5 comments about The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story.

1. There is absolutely no doubt that Hugh Thompson, Glenn Andreotta, and Larry Colburn did an unbelieveably heroic thing on March 16, 1968. Let there also be no doubt that Trent Angers should be commended for his research and efforts to bring yet another angle to this horror known as the My Lai Massacre. I have just one criticism, and unfortunately it is decisive: It is a poorly written book.

   I am not suggesting that one not read the book, because it does perform as a vehicle to bring to light the events surrounding the massacre, its aftermath and Colburn's and Thompson's return to My Lai 28 years later. However, it takes form more as a children's book than it does as an examination of an important historical event, or even as a third-person narrative intended for adult reading.

   Don't expect an abundance of three or more syllable words, inspired imagery, or thought-provoking passages. For instance, page 77, "He seemed to take a particular liking to the older woman." Seemed to who? Could you tell the reader how this was apparent? No indication whatsoever is offered in the text. Or, page 102, describing an American casualty as being "blown to bits." Is that what was written on the After Action Report? If so, there's another book in there somewhere. Or, page 103, "The cows were mooing to be milked." For a minute there I thought I had opened "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by accident.

   There is never a mention of exactly what kind of helicopter Hugh was flying...a Kiowa? Cayuse? Defender? Souix? Loach? The first indication of this simplistic approach to the subject matter is right on the dust jacket, as it is a simplistic, amateurish illustration of Thompson in an exaggerated heroic pose (arms outstretched, shirt unbuttoned, no flight helmet, no flak jacket, dog tags swinging in the wind, in front of a small huddled mass of Vietnamese). It looks much like the artwork that adorned the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich children's books published in the late '70s.

   One more note: if you're going to write a book wherein the principle character is a helicopter pilot, at least have the courtesy to refrain from calling helicopters "choppers," as most pilots despise the term. Unless, of course, you're writing for children, who find it analogous - for obvious reasons.

   Anyway, you get the picture. Still, I say God bless Hugh, Larry, Glenn and Trent.

   But Trent, at the very least, get a new copy editor.




2. From what I have seen written on the pages exhibited, I am asking our librarian here in Sandwich, NH to purchase this book. Hugh Thompson has always been a hero to me, and represents the helicopter pilots who were in Vietnam quite well. We were all brash, and ballsey, and would stand up to a lot of things we didn't think too swift. His deed outshines us all. I flew UH-1D's in the Delta, and have written about my experiences there in OUTLAWS IN VIETNAM.
   Being a helicopter pilot in this war was the best job one could wish for--it was the best year of all of our lives! Hopefully, more of these excellent aviators will be profiled in the future.
   My librarian finally purchased the book after these initial notes, and I have been reading it nonstop. This should really shed some light on the horror of the Americal Division higher-ups who authorized this bloodletting by Lt. Calley and others of Charlie Company that day. They had been ordered to commit the atrocities we all know about today, and as I continue the book, it is interesting to me to experience the angst that Hugh Thompson and his crew felt that terrible day at My Lai. He is most human, and painfully so. The author discloses all this helicopter crew went through then and since; well done!!



3. If all of us followed the example of Hugh Thompson at My Lai in Vietnam this would truly be the land of the free and the home of the brave.
   
   "The Forgotten Hero of My Lai" tells an inspiring story of a piece of our history. While many people still remember the horror of the massacre at My Lai, few know about the true heros who risked everything to end it. Though their stand came too late to help most of the villagers of My Lai, it eventually ended the policy that targeted the civillian populations of other villages. We'll never know how many lives they saved.
   
   Although I found it awkwardly written, the power of the story far outweighs any considerations about style. I highly recommend this shining example of what one person can do to protect the values that make life meaningful.



4. I am so glad for this book. It's undoubtedly a story about a true hero who inspires me as I'm sure it does others. I was saddened to hear he passed. On Friday Jan 6 he moved on. Many of us, can't, and will never forget what your memory means to us. God Speed Hugh, you have many friends here still on the earth very proud of you.
   
   Col. Tom Kolditz, head of the U.S. Military Academy's behavioral sciences, said, in honor of Hugh, "There are so many people today walking around alive because of him, not only in Vietnam, but people who kept their units under control under other circumstances because they had heard his story. We may never know just how many lives he saved."
   
   Read the book, it's inspirational, and we need not ever forget. Our values we hold dear as human beings are all we have, and when we leave, it's all we leave behind. Never compromise them. Never.
   
   Honor, Respect, Dignity.
   
   I can only hope this story is told even more widely so we have less chance this memory of such a great man ever fades.
   
   GOD Speed Hugh, light a candle up there, we'll be there soon!



5. The writing style leaves something to be desired, and I wish they would have designed a different dust jacket for the book. However, author, Trent Angers gives the reader a powerfully moving story in "The Forgotten Hero of My Lai";(The Hugh Thompson Story).
   
   Angers uses a great deal of literay freedom in weaving some of the story line of Mr. Thompson's personal life including conversations between Thompson and his wife some 35-40 years ago. None the less, the author also gives the reader a REAL AMERICAN HERO!
   
   I could not in all honesty read this book without having to put it down at times so that I could break away from the emotions that it invoked within me. Reading about this massacre, and indiscriminate butchery was ...too horrible to comprehend. I can not see how anyone who was even vaguely involved in this could ever be normal again.
   
   This event was perhaps, our greatest sin in the Viet Nam war. It was a throw-back to the deeds of Attila the Hun, and the exploits of Genghis Khan's Mongol hordes. More specifically, it was a "despicable microcosm" of the Japanese atrocities conducted in Nanking. The only difference: these were not Huns, Mongol hordes, or Imperial Japanese troops... these perpetrators were .... American soldiers!
   
   As a VietNam veteran, I found this act, a "very...very, bitter pill to swallow!"
   
   A letter by a Mr. Ron Ridenhour submitted to President Nixon and others at the time is quoted on page 154 of this book. In that letter, Mr. Ridenhour tells how he feels about the incident and ... quotes Winston Churchill:
   " A country without a conscience is a country without a soul, and a country without a soul is a country that cannot survive."
   
   Apparently, Hugh Thompson knew this as well when he intervened to save what innocent civilians he could. I know not how long our country will survive, but as long as there are still soldiers like Hugh Thompson, I know...it will survive a little longer.

No comments about Plantation Mistress on the Eve on the Civil War: The Diary of Keziah Goodwyn Hopkins Brevard, 1860-1861 (Women's Diaries and Letters of the South).

5 comments about Rebels in Blue: The Story of Keith and Malinda Blalock.

1. I found this book strictly by accident at the library. Being a Civil War buff all my life and reading any biography I can get my hands on during that period, I was really thrilled when I came across this book.

   It is wonderful to read about Keith and Malinda Blalock and all they endured and suffered. A great accounting of their lives and those around them. Their exploits in the mountains of North Carolina was riviting. I couldn't put this book down.

   The only disappointment was the author did not get more into Keith and Malinda's lives and the lives of their children once they returned to their home after the war. It would have been interesting to read about their children that they had and their lives.

   The author did a wonderful job researching the Blalocks and all that they lived through.

   A must read for any history-loving person who loves biographies.




2. I am the grt. grt. grt. grt. niece of the "daring and notoriuous" Col. George W. Kirk. Over the years I have done a great deal of research on Kirk, and, as the author did, often came across mention of the Blalocks, and I, too, was fascinated by the couple. From what I knew of the Rebels in Blue, I was certain that if someone could do the research and connect all of the fragmented material the result would be a fantastic thriller, full of real-life colorful characters. It is a story of loyalty and rebelion, devotion and betrayal, love and hate,freinds and foes,survival and death, heroes and villains - the story of my family's heritage as well as our nation's. The end result of Steven's writing the book that I had longed for far exceeded my expectations, and I am certain that any who read Rebels in Blue will agree that this story is well worth reading.



3. This is the nonfiction telling of a married couple from North Carolina who both served in both the Confederate and Union Armies during the Civil War. It would make a great novel, but the story is told here with a few too many footnotes and not enough about the intriguing Malinda. It makes me curious to know about other women who may have served in the Civil War disguised as men.



4. Malinda Blalock , the young mountain woman who fought along side her husband in the Civil War in the North Carolina mountains deserves to be much more famous than she is. In 1862, dressed as a boy, Malinda Blalock enlisted in the Confederacy,when her husband Keith was conscripted. When Keith received a medical discharge, Malinda went back to the mountains with him, and the pair became Union bushwackers for the duration of the war. Malinda's tale of courage and determination is an inspiration, and a wonderful look at the other side of the South: the one in which women were not "belles" to be protected, but comrades who did a man's job a century before such a lifestyle became fashionable. Peter Stevens' book is a introduction to the story of Malinda, but many of his "facts" are wrong, and for examples of her daily living he cites examples of rural life from the autobiographical works of Emma Bell Miles, a writer who lived 50 years later in another state-- hardly an accurate portrayal. Ironically, the most accurate account to date of the life and times of Malinda Blalock is not a non-fiction book, but a novel. "Ghost Riders" by Sharyn McCrumb is wonderfully written, meticulously researched, with three pages of source materials. It tells the real story of Malinda in cinematic clarity, with the virtue of accuracy. Malinda Blalock is a woman well worth remembering, and at last she has a book to do her justice-- read "Ghost Riders"!



5. I live in the area where all the Blalock's called home (Keith Blalock) is buried about 4 miles from my home). After purchasing and reading the book, I tried to locate some of the sources listed in the bibliography that were supposedly housed at Appalachain State Library in Boone, NC. These sources DO NOT EXIST according to the head of the NC room at the library. As a historical book, its "facts" are fictional. As a fiction book, it does provide interesting reading.

3 comments about By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in Vietnam.

1. Oh man! i just kind of happened on this book and real glad I bought it. He is a black officer, shot down in the jungles of Vietnam, with him is only one other person. That person HATES blacks. So they have to try to work together. Oh yeah, the racist is injured and can't walk by himself. Very good read.



2. This is the most gripping suspense-filled book that I've read in years.
   I honestly couldn't put it down. And it's hard to believe that it's a true story.
   Brigadier General (ret) Ezell Ware's story will hold your interest from
   page one to the very end. His heroism and courage will inspire whether or not you're a military fan.
   I highly recommend this book.



3. Thank You General Ware! - Sir!
   This book should be required reading for high school and, or college students.
   This is an amazing story of survival, and of the two men who had to over come enormous obstacles to save themselves.
   I don't want to say to much about the story. So, I'll just say Mr Ware (his title when he was shot down) and his pilot at the time they are forced down in the jungle and must find a way to survive for longer then I thought possible in that jungle.
   That being said, this is not just a war story. This is the story of a man who refused to be told he wouldn't be able to accomplish his long held goal/dream. And the opposition to his aspirations started very early in rural Mississippi.
   This much more then a war story this is lesson for all young people about how to reach those goals you have set for yourself.
   I can't recommend this book to highly. I found it hard to put down, but by the same token I hated to see it end. I will be reading again.
   General Ware has joined a small group of people I consider my heroes.
   
   91B20 1967

4 comments about FINAL ENTRIES 1945: THE DIARIES OF JOSEPH GOEBBELS.

1. I didn't really know how to rate this book. As a diary? As history? Should I have rated Trevor-Roper's editing?

   So I rated it a "5", but it hardly matters. I don't think anyone will read Goebbel's diary because it's "popular."

   My reactions to this book were mixed. I found my opinion of Goebbels as a man and a mind considerably lower after finishing the book. Yes, I knew beforehand that he was a recalcitrant Nazi and mass-murderer. On the other hand, I've read Albert Speer's books, and he always spoke admiringly of Goebbel's intellect. I respect Speer's intellect highly, but I must say that he was wrong about Goebbels. Goebbels in this diary is an ugly, sordid, vicious little man, repeating the same tired mantras again and again, transparently trying to varnish his image for history, and sniping and gossipping about everyone around him. (But then, Speer found himself to be dreadfully wrong about Hitler, too.)

   Intellect? I hardly found myself able to discern one in this mess.

   Still, I'm glad I read the book. It adds another dimension to my understanding of the Third Reich, and serves as a counterbalance to the other accounts I've read.

   But I wouldn't call the experience of reading this book enjoyable.




2. Having just been through the Iraq war, some of Goebbels musings resonate peculiarly with some of the more grandiose statements that came out of the end of that particular conflict.
   
   It is very hard to judge Goebbels as a man from these pages. Even given that they were unedited, this was intended to be the record of a Reich that won the war. This is not a private journal in the sense that he was always intending to rewrite it for history-- and presumably he was smart enough to realize that if he was still around to rewrite it for history then the Hitler regime had in some measure made it successfully through the war.
   
   What is interesting for the armchair historian are the places where his real feelings break through the propaganda. Presumably these are the moments that would have been edited out for publication. At times he whines about other nazi officials, at another point he sarcastically remarks that a plan of Hitler's would have been brilliant had it had any chance at all of succeeding.
   
   He was clearly a bright man (if an evil one), and it is interesting to watch his mind work in what were obviously (even to him) the final days.



3. This was the third of three Goebbel War Year diaries that I bought and read. Although not the easiest prose to read -- in part they were not written necessarily to be read but to be perhaps used in a memoir that was destined to never be written -- this and the other two diaries are fascinating books for people fascinated by that era.

   This diary ends on 9 April 45. According to the introduction he continued writing through at least 22 April 45 when he and his family moved into the bunker. It would be interesting to read any additional entries through 22 April -- and beyond if available -- as the situation became more hopeless. The book does, however, conclude with an epilogue that included his and his wife's last letters to his stepson, the only member of the Goebbels family to survive the war.

   The term "Jekyll and Hyde" was easily applicable to the first diary and not as easily applicable to this diary. However there term is somewhat applicable. The man -- despite the obvious problems at the fronts -- still has hope. Maybe the hope is flickering but he still has hope. He does realize that military victory is now unattainable but maybe if the military can score one or two major successes they can finagle some kind of a negotiated settlement more favorable than "unconditional surrender". This thought appears to be running through the Nazi government during the February - April 45 timeframe covered in the book.

   Whereas in the previous two diaries great words are written about great events that resulted in great victories, this time Goebbels write great words about not so great events. The brave German military puts up great resistance to stall an American, or a British, or a Soviet offensive. Nazi forces counterattack and push eight or ten or twelve kilometers. The war is not lost yet! Why are such events important? The longer the war goes on and the more casualties are inflicted upon the enemy maybe the people in the West will grow tired and more conciliatory towards a less than complete defeat of Germany. Or maybe by stretching out the war maybe the Nazis can finagle a separate settlement with the Soviets. Or maybe the western Allies will realize how dangerous the Soviets are -- who are, after all, spreading its Bolshevic tentacles over eastern Europe contrary to previous agreements. Goebbels is hoping that something -- anything -- will happen to preclude what looks like an inevitable defeat.

   Reading the book one realizes how little hold the government actually had over the people. Even in the previous diaries there were criticisms of the government that was voiced by the people that Goebbels acknowledged. Of course, in 1945 there was little the government could do. The people were unhappy about the air raids for which the government generally and the Luftwaffe specifically had no answer. Althought Goebbels still disliked several of his counterparts in the government like Foreign Minister Ribbentrop his greatest condemnation falls upon Hermann Goering. He feels Goering's corrupt and inept leadership of the Luftwaffe is the main reason why victory that appeared so close in 1941 is now so far away in 1945. Yet he still writes that even as late as April 1945 if there are major personnel changes in the military and the government National Socialism could still be saved in Germany.

   He is not beyond criticizing is Fuehrer. He still thinks Adolf Hitler himself can do no wrong. The problem is that Adolf Hitler has surrounded himself with wrong people and for whatever reasons will not get rid of them. Although Hitler agrees with almost all of Goebbels suggestions for fixing the government Hitler does virtually nothing. Goebbels is frustrated.

   It is also interesting how his attitude toward the inferior Slavic Soviet forces has evolved. He is still convinced the Soviet military is -- man for man -- inferior to the German soldier. But the Germans are being overwhelmed by superior numbers and machinery being thrown at them by the Allies. But he is impressed with Stalin. Once upon a time he and others had scorned Stalin for the massive purges of the Soviet military in the late 1930s. At one point in the book he relates reviewing the biographies of the leading Soviet military leaders. The Soviet military leaders were all under the age of 50 and were die-hard Bolshevics who would do anything to win. This was a big reason why the Soviets survived the seemingly hopeless situation in 1941 and why they were winning the war in 1945. In contrast, the German military leaders were old and had no deep political or philosopical ties to National Socialism. If they won the war, great. If not, oh well. Goebbels concludes that maybe Stalin was not so crazy for purging his military and after the war the Nazis should do likewise with their military.

   The popular perception of Hitler and his entourage is they were living in an insane fantasy land as the Soviets closed in on Berlin. Unfortunately, the last three weeks of Goebbels life were missing so maybe there was some degree of truth to that perception. But in the book you see a somewhat different view. Yes the war was going bad but he had to grasp at some kind of hope -- whatever that may be. Goebbels recognized that if the end is near it would be a catastrophic defeat. Therefore his only hope was to stretch the war out as long as possible and hope for some miracle. Hitler himself is not so much a ranting, raving lunatic (many of the accounts of Hitler's final days were written by witnesses who were the target of his anger and thus had a reason for depicting his as insane) as a man who is angry with his generals but is resigned to his fate.

   As we know, neither Joseph Goebbels nor his Fuehrer survived the war and neither man was able to write their autobiographies explaining why they did what they did. Perhaps the closest thing to a Hitler autobiography would be Mein Kampf that depicted his early life and early political battles through 1924 and his "Table Talks" -- a series of monologues recorded between 1942 and 1944. For his Propaganda Minister these diaries is the closest we can probably hope to find to an autobiography. These "autobiographies" may be distorted but they are distorted in their own words.




4. In the closing weeks of the European component of WWII, Goebbels's attitude towards the Jews remained unchanged: (April 3, 1945): "The Jews have applied for a seat at the San Francisco Conference. It is characteristic that their main demand is that anti-Semitism be forbidden throughout the world. Typically, having committed the most terrible crimes against mankind, the Jews would now like mankind to be forbidden even to think about them." (p. 305).
   
   However, Jews were not the only scapegoats; nor were they the only ones blamed for starting WWII. On March 18, 1945, Goebbels referred to Poland's losses to, of all things, "...Polish arrogance in August 1939..." and having failed to accept the "...extraordinarily generous [German] proposals at that time..." [Sic!] (p. 165). Goebbels engages in an even more overt blame-the-victim mentality towards Poles when, in his entry of March 30, 1945, he quips about: "...Poland, which began this war anyway..." (p. 274). In addition, on March 26, 1945, Goebbels mentioned "...Poland and Russia, the most primitive countries of Europe." (p. 233).
   
   In other contexts, Goebbels had various scapegoats coming in handy, as summarized by historian Trevor-Roper: "...castigating whole classes, whole groups, whole nations: the miserable bourgeoisie, the generals, the Luftwaffe, the Churches, the Jews, the Swiss, the Swedes." (P. xxx).
   
   It is both sobering and sad to realize that someone of Goebbels's character had a much better grasp of Soviet intentions that did Churchill or Roosevelt. Goebbels even quoted a British newspaper in this regard (March 3, 1945): The Daily Mail just made a truly sensational admission; it says that for two years now I have been the only person to analyze the case of Poland correctly and forecast accurately the way in which England would succumb to the Kremlin. Churchill comes in for criticism of rare severity." (p. 30).
   
   In stark contrast to the appeasing attitude of western politicians towards "Uncle Joe" Stalin, Goebbels commented (March 9, 1945): "In the region which was formerly Poland the Soviets are pursuing their bloody reign of terror undeterred by Anglo-American protests. They take not the smallest notice of Churchill and Roosevelt. A new wave of arrests is sweeping across the country, the victims being mainly the Polish nationalists." (p. 88). Also (March 21, 1945): "The Soviets are going quietly on deporting Poles to the interior of Russia. They take not the smallest notice of the Anglo-Americans." (p. 190).
   
   The situation under which Poles found themselves was obvious to Goebbels: (March 11, 1945): "Stalin is firmly determined--and no one can understand this--to negotiate with no one over the Polish question. How rigidly he has already imposed his will is evident from the fact that Mikolajczyk, the former Polish Minister-in-exile, now proposes to submit to the dictates of the Kremlin. Under protest admittedly, but what value are such protests today? Anyway the only choice for the Poles is either to be exterminated by force or to bow the Kremlin." (p. 100).
   
   Goebbels saw right through the Communist smear campaign directed against non-Communist regimes (March 19, 1945): "It is well known that Communists always call everything fascist that is not Communist and, under the guise of a struggle against fascism, exterminate all forces opposing bolshevization of a country in which they have any influence...According to Pravda, the London Poles are a gang of degenerate landowners rejected by the Polish people. In short, Pravda's general tone is one hardly customary even between enemies, let alone between allies." (p. 172).
   
   On March 22, 1945, Goebbels discussed the Soviet-staged trials, in Bulgaria, of two witnesses who had been present, two years earlier, at the site of the Katyn massacre (p. 206). The two priests were tearfully forced to recant their blame of the Soviets.
   
   Goebbels repeats certain themes throughout this latest set of his diaries. He seems obsessed with the incipient British loss of their worldwide colonial empire, and that regardless of the outcome of the war. He thinks that the new German jets can enjoy a 5:1 kill ratio over the Allied propeller-driven planes, but recognizes that Germany can produce far too few jets to make a realistic impact in the air war. He repeatedly suggests that the Germans should have withdrawn from the Geneva Convention. This would have allowed the Germans to kill Allied POWs in reprisal for the German civilians killed by Allied bombing raids. It also would make the German soldiers fight harder, aware of the fact that the Allies would reciprocally take no prisoners.

3 comments about Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast.

1. With Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders, Dr. Lindley Butler has written an exceptionally readable narrative that attempts to transcend the myths of sea outlaws and tell the stories of 8 important seafarers who operated off the rugged North Carolina coast. The book spans over 150 years from 18th century pirates, to privateers during the War of 1812, and rebel raiders of the Civil War. The stories of the notorious Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet open the book with engrossing tales about these pirates' lives and activities during their relatively short stints as outlaws. Historical consultant to the archaeological team exploring the 18th century wreck off the coast of North Carolina believed to be Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, Butler has researched some of the most up-to-date material on the world famous pirate, though much of Blackbeard's early life remains a mystery. Equally engaging are the stories of the lesser-known privateer, Otway Burns, and naval commerce raider Johnston Blakeley who operated out of North Carolina during the War of 1812. The poignancy of Blakeley's final days is skillfully told through Butler's narrative. The book concludes with the exploits of Confederate naval officers James Cooke of the ironclad Albemarle, blockade runner John Maffitt, naval commando John Taylor Wood, and James Waddell, the commerce raider who sailed around the world in the Shennandoah. The stories of these naval heroes of the rebellion reveal the intensity of the national struggle that shook the country apart and draw the reader into a deeper understanding of the personal struggles that affected so many in the nation. Although the lives of these eight men are not romanticized in Butler's book, romance is not left out of his narrative as family life and personal relationships are woven into each biographical sketch. Nonetheless, the action packed stories of these maritime warriors and thieves are thoroughly captivating, making the book difficult to put down. What Butler has reminded us is that history in its truest form is first and foremost about story-telling. He has succeeded in telling the stories of these men's lives in a way that is both historically informative and skillfully narrated.



2. While visiting beautiful Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks recently I picked up this book in a local book store. I wanted to get some flavor of the island's history and had skimmed through a dozen or so titles before I settled on this one. I was not disappointed. Lindley S. Butler has captured the marine lore of the Outer Banks in a well written and researched book. "Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast" chronicles, without sensationalism, the often bloody careers of eight of the most important personalities of the days of pirates, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. All, from the pirate Blackbeard to the Confederate raider James I. Waddell, are shone in realistic fashion. I was much impressed by both the wealth of sources listed and with the easy reading style of this work. It made a great read during my flight from Raleigh-Durham to El Paso. This is, in my opinion as a non-historian, the way histories should be written to make them more accessible to the layman. I have to also give my compliments to the University of North Carolina Press for publishing this excellent account, which stands out among any number of books on pirates and privateers.

   If you visit the coast of either North or South Carolina and wish to know more about the rich local history, you cannot go wrong in reading Butler's volume on the subject!




3. I picked up this book after hearing a talk on the the recovery of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ship, now going on near Beaufort, NC. The book has the appealing qualities of great stories, excellent prose, and solid scholarship. Using Butler's references, a reader can explore way beyond what the book offers.
   
   Finding a chapter on James Waddell, born in nearby Pittsboro, NC, was a surprise and a delight. Waddell, in the closing days of the Civil War, circumnavigated the globe, intending to disrupt Union whaling, a task at which he succeeded admirably. Waddell's Shenandoah was the only Confederate ship to cruise in the Pacific.
   
   Butler's book highlights seamen of the southern coast, and brings to life vibrant personalities that most of us have not heard of. Pirates (Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet) get adequate attention, but are not the stars of the show. Otway Burns, a real swashbuckling privateer, is by far a more interesting character. The Confederate privateers are heroes in their cause, leading and surviving adventures worthy of an O'Brian or Forester. Confederate naval commanders (Cooke, Maffitt, Wood, Waddell) give a new face to war-time intrepidity. Most of those were names I did not know, but all were intriguing new personalities.
   
   The book is spare, describing eight individuals in a little more than 200 pages. Butler provides adequate detail, in general, but doesn't often go beyond that. Having read Butler's book, I want to find out more, as you might. Waddell's exploits, for example, get a book length treatment in the recent volume, "Sea of Gray," by Tom Chaffin. Maffitt's novel, "Nautilus," is still in print and could be worth a look. There are others.
   
   Butler's book is a tiny bit repetitive in spots, not a big surprise, given the degree of interaction among the protagonists. The repetitive elements are brief and not distracting. The inclusion of multiple maps is very useful for keeping geographical track. The photos emphasize that these were real people, with real lives -- including their loves, losses, heartaches, disappointments, and achievements. The tedium of a naval career is also abundantly represented. Butler does a good job of humanizing men who could otherwise have been caricatured as comic book superheroes. I also liked the descriptions of the innovations in ship-building that occurred, especially in Souther shipyards, during the War.
   
   A good read for the nautical history buff, worth the money to buy, worth the effort to recommend. The prose is accessible, I think, to adults and young readers from about high school age.

2 comments about ERWIN ROMMEL (Commanders in Focus).

1. Part of the oustanding "Commanders in Focus" series from Brassey's, Eriwn Rommel 1891-1944 by Karl Hoffmann is an in-depth analysis of one of Germany's most famous and celebrated military leaders, a gentleman warrior also known as the "Desert Fox". Black-and-white photographs and military diagrams highlight this critical assessment of Rommel's strengths, weaknesses, character, and service - dissecting his engagements in World War I and II, and analyzing him both as a military commander and as a manager of men. A must-have for lay readers and military historians alike with a keen interest in learning from Rommel's brilliant life, which ultimately ended far too soon at the hands of his own side.



2. General Erwin Rommel was able to do the most with the least. Against great odds he earned the name "Desert Fox" by those he fought against; the British and their allies. Code of honor was important to him to where he cut the limited water rations of his own troops so that their prisoners would not die of thirst. The irony is that he received less respect from Hitler and the German high command than from the British and French. If there was a Nobel Prize for military genius he would have won it. He was loved by his troops and when he was recalled from North Africa hated to leave them. One of the British commanders, in a memo to his troops, referred to him as "our friend Rommel".

5 comments about Into the Mouth of the Cat: The Story of Lance Sijan, Hero of Vietnam.

1. I read this story years ago and remember being inspired by the courage of this young man. One reviewer stated that his plane was shot down, I thought that the bombs he was dropping detonated prematurely and caused the crash. Regardless, it's a great story about a guy who never gave up.



2. While in the USAF, back in 1987, I had first read this book. This is the type of book, that, when you begin to read it, you cannot put it down until it is finished. The author writes in a very easy to read style, no "big" words, but, is very descriptive and detail orientated in his telling of Sijan's heroism. Although, this is a war "related" story, I feel that it is not a "War Story". Malcolm McConnell, through his attention to detail, chronicles the extremely brave and selfless actions of an otherwise ordinary man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After I had originally read this, 1987, I was so overwhelmed by the author's accurate depiction of what had been "Folk Lore" in the Bay View area of Milwaukee. Because of this book, I have always thought of Sijan, and all that he had endured, whenever an obstacle or challenge is placed before me. This is a very inspirational book. As I was driving on Kinnickinnic Avenue in Bay View, I passed by a Flag that is displayed right next to the road, in a little ballpark that is named Lance Sijan Field. And, every time that I pass it, I instinctively Salute. But, this time, I also bought this book, actually, four, one for my Father, two for my Brothers, and, of course, one for myself. By the way, this time, again, I had also read it in one sitting!



3. The story moves along quickly. Its not a book you are going to struggle to finish. It will hold your attention and is a great motivational story as far as will and mental toughness are concerned.



4. I was a young Air Weapons Controller stationed in Southeast Asia during the time of Lt. Sijan's shootdown. However , it wasn't until much later, when I read "Into the mouth of the Cat", that I came to understand what a truly amazing person Lance P. Sijan was. I have since given each of my son's copies of the book, so that they, too, could read about what the definition of an american hero really is. Some of the comment's logged in this forum question his motivation for continuing to try to escape...they need to read the Code of Conduct that those of us in the military tried very hard to live by. Many of the POW's found it almost impossible to abide by every code, and understandably so. Some of the torture tactics that were administered by the enemy, no mortal could withstand. Lance P. Sijan came as close as any human being could, and ultimately died from it. If one longs to find someone that truly lives up to the definition of "Hero", they should look no further than Lance P. Sijan. He has been my hero for many years. Mike Carbonneau, Firebase Sharana, Afghanistan, Aug. 2008



5. I read this book many years ago and it really hit me hard. I was a Navy Aircrewman who had been through SERE school. The courage and determination of LT Lance Sijan was incredible. I believe you can only relate to his story if you have in the Military and the sacrifices we make every day or have family or a loved one who has been in. I recommend this book for any Military Aviator.

No comments about Chief of Staff, Vol. 2: The Principal Officers Behind History's Great Commanders, World War II to Korea and Vietnam.

1 comments about Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World.

1. If you're looking for a detailed, clear narrative of Tamerlane's life and achievements, Justin Marozzi's book is not it. Failing to develop Tamerlane as an individual from his youth onward, and failing to explain exactly how he came to be so successful, Marozzi diverts perhaps half the book to recounting his own travels in Tamerlane's homeland. As descriptive and rare the author's experiences may be, a journalistic description of former metropolises in modern-day Central Asia does not provide a better understanding of the Lord of the Fortunate Conjunction. Throughout the book, Marozzi views Tamerlane more through the distant lens of someone in awe of his achievements, rather than the skeptical and down-to-earth approach necessary for biographers to truly evaluate who their particular subject really was.
   This is the flow of the book: a few very narrowed down pieces of Tamerlane's life, each separated by an equally large amount of journalism. The reader can neither fully assess the achievements of Tamerlane's career, nor gain a certain familiarity with his personality.
   The purpose of biography is to find out what kind of person the subject of the book was, and evaluate his/her achievements. In the case of Tamerlane, the reader is never really given an explanation for how someone conquered territory so successfully and rapidly, or how a man could rise from the status of desperado to all-powerful emperor. The main argument presented is that Tamerlane, while committing atrocities, also had many cultural achievements, most notably the building of several Islamic monuments now mostly in ruins or completely nonexistent. There is no assessment of Tamerlane's psyche, what led him to believe in his destiny, just how he outwitted his opponents, and what his legacy was. Why are western scholars, even military theorists, so unfamiliar with someone whose military career was as successful and immaculate as Alexander's? How did Tamerlane as a politician manage to rise so far and fast? What psychological condition could Tamerlane have had that may have motivated his ambition, and more significantly, the genocides he so ruthlessly committed? What aspect of his personality made him an electrifying leader, and gave him the energy to vigorously campaign even up to his death as an old man? These are essential questions about Tamerlane that should be answered, or at least examined, so that readers can analyze Tamerlane with the same level of understanding as western heroes such as Alexander and Napoleon.
   Instead, Justin Marozzi gives a hollow carcass of a biography, decorated with fanciful quotations and literary comparisons, but completely lacking in the real substance essential to a book that seeks to give the public an understanding of one of the greatest conquerors in history. In studying Tamerlane, we shouldn't look for the decrepit and virtually forgotten ruins and former cities of Central Asia. That does not highlight our understanding of him as a man. We need to know what he did, how he did it, why he did it, and what affect it had. We need to know these things as much as possible so that we may truly form an accurate perception of him as a statesman, soldier, and human being.