with him, but I sure would've wanted him leading me into combat. Enjoy.




5. I was attracted to this book firstly because of the surname (you never know who might be a relative) and the subject as an ex-airforce pilot who flew P51 Mustangs. The author has a lot to say about the negative history of Tommy McGuire and attempts to distance himself from that and be objective. Unfortunately Charles Martin is never-the-less writing about a home town hero and it shows. The truth can hurt but not therefore to be suppressed; heroes mostly have feet of clay somewhere and here the first half is painfully boring! McGuire is a unpreposessing personality: liked by some but certainly not liked by others. His tight formation mania for example would horrify other tacticians going back to the Spanish Civil War (or is he badly reported?). However, you can assess him for yourself. The politics of "acedom" come through clearly (and not confined to the Pacific or USAF) but one wonders how many died in the pursuit of the cult of the individual. McGuire's last flight is well discussed but in the end the book makes clear he flew often well beyond structural and flight limitation of the aircraft - and it finally bit him. But then, how correct is the text when the author gives the most appallingly inaccurate discription of a spin in a training aircraft - pure fantasy (I speak as a flying instructor). I have read practically every western fighter pilot's autobiograph/biography written - this is the bottom of the pile. Interesting and that is about all. And appalling quality photos.

No comments about Conrad Wise Chapman: Artist & Soldier of the Confederacy.

5 comments about Dress Gray: A Woman at West Point.

1. I bought this book for my neice to read several years ago. It is soiled and stained now, having been through the hands of MOST of her friends, guys and girls! It is an exciting read, one that my husband, who had been in the Army, enjoyed as well as non-military readers like my neice's friends. I KNOW it inspired her to follow her dreams and not be stuck in the stereotypes others make for women. Captain Peterson (now a Major) is a wonderful christian role model as well ! Also, if you send her a request, she will send you an autograph you can attach to the book (or send her the book with return postage like I did!). I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to feel good about their country again, or for any young person thinking about attending a service academy! Well written!



2. Wonderful book! I attended West Point and I found myself with tears in my eyes reading parts of this book. It was nice to recall so many of the (rare) comical moments at the Point as well. I highly recommend this book for any graduate who wants to remember how it felt to be young,scared, excited, confused and far away from home as a new plebe! Best of all, it is an interesting read...you just keep turning the pages! I can't wait to read her next book! Please, please keep writing books, Donna!



3. I am a Court-at-Law Judge who just came across a copy of this book in a library recently and thought it looked interesting. That was an understatement! This book was well written, funny, thought provoking and entertaining. In fact, it was written so well that at times I felt as if I was actually there watching these events unfold. When I finished the book, I felt as if I had just graduated from 4 years at West Point. A marvelous effort for a first time author. This book should make Oprah's Book Club! Bravo and 5 stars!



4. As an avid reader of career stories, I ordered this book through interlibrary loan. I wish some publisher would reissue this title, as it's much better than I would expect from its out of print status. Ms. Peterson should have searched more widely for an agent and a publisher -- and an editor.

   The book is extremely well-written (perhaps due to the editing of Ed Eakin, who undoubtedly is related to the publisher). What probably kept it off a lot of shelves is the introduction, where Ms. Peterson emphasizes that she was "harassed" and "betrayed." It's all too easy for a reader to say, "Oh no, not another one of those. Maybe she was a loser."

   In fact, Ms. Peterson was a sterling cadet. By her own account, she had a challenging but not particularly stressful sojourn at West Point. She was a natural, coming from a background that included such diverse activities as judo and cheerleading. Her room-cleaning abilities were legendary.

   Throughout her four years, she attracted great-looking dates, sympathetic leaders and a wonderful sponsor. She shows real humor, describing how she coped with a spazzy roommate during "Beast," the summer of basic training. Through her report of this episode, we learn about West Point's emphasis on "cooperate and graduate."
   More seriously, we get a cadet's eye view of the Honor system when Ms. Peterson describes her service on Honor Board.
   
   Throughout the four years, Ms. Peterson kept her humor and her standards. She accepted leadership roles easily and apparently managed to get good grades. In turn, she admits (without getting maudlin), West Point gave her some of the most wonderful memories of her life.

   Her only setback -- the "betrayal" she mentions in the intro -- came when a female Tac officer failed to respond responsibly to jealous complaints by males who were competing with Donna for a coveted command slot senior year. A female roommate inadvertently contributed to the problem.

   The only other flaw is the absence of a section describing what happened afterward. We get a very abbreviated description -- a sentence of two about a few characters. What happened to Mary Ann, the first-year roommate? What did the author do as a commander of helicopter companies? How did West Point really affect her later life? Perhaps she needs to write another book.

   If this book becomes available, I'd buy it. Some publisher out there is missing a bet. Meanwhile, investigate your local library and interlibrary loan.




5. Donna Peterson was in the third class containing women (Class of 1982) to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She describes her decision to apply to USMA -- Peterson was in the enviable position of being nominated to two service academies and turned down the Air Force Academy to attend West Point. But the heart of the book is life at the academy, year by year. It starts with being a "Plebe"; going through "Beast Barracks"; being run ragged with chores and bothered by memorizing "Plebe knowledge"; and being "unrecognized" by upperclassmen until the end of the year. In her second year, Peterson gains some responsibility and finds herself in the position to correct other, younger cadets. During the summer, Peterson gets the opportunity to lead actual Army enlisted men and train to be a helicopter pilot -- her future Army career. Peterson tells us that she looked forward to her "Cow," or junior, year the most, but it was spoiled by a cadre of men who opposed her advancement to a leadership position. Finally, as a "Firstie," Peterson plans for her post-USMA future.
   
   Throughout all this, Ms. Peterson excelled as a cadet and took advantage of all West Point had to offer, from being a member of the Honor Board, to taking numerous leadership positions, to being a Public Relations representative, to singing in a choral group. What is also interesting is that in this very male environment Ms. Peterson was able to retain her femininity. Unlike many, Ms. Peterson apparently wore her uniform skirt, helped form a cheerleading team modeled on the USC dance team, and had more dates than one can imagine (sometimes juggling two or three boyfriends at a time.)
   
   This is the second book I've read about West Point's early female graduates. The other, "In the Men's House," by Carol Barkalow, is also well worth a read. Where Barkalow's account differs from this one is that Barkalow was in the first coed class, rather than the third. As such, her female classmates bore more of the brunt of harsh, misogynous behavior by older, all-male classes, and the book reflects it. Barkalow also includes some description of life in the army after West Point -- I hope Peterson writes another book to tell us about her Army experiences.
   
   This is a very well-written book about an unusually talented woman. I highly recommend it.

No comments about Robert Blake, Admiral and General at Sea: Based on family and state papers.

5 comments about Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West (Modern War Studies).

1. This book is a must read to understand the generals, campaigns, strategy, and the thinking of Jefferson Davis in the Western Theater. The book is well-written, informative, and features good analysis of the differing generals, Davis' actions, and some very good mini-biographies of the major players. Although the book does not go into major detail about specific battles, Woodworth does give a good overview of the major campaigns and battles of the West. The book also has some interesting theories on why Davis failed in the West. Although I disagreed with some of Woodworth's conclusions, especially regarding Braxton Bragg's capabilities as a commander, I found his arguments well-reasoned, although I thought he went out of his way to bash James Longstreeet. The major sticking point I had with the book was Woodworth's analysis on Bragg and his theory that J.E. Johnston thought the CSA's cause was doomed so he didn't really try to win. I thought that was utter nonsense, but that was really my only quarrel with the book. Well-written, informative, just an excellent book.



2. I re-read Woodworth's excellent treatise on Jefferson Davis and his involvement in the Western Theater. The chapters are succinct and focus more on strategy than in specific battle details. My favorite parts are the reviews at the end of each chapter. I have always believed that Lee's strategy to invade the North rather than deploying his forces in the West was a major blunder. If there is one salient point that screams from this book it is that Jeff Davis' personal relationships with his generals (Polk??) definitely was a detriment to his decision making. This book should be required reading for high school and undergraduate students. Indeed any leader could profit from the analysis and history rendered here.



3. Insightful and thought provoking analysis of what Davis did and did not do to save the West. I feel this is a very important book and one that a serious student of the war should read. Additionally, I feel that this book should be read after Connelly and Horn to preserve a balanced picture. Woodworth presents a more favorable view of Bragg than I have seen from other authors. Some of this is fair and some maybe the author's perceptions of Bragg. It takes getting used to and the more you know about Bragg and his failings the better off you are. He scores many good points and made me modify my view of Bragg and the problems he had with Polk and Hardee.
   
   His treatment of Jefferson Davis is very fair. His points are valid and well supported, showing where Davis did well and where he did poorly. The reasons for the decisions are supported and logical, given Davis' personality. This is the best part of the book and balances the blame the "Eastern Block" that is found in other books.
   
   I am less happy with his treatment of Longstreet, feeling that he has accepted the "Lost Cause Myth" and not explored the situation. Rather than dismiss Longstreet, I would have liked to see an explanation of his relationship with Davis and Lee's influence in this area.
   
   This is a well written, easy to read informative book. Not without faults but a valuable addition to my ACW library.



4. Seemingly endless Civil War books are written rehashing every minute move of Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. There are far fewer that cover the situation of the Confederacy's western armies and generals, despite, or perhaps because of the fact that it was in the west that the Confederacy lost the war. With Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West, Steven E. Woodworth steps up to fill this gap with a first rate book that every serious student of the Civil War should read. He presents a clear and reasoned argument that the failure of the Confederacy in the west was not due to the quality or quantity of its armies or even of its supplies, but a direct result of a monumental failure in its high command.
   Woodworth writes of Jefferson Davis as a man who seemed to be eminently and uniquely qualified to become commander in chief of the Confederacy. He was a West Point graduate, a Mexican War hero, had served as a particularly effective secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce, and had been a United States senator. He understood politics, and he clearly understood war. His resolve for his cause, like his loyalty to his friends, was unshakable. Contained within these impressive qualifications and traits, however, were flaws and blind spots that would severely hinder Davis' management of the war in the west, where he had no Lee to take charge. Foremost of these faults was a lack of judgement when appointing friends as generals, and unreasonable loyalty to them thereafter. Compounding these problems was a fierce pride in his own military judgement that left him unable to acknowledge and correct mistakes. Finally, his pride led him into bitter personal feuds with key generals that hindered his ability to utilize them to the fullest.
   Woodworth follows Davis' moves in the west, from his initial organization of the Western theater, through the high stakes game played and eventually lost to gain Kentucky for the Confederacy, to the crisis at Shiloh, where with the death of General Albert Sidney Johnston, the Western Confederacy lost its best hope for competent command. The catastrophe of the loss of Vicksburg, the disastrous infighting among the generals under Bragg in the Army of Tennessee, the loss of Tennessee, the Atlanta Campaign, and Hood's final failed campaign are all covered. In each instance, Woodworth notes the command decisions that Davis made, or failed to make, in the crisis. At the end of each chapter, he summarizes and critiques Davis' performance, highlighting areas where Davis was at least partly responsible for the problems, as well as pointing out where he performed as well as could have been expected.
   Woodworth clearly has a strongly opinionated point of view. He is nearly unique among the Civil War historians that I have read in his spirited defense of General Braxton Bragg as a competent commander, and lays all of the blame for the failure of Bragg's campaigns on incompetent and insubordinate generals under his command, chiefly Davis' personal friend General Leonidas Polk. He also repeatedly accused General Joseph Johnston of lacking a will to win, and of never believing that the Confederacy could win the war. While many will disagree with these positions, his boldness in stating them is characteristic of the bold approach that is evident throughout his book.
   Jefferson Davis and His Generals is a bold, original work, that addresses a theme that is too often neglected in Civil War studies. It is consistently engaging, insightful, and controversial. It is clearly written, well researched, and a pleasure to read. I consider it to be among the very best books that I have read on the Civil War, and would recommend it highly, especially to those with a specific interest in the war in the west.
   
   Theo Logos



5. For a Confederate examination, Steven Woodworth's book is essential reading in understanding the complex relationships between President Davis and his western theater leaders. Peppered throughout the book are insightful examinations of such generals as Beauregard, Polk, Van Dorn, Albert Sydney Johnston, Joe Johnston, Bragg, and Hood. Woodworth delves into Davis' leadership weaknesses by showing that his health problems and his lack of humility and people-skills (he would have six different War Secretaries) increased his inability to cooperate with others. His unyielding loyalty to promote incompetent friends to high positions routinely injected failure and casualties in campaigns, but Davis refused to bow to the facts and remove them. Woodworth wraps up his analysis with a fair theory that interconnecting these problems was Davis' hesitancy and indecision. The president often submitted suggestions and not orders in correspondence and he falsely believed backbiting and arrogant generals would just cooperate towards the common cause. His inability to provide unifying command authority, especially over the Mississippi River region further fractured what little strategy existed. Woodworth's analysis is a rare addition in the often-neglected study of western command. It is insightful, extremely well-wrttien, and engrossing.

No comments about The Real Lincoln: A Portrait (Abraham Lincoln).

4 comments about Sixty Days in Combat: An Infantryman's Memoir of World War II in Europe.

1. A must for WWII History buffs, but an easy read for all readers. The author recalls how he wanted, along with many other young U.S high school grads to register for military service in WWII and to "fly". With his easy writing style and incredible drawings, Dean Joy pulls you into his daily disappointments as he realized he would fight as an infantryman. You feel what he did as he writes letters home to his beloved parents. Its as though I actually felt, saw, and heard, what this young man did. The remarkable discription of the different sounds of artillery, the German towns and rivers that the Allies went through, the pride of being in Patton's 3rd Army. Along with the author, I hated the "Krauts" and sorrowed over German civilians losing homes and farms to the ravages of war. I literally "willed" this young man to make it home.



2. Not a bad book at all. Dean Joy joined the war late because of an interesting school deferment. He wanted to fly the famous P-51 Mustang but ended up the71st Infantry Division. The book is very interesting reading about a unit that doesn't get a lot of press because they entered the war so late. The book is an easy read, very well written, and provides a good overview of the end of the war. Of particular interest is his description of four captured P-51 Mustangs that were converted to German use.



3. "Sixty Days In combat" by Dean P. Joy. Subtitled: "An Infantryman's Memoir Of World War II In Europe." Presidio Press book, Random House, 2004.
   Born in Colorado in 1924, Dean P. Joy was almost nineteen when he volunteered for the draft in June 1943. He had just finished his freshman year in engineering at the University of Colorado, and, as with so many young men of the time, he was hoping to become a P51 Mustang pilot in the Army Air Corps. The author's poor eyesight squelched that opportunity. So, fortunately (or unfortunately), the young Dean Joy was told to take the test for the Army Specialized Training Program, ASTP. The author expected to be given military training along with his classes in engineering. In October 1943, he and one other fellow arrived at the University of Idaho, in Moscow, Idaho, for the Army Specialized Training Program. Great casualties in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) caused the cancellation of the ASTP, and Dean Joy, along with " ...some two hundred thousand young Americans in the ASTP" were off to the "...poor bloody infantry after all". (P. 26).
   
   As luck would have it, Dean Joy is transferred to the 71st Light Infantry Division, given infantry training and training on mortars, shipped across the Atlantic to the ETO (on board the ship, " USS General Tasker Bliss"), arrived in France (which has an "ancient smell"), and then off to front for sixty days of combat, from March 10 to May 8 1945. Based upon his wife's suggestion, Mr. Joy has scattered sketches of " ...selected scenes that stick in my memory, as if my eye had been a camera" . These sketches (they look like pen and ink) liven up the details that his words describe; the sketches make the book easier to read.
   
   In reality, this book is an autobiography of a young man growing up in tough times in a tough arena. Dean P. Joy changes from a youngster, just hitting nineteen, a teetotaler and a kid afraid of girls, to an Army veteran, with the Combat Infantryman's Badge, running a bar in occupied Europe, and married to a displaced person. Perhaps the most poignant line in the book is on page 23, when the young Dean Joy recounts:
   "...innocent fun..." in snowy Idaho , a carefree memory ...
   " of the ASTP ...of a very pretty girl who ...stuffed snow down my neck. Oh, how I wanted to get to know her and ask her out on a date! But I was far too shy"



4. This was a good book, and a very easy read. I enjoyed going on the journey with the author, and I am a better person for having read it. That being said, for whatever reason, I was expecting something a little different. I guess with all the war movies and Ken Burns documentaries, I was thinking it might be longer and more "exciting." I feel bad even typing that, since the title clearly says "sixty days in combat," and it is sixty days more than I ever served. I'm still glad I bought it and read it, but if you are looking for something a little more comprehensive, try a different book. Overall, a good read and an interesting take on one man's experience in WW2.