Ben was a marine.  Unfortunately his style was not always appreciated, but he got the job done.
925931
Ben was a marine.  Unfortunately his style was not always appreciated, but he got the job done.  He even saved his commanding officer, who repaid him by setting him up on a drug charge that got him kicked out of the Marines.  So he settled on a nice agricultural world.  Until the Marines send one of their own back to get him to come back.  After he agrees he leaves a trail of bodies behind, those that wanted to kill him but never got the chance.  When he finally meets a new species and fights side by side with them, they are so impressed with him that he is given gifts from their Emperor, one of which is a space ship.  One that Military Intelligence wants.  So Ben and a small group of Marines resign their commissions and go out on their own to start a company of their own and just live a normal life.  If the universe will allow him.
1778254
Marcus is too often overlooked for the grit it took to do what he did for his guys and this Country!!!
1866872
As a former Marine Sniper who served two tours in Nam and who is still trying to understand what I went through this is an okay read. Not as good as some and a bit over blown at times but worth understanding the other side. It does make you want to better understand the other side of our current crisis in terrorism and see what makes them tick. Our leaders in Nam were a little lazy and self serving when it came to history. That is the leaders in Washington. Makes you wonder what might have been?
1055961
I enjoyed reading it but do not think it was one of his best.  To much a stretch in many cases but it was entertaining and as a Marine (both as a NCO and officer) who served in Korea I found it entertaining.  It sure had the Army described right. If it were not for the First Marine Division the results may have ended in something different than a truce.  And more like Vietnam and there would be no South Korea now.  But again Brady is an interesting story teller.
71992
Ed Shames may not have gotten the publicity of other members of Easy Company as depicted in Band of Brothers, but it certainly sounds like his story is one that is worth telling. Just like the title suggests, this is the combat story of Ed Shames, very little of his pre and post war life are covered, which meant that the reader may leave feeling as though they only know about part of a person. It might have been more helpful to contain more on his experience following WW2, if for no other reason than to show this is how combat shaped Ed Shames into x or y.

I was also a little thrown by the narrative style which is Ian Gardner providing descriptions followed by direct quotations/reflections from Ed Shames. While this tactic was probably necessary for the general public who did not serve in World War II, it really disrupted the narrative for me, preventing me from getting as engrossed in the narrative as I would've liked. But on the positive side, Ian Gardner and Ed Shames have teamed up to create a combat story complete with humility and grace, along with some remarkably humorous moments  given the circumstances that he found himself.

It is a decent, if unremarkable story of World War II
3315117
Mr. Brooks story of his own experience in Vietnam and his life afterwards has been an interesting read. He explained himself several times concerning his poor education, it took just as much guts to write his own story as it did to fly as a doorgunner in Vietnam. Personally I didn't care for helicopters (Howze Board 1962-1963 Ft Bragg, NC), I thought they were a ten man flying coffin, and turned down a transfer to the 11th Air Assault Division (Test), Ft Benning, Ga. in 1963. Regardless of his spelling, sea rations instead of C-rations, he got his point accross, what he did in Vietnam and his adjustment afterwards is a story few of us can tell. Out of all those that served in country maybe 25% served in direct combat and maybe 10% of those to the extent Mr. Brooks did. As one of those that was "In the rear with the gear" I salute Mr. Brooks and all his kind that were "in it". I saw to many of then leave Tan Son Nhut AB on a pallet instead of a seat. My God bless them all.
4500281
This is a great read for those of us who are fascinated by warfare.  Mr. Kyle doesn't go into great detail about his tactics, which I assumed was so he wouldn't reveal SEAL secrets, but it was fascinating nonetheless.  At times he seemed slightly arrogant, but I overlooked that b/c he was simply reporting his successes, and I think it's in our nature to think someone is tooting their own horn if they point out something they're good at.  It's sad that he met his demise while helping a fellow vet, and I think reading this was a nice opportunity to see what Mr. Kyle was about.  Seemed like a great guy who did what he did for this country and simply told his story in a patriotic manner.  He talks about killing quite a bit, which could be unpleasant for the soft hearted out there.  It was enjoyable, but it's not for everyone.
4860689
3.5 stars : MacGregor served in the Recon/intelligence platoon with 1/306th of the 77th Division. He fought on Guam, Leyte and Okinawa and was in line for the invasion of Japan, so he had a long combat journey. The opening two chapters of his book however deal with growing up in The Depression. His father was absent and life was very tough. He had to work hard from a young age and it was fascinating to read of the measures people went to, to survive. As others have done, MacGregor credits the process to toughening him for the extreme trials of combat.

MacGregor sees a lot of combat. He points out that as a Recon man his duties were different to that of a stock standard infantryman but there were many occasions where he encountered the enemy. For the most part he writes of these events in terms of what his company of battalion achieved. He does write of his personal actions at times but given the scope of what he participated in, he was in a position to have delivered an extraordinary account of combat - had he chose.

As for what he does reveal, on Guam, where he lands a few days after the Marines, there are patrols and ambushes. On Leyte the 77th is audaciously launched behind enemy lines to capture the Ormoc Port. What is surprising here is the extent to which the Japanese are able to launch ship and air operations. Okinawa is hellish. The 77th spends a lot of time in the line and suffers heavy casualties. Again MacGregor writes mostly in general terms but one particular passage where he escorts a Graves unit to recover US KIAs is horrendous. He does not sanitize what being killed meant. He provides an after battle account of what occurred in this position and the scope of the fighting is incredible.

Throughout the book, MacGregor includes `sidebars' where he explores various issues, like killing, but also newspaper articles that his mother collected. It all adds to what MacGregor is saying. There is context and reflection. One of MacGregor's themes is the general lack of knowledge regarding the army's contribution to the fighting. He holds great respect for the Marines but is a little hurt that they seem to get all the publicity. (In their turn they greatly admired the 77th - nicknaming them the 77th 'Marines')His recounting of the achievements of his own division does a good job in setting the record straight but it is still very much his story. His personal antidotes are fascinating but I wanted more here, and as this is the focus of my memoir reading my rating above reflects this. But otherwise this is a four star book. MacGregor lived in interesting times and his book is an interesting read.
1225735
Even though the book stated it was not about true events, some of the characters and stories seemed to stretch a bit far.  I never encountered persons in the military quite like some of these characters  - not to say thye don't exist.  O'Brien is talented but his writing style made it hard for me to follow.  Even with this said, I will be reading some of his other works.
4926733
I found the part of the book written by the son to be very interesting.
I believe he gave a very good insight about the trials of Marine boot camp. I started skipping over the father's part of the book as I did not identify with him. I'm glad I read it.
2359854
He did a very good job of showing what they went thru.  I would never have been able to do his job as it was so similar to what a B17 went thru in WW2.  Like him, I also kept staying till I was sent home during the draw downs.  I am sure that he and the others in his job may have saved my life.  It was also being able to see the enlisted side compared to it he other Spectre book done by an Officer.
489432
Very heavy hard to cock not what I expected from Benjamin
396896
The Dan writes this in a way those without military experience can understand the complexities of being a junior officer and the personality clashes that sometimes result in the needless death of a true leader. A young man raised with values, morals and a sense of purpose. The story shows a "boy next door " grows up, goes to college, joins the Marine Corps out of honor and a desire to help the war effort in Vietnam  He leads his troops in such a manner that their hearts and minds revere him. From personal experience , I know some people in positions of power sometimes show resentment toward such an individual. Dan Moore shows such a dynamic which culminates in the inevitable conclusion. He also shows how a young man of honor, sense of duty and courage becomes disillusioned.
2737418
It was a different type of hero.  I liked the fact that he had a weakness that he had to deal with, one that is atypical for a warrior-type.
4224450
You can read the stories about Ben Drew, and admire him as a patriot, but still wish this book was edited more carefully. Like many books, it deals with Ben's training and gaining experience with a unit. I overlooked the type setting, the generic captions on photos (such as: 'Eder's primary mount, the Messerschmitt 109'), and minutia of P-51 paint jobs- but needed to reread sections to discover the true subject. That turns out to be the ace Georg-Peter watching Ben shoot down two members of his unit. As antagonists, they might have killed each other. Later, during peacetime, they became friends.
Later, he transfers to the Pacific just before Japan surrenders. This is an interesting tale for teens showing forgiveness, but it deserves more careful organization.
Note, Ben Drew was laid to rest in Arlington on 19 December 2013. R.I.P.
See also&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Yellowjackets-The-361st-Fighter-Group-in-World-War-II-Schiffer-Military-History/dp/0764314661/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Yellowjackets!: The 361st Fighter Group in World War II (Schiffer Military History)</a>.
776563
Excellent read. Although Hopf is not as polished as he will be in subsequent books...but it lends a bit of charm.. You can tell he was a Marine..lol
4352041
The author put his life on the line to write this book, and he went at great expense, both financial and personal.  That alone deserves five stars.  His approach was history in "real time," recording memories of U.S. Marines during a fight for Fallujah, or soon after.  Fighters in Fallujah had eight months to dig in, and U.S. Marines took them out one house at a time.

Knowing what U.S. troops are facing on the ground is vital to get a well-rounded picture of the war, and you'll see it all here, maybe more than you want.

You won't get a nuanced view of the political atmospherics, but that's not the story the author sets out to tell.  In the end, whatever the politics, these guys were fighting for their buddy, which is what a lot of combat veterans often seem to say.  It wasn't about high ideals, just fighting for their buddy and getting home.  They were fighting as one.  Words can probably never express combat--you just have to be there.  But you get pretty close here.

There have been some tremendous sacrifices made in Iraq.  It would be a shame if some of the black spots in the U.S. military's efforts in Iraq were to obscure the many acts of heroism and efforts to help build the foundations for a unified and stable Iraq.