A new perspective on the War
926662
Lots of  insights into the personalities of both sides, as well as exhaustive treatment of the events, including the effects on the future United States..
1847725
This was a war of my generation. Has a lot of interesting knowledge about how we got involved in the war, and us leaving. Any one wanting to get a better view of the casualties of war, and the conditions the y fought in should get this book. Really puts Iraq and Afghanistan into a whole new perspective.
1003155
It's a well written book about something we don't read a lot about, which is the immediate effects of WW1 on those left behind. I have read most of the usually recommended books on WW1 now, and this one does give some new perspectives.
311554
Just like in life,business, sex and marriage, ALL WARS ARE COMBATANT. Larry's slant (no pun intended), illuminates his "combat" as far different than the standard military definition. I loved the extent of the details of his experiences and how they influenced his views on life as well as war. His down to earth, non glorification of the politics of war is refreshing. He manages to do this by alluding to his changing persuasions and not by bashing American politics in general (hard to do when you seen the frustrations from within). My interest increased dramatically as the book went on. A good read, entertaining as well as educational.
1103524
In "Wars of National Liberation," Daniel Moran sets out to change the way we think about many of the wars that have characterized the world stage since the end of World War II. "War since 1945," he writes, is a "category that would have to disappear some day." The title of this interesting and insightful history is Moran's candidate for a new categorization.
When I first glanced through this 224-page volume, I was struck by its thoroughness. Moran, whom I have heard speak at the Naval Postgraduate School where he is a professor, provides the reader with 23 illustrative maps, a convenient reference chronology from 1945 to 1975, biographical notes on key personalities, and a list of suggested further reading.
Space limitations preclude an in-depth examination of the wars Moran discusses, but his work is comprehensive. The major geographical areas featuring wars of national liberation in the 30-year span covered by Moran include China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Algeria, Africa and South Asia, Latin America, Israel, and Vietnam. Moran concludes with a brief discussion of historical wars in Afghanistan.
Moran points out that the term "national liberation" is a revolutionary slogan, "designed to conceal sordid truths. It served," he continues, "to hurl back into the face of the oppressor the idea of the nation, which Europe invented, and the ideal of liberty, which the West cherishes above all others in politics, while deflecting attention from the methods and interests of the liberators themselves."
Moran argues that while in some cases a war of national liberation has resulted in a new national identity where society lives in freedom, more often the result has been to replace one form of despotism with another. And the "liberator" of tomorrow may not necessarily have to find a former Western colonial power to take on.
Given the recent horrific events in the American homeland, this is a timely work. It is not for the reason of the War on Terror that "Wars of National Liberation" is timely, but for the inference one draws that wars of national liberation are likely to continue.
And where might the next such wars occur?
Present-day Palestine gives a clue. But one is forced to think more about those states, many artificially constructed by victorious powers in the West, that describe the Middle East, and from which al Qaeda and similar terrorist groups have drawn recruits and funding - funding from the very states whose governments may be toppled in the next "war of national liberation."
This is an attractive book, replete with numerous photographs, and Moran presents his research well. It will be a good volume for the beginning and intermediate student of military history.
4536531
Had I not been importuned to read My War by a client, it would never have crossed my desk. But since it was fairly thrust upon me and I had given him my word to read something he considered so compelling, I finally got around to reading it nearly a year later. And do you know what? Not only was it a pretty good read, it changed my opinion of the author somewhat for the better.
I have read a great many books on World War Two, but have rarely read one that approaches it the way Andy Rooney does here. After reading this, you will think more about what should be the self-evident fact that what you think you know about the war depends on which sources you've read and whose stories you've heard. Most popular histories concentrate on the big picture. Rooney concentrates on small pieces of the puzzle that comprise that big picture.
In My War, you are getting Andy Rooney's impressions of the war based on what he felt about what he saw and heard. He relates those impressions with great insight and often with his quirky sense of humor. And being an army reporter rather than a combat soldier, he saw the war from a different perspective and is quite reflective about that perspective. I learned much that I was unaware of and relearned some of what I had forgotten. The biggest lesson I relearned is that war makes savages out of the most educated and idealistic of people. There are few real heroes and few real villains, rather just a bunch of guys fighting to stay alive and make it home in one piece. We did many of the same things in combat that we accused our foes of, such as murdering surrendering enemy troops in cold blood and slaughtering civilians on a scale that exceeds the toll of the Holocaust. The only thing besides our ultimate victory that absolves us is that we "knew" that we were fighting for a higher moral purpose.
Whatever you might think about Andy Rooney and his politics, he does a good job in My War of making the reader think about all he/she assumes they know about World War Two in a different way. Give this book a chance and you, too, may come away with a slightly altered point of view.
2371537
I just finished reading the book and have to say, I found it to be one of the better books on the Iraq war I have read so far.  While it seems Sgt. Antenori is not a professional author, his story does come across as one from a ground soldier's perspective.  It's not laced with flowery descriptions similar to those you would find in a book written by a reporter like a Mark Bowden or a Sean Naylor.  Nor does it contain political correctness like you would find in a book written by a senior military officer.

Sgt. Antenori was an enlisted man and his perspective of the events that led up to the Battle of Debecka clearly shows that.  The description of the battle includes both a positive and negative evaluation of his team's battlefield performance.  He even criticized mistakes that he made relative to the "warning shot" as well as a few other "miscalculations" when trying to predict what his commanders wanted him to do.

Anyone that has spent a day in the military understands the concept of internal unit rivalry.  For the men in Special Forces, internal rivalry must be amplified hundreds of times over, simply because of all the type-A personalities, extensive amounts of experience and huge egos they bring to the table.  I could easily see why there were the turf battles and disagreements Antenori describes, but it was also refreshing to see the professionalism they displayed by putting those differences aside when it came time for them to fight the enemy.

The description of the battle plan being drawn out on the hood of their Humvee's, with both the 10th Special Forces and 3rd Special Forces teams putting their differences and disagreements aside to accomplish the mission, was an excellent example.

I recommend this book to both those in the military and military enthusiasts.  It contains gritty descriptions of combat and a dynamic group of characters that make this story stand out from any one I have read so far.  My hat's off to Roughneck Nine-One and the men of the other two A-Teams, Nine-Two and Four-Four for a job well done.  Also a special thank you goes out to the two Military Intelligence soldiers that volunteered to join those teams, going well above what was expected for their military occupational specialty (MOS).  Good job.

Steve Turley

U.S. Army Retired
2754627
I liked this book very much.  It gave an insight to the war we lived through from the other side.
4476721
This is a book which needed to be written!  It gives an incredible perspective on what it means to live as a soldier in a war zone.  This book will change the way you look at war and the American soldiers role in it.
1850759
Some authors portray war as horrible, and some find beauty in it. This author has combined both aspects of war, and created a unique perspective. The language is almost poetic at times, and reminds me of "Flanders", a novel about WWI I also enjoyed tremendously. There are a lot of gushing words on the book cover and back comparing the author to Faulkner, Hemingway, et al.. I don't know about that, but I do know that this book is one I will remember for a long time, for the power of the writing alone. It's a somewhat sad, but ultimately triumphant tale, and one well worth reading. I've begun the author's next work "The Year of Jubilo", also about the Civil War, and I'm anxious to see if he has kept to his excellence of presentation. There will be a report of that one in several days.
2549863
I highly reccomend this book to any reader who wants an insight into the suffering and endurance of men in battle. Fred writes from his own eyes and experiences of the " horrors, enlightments, and sufferings." I was shaken and taken back by his account of the war. I have a new found empathy and respect for history and soldiers who go into the front lines.  READ IT!
3894098
This book presents a new view of the historic landings in Normandy. This is what ordinary German soldiers experienced during the invasion, and it is enlightening to read about a historic event from a different perspective.
984249
I just finished reading the book so my feelings of it are quite fresh. It's a bloody book and some of it made an impact on me - as this review will indicate. Having (myself) served 4 years as an Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne's 504th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments and 16 years in other units - including armor, I found this book of great interest. In fact, one of the men in this book (Funk) used to visit my unit in the 82nd Airborne every year to drink beers, swap stories, and enjoy the comraderie with soldiers of his old unit from WW2 years. But there is one aspect of this book that opened my eyes to another image of WW2. While I appreciate and honor the soldiers and their sacrifices depicted this book, I was also shocked at the amount of cold-blooded and deliberate killing (murdering) of unarmed POWS and wounded German soldiers who begged for medical treatment and mercy outright. Yes, these things happen in a war of the magnitude of WW2. But I don't see any 'valor' in killing the wounded and unarmed POWS - there wasn't any valor in it. In fact, I see something "Beyond Valor" - but in the different direction - towards the despicable. In certain cases it can be argued that these men's airborne mission put them in strategic positions where taking prisoners was more diffucult than conventional soldiers - but that was not the case most of the time. If you think I am being squeamish, read the book and see if you aren't shocked as well at some of the recollections. It shows another side to our American War Hero's from WW2. I think that revealing these incidents of attrocities marries us with the rest of the world's humanity - as we often vainly think, possibly through Holloywood, that our soldiers possess golden, savior of the world-like qualities. Just because they all wore the same uniform does not imply that they were all alike in any way. Beyond the uniform, the youthful face, resides an individual. "Beyond Valor" is proof that war brings out the best and worst.
  Now at the same time, these same men, many decades later feel a great remorse and burden over such acts - in most cases sobbing elderly tears to this day when recollecting such things for the book. They see their faces and it haunts. I think that these were decent, 'normal' men and that the 'attrocicties' they reflect upon only serves to show another sacrifice they made - perhaps their souls - or at least their human conscience - that the war inflicted upon their young lives. Put in their situation, how would today's generation act? I don't judge them. "Beyond Valor" actually opened my eyes to what the ugly face of war can do to a man's psyche. I consider this aspect of their service - this less-than Valor like aspect - a hidden, silent sacrifice that these men made for America and freedom's cause - and therefore, while being appalled, further respect them - though under American military law - then and now - what some of them did to POWS and wounded was illegal and - Beyond Valor. Because I am a 20-year Army veteran with 4 as an airborne squad leader in some of the same units these men served in - I want to make it clear that I do NOT judge them for these things but rather honor them for the silent and hidden sacrifice they made that this book revealed. The war stories in themselves - combat operations of great courage,  eating crappy K-Rat's, getting drunk, getting wounded, seeing buddies killed - the immense trauma of it all, while historically informative and interesting, did not show me any new revelations of war than I have not experienced or at least read about. Ultimately, if the reader honestly reads what these  guys went through and banishes all romantic or even patriotic notions he may have about war, Beyond Valor makes a huge anti-war statement. It is said, that only the living continue to suffer while the dead rest in peace - I think that this book proves and exemplifies that saying - and it does it in spades. I salute you veterans - All the Way - Airborne!
220168
I enjoyed reading this.  While I would not consider it the definitive subject matter it does provide another perspective/case about the First World War that is not considered often.  Whether that is because it is false or just because it is un-explored by the general public is up to the individual reader to decide.  It definitely was a fresh take, reviewing well-worn events from a different perspective and viewing them through a different lens.  I enjoyed it for what it is.
47685
A summary of the review on StrategyPage. Com

'British military historian and former Para Kershaw gives us a fresh, and arguably very innovative look at Waterloo.  After a short introduction to set the stage, he plunges into an often minute-by-minute look at the events, making extensive use of first hand accounts
drawn from the letters, diaries, reports, or memoirs of a very great number of participants.  So we hear from Wellington and Napoleon at the very top, but also right down to the common soldier, civilian, and even camp follower.  And the voices are not those of British, French, and Prussian participants, common enough in most accounts of the battle, but also quite literally from  all the others  Dutch, Belgian, Nassauer Brunswicker, Hanoverian, and others  witnesses heard from much less often.  Kershaw integrates this testimony smoothly into  his narrative, filling us in on each persons background and role in the battle, following some through the day, some to their deaths on the field, and others even into their postwar  lives.  This is a very valuable addition to the literature on Waterloo, as it adds a fresh perspective to many of the  events.'

For the full review, see StrategyPage. Com
137033
Thank you, Saima, for writing this book.  The personal story is fascinating by itself, but I found that I learned a great deal about the war and Afghanistan.  This book presents an entirely different perspective on U.S. involvement and the different stages of the war.  One thing I thought that was hammered home well was how important communication is in military campaigns.  We would obviously expect the army to make cultural blunders and mistakes from ignorance because they don't take the time or have the resources to fully understand the situation.  However, I had not really thought about how crucial it is to have good translators who are able to convey the entire conversation, not just paraphrase the words.

The writing was a bit stilted and repetitive at times, but that is easily forgiven as the writer is not a career author.  I found this book, especially the first half, to be absolutely riveting.
3348194
This book has altered my thinking about war, not in the directions I would have wished but it helped me to understand.