An Overdue Military School
587785
CSB has written an excellent novel of a Military Academy for wayward youth. They take the young street hood and turn him into a young man. This Is an excellent read for the genre.....ER
1206706
Regardless of what some view of the authors writing style, this book fills a forgotten niche of WWII history.  I have been a student of WWII for over 40 years, and the information in this book, and they way the story relates to their treatment at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army fits right in with what we know and what had been documented.

One historical inaccuracy, is very early in the book.  Contrary to the author's allusions, the Army Air Force at Clark Field was not caught unprepared because of officer arrogance.  The US was a victim of the fates of bad timing.  The Japanese had planned to attack Clark and the Phillipines almost simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor.  The Japanese air forces based on Formosa, were delayed by thick fog.  The US air forces were in the air, awaiting a Japanese attack, but none arrived due to their weather delay.  The Japanese took off as soon as the fog lifted, and by the time the Japanese arrived, the US planes had landed or were in the process of landing to refuel.  By a twist of weather, the Japanese caught the US planes on the ground.  Not by American arrogance of Japanese capabilities.
1622946
He wants to make Admiral Kimmel a hero, but the problems dealt with could not have solved between November 27 and December 7th, 1941.  There was a mindset working at that time that would not have made totally changing course easy.  In addition, Forden Prange's work convinced me that General Short, in particular, could not have changed from his training mindset to actual war ipwrations or pay more attention to aviation mattets.  I will give Kimmel credit for being more open to the possibility of air attack, but unless the battlewagons sortied early enough to be out of attack range, many historians it was as least likely they would have been sunk at sea, which would have caused even more casualties than what actually occurred.  In addition, the submarine torpedo issues on the Mark 14 toepedoes could not have been found that quickly.  Only a few naval officers were willing to buck the Bureau of Ordnance to extensively test the torpedoes pre-war and there isn't evidence I have seen that Admiral Kimmel was such an ofdicer in that way.  I am sorry, but the book glosses over the inbred service assumptions and mindset that lead to the Pearl Harbor disaster.
4703480
This is a film that should be shown in high schools as a requirement.  Really, everyone should see it and we should start to make some serious changes in this country before it's too late.
3259667
yes this is an interesting read.  As short as it is, there are other ways to get it, this book is WAY over priced.  if you get drafted into the army C. 1970 they gave you one free along with a free M16.  In addition, there is one of these kinds of comic books for the M-14 rifle too.  Issued later in the war to troops who still got M-14's.
2669292
Dr. Mitchell's book is overdue for America in many ways.  For far too long, all most had to go on was the one-sided reports drafted by lying scoundrel counsel (but, I repeat myself) of the Democratically-controlled SSCI in December 2014.  Mitchell intelligently, factually and as dispassionately as humanly possible lays out the case of why hardcore radical Mohammedans like KSM and UBL were and will continue to be an existential threat to our Great Republic.  Pray others like him will stand up to the plate when America is hit again. It is a well-written narrative of what really went on at other government agency "black sites" in the decade right after 9/11.  A must read book for any student of history or strategic studies.  It is also a profile in courage of Mitchell and his well-intentioned and effective colleagues. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude!
2879331
I was candidly overwhelmed by the military nature of this historical work.  I was hoping for a great deal more in the political, social and economic areas than Profesor Middlekauff was able to deliver.  If this well  researched historical text were to be part of the Oxford MILITARY History  of the United States one would be less surprised at the laborious details  the author gets into on the various battlefields.  I have previously read  two voumes of the Oxford History of the United States: James McPhearson's  "Battle Cry of Freedom" and David Kennedy's "Freedom from  Fear" dealing with the Civil War and World War II, respectively.  Both  of these authors deliverd strongly where Middlekauff fell far short, namely  away from strictly military matters.  I would strongly urge those  interested in military history to read this book.  Those less interested  should search out some other work with a broader analytical framework such as The Radicalism of the American Revolution where its author, Gordon Wood, addresses the political theory and thought that went into the Revolution.

Oxford History of the United States  -  Update (March 2007)

After a long silence there has been some news this terrific series, as reported in the Boston Globe (December 24, 2006).

It appears as if readers are in for a treat over the next 12- 24 months with the "missing" volumes at least having manuscripts into David Kennedy (Freedom from Fear) and the series' new editor with the passing of C. Vann Woodward.

Volumes 1 and 2, covering the Colonial Period (1672-1763) have been assigned, in some order, yet to be made public (that I am aware of) to Fred Anderson (University of Colorado) and Andrew Cayton (Miami University of Ohio).

Volume 3 - The Glorious Cause 1763-89, Robert Middlekauf  PUBLISHED
Volume 4 - The U.S. from 1789-1815, Gordon Wood (Brown University)
Volume 5- What Hath God Wrought 1815-48, Daniel Walker Howe (UCLA)
Volume 6- Battle Cry of Freedom, 1848-65, James McPherson PUBLISHED
Volume 7- Leviathan: America Comes of Age, 1865-1900, H.W. Brands (Texas)
Volume 8- Reawakened Nation, 1896-1929, Bruce Schulman (Boston University)
Volume 9- Freedom from Fear, 1929-1945, David M. Kennedy PUBLISHED
Volume 10- Grand Expectations, 1945-74, James T. Patterson PUBLISHED
Volume 11- Restless Giant, 1974-2000, James T. Patterson PUBLISHED

Volume 12- a complete history of American foreign policy, George Herring (Kentucky)

It appears that the Brands addition has been pulled and will not be part of the series.  What will take its place is not yet known.  I would speculate that Brands will be writing on this same period, just not for this series as the work was largely done.  A similar event happened some time ago with Stanley Elkins and Eric McKitrick writing "The Age of Federalism, 1788-1800".  This was originally to be part of the series but the two apparently did not go far enough chromatically for the publishers.  Also John Gaddis Lewis has written extensively and was also, somehow, dropped by Oxford.  All of this makes for great reading one way or another.
1441404
This book should be required reading for all cadets, faculty, and staff at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. It is not enough just to know the dates and events, but to see and understand the leadership concepts taught at The Citadel.....Duty, Honor, Courage. The author has obviously done some excellent research to compile this master piece.  For those who are not familiar with The Citadel and the first shots of the Civil War that occurred in Charleston, SC, this book is for you.  Citadel Cadets fired the first shots of the war in 1861, engaged U.S. Marines at the Battle of Tulifinny (Dec 1864), and fired the last shots east of the Mississippi River at Williamston, SC on May 1, 1865.  "First to Fight" tells the story of those young heroic cadets, some as young as 15 years old, who fired the first shots.  The book includes a biography of all of these young cadets and many rare photos.  I strongly recommend this book for all interested in the Civil War, Charleston, SC, the South, and The Citadel.
2703805
I think that I now have a basic understanding of what a soldier has to go through before being sent to deployment. Quite a shock to the nervous system and the body. The guns mentioned in 1945 have surely changed to more powerful ones, but the training must be the same now in 2014.
You cannot be more down to earth in explanations than this:
"There's a lot to a regiment when you figure it out. First, 15 men makes up a squad, 4 squads make a platoon, 3 platoons make a company, 2 companies make a battalion and so many battalions make a Regt. etc. up to huge armies."
It's a pity the book did not follow up on Mark Patterson's senior being sent to Europe in WW2, was he deployed to Normandy? The end was pretty abrupt, as if in the middle of a letter.
4305755
A good read...a fine prep school novel that captures so much of the undercurrent that exists at such a school. It brought back the idealism and sorrows of youth. It reminds us that life is NEVER quite as easy as we imagine it to be.
2246288
I did enjoy reading this book, the setting in Vietnam was great. I just have to give it 3 stars due to having to read this for school, and it not being on my own accord. This is one of those that I did enjoy reading for school and I felt that it one that should be read
1871573
this novel has a great potential for a series i look forward to reading more. it is about time that a story was about the support services that help the soldieres in battle.
402086
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.
3730747
A rich story about the skill and professionalism of our military to the Holy Land. Should be a required reading before graduation of
all high school students in America.
3825122
"Josh!  Did you hear the news?  We fired on Fort Sumter.  Josh, it means that the war has begun!"

With those words, Josh and Monte rush out to sign up in the Confederate Army.  Two young men, hardly more than boys, whose main goal is to bloody the noses of the enemy.  Who that enemy is, they have only a dim idea.

Like so many young men on both sides of the conflict, they don't have the details of why they are at war with their countrymen.  All that matters is that their homes, families, and way of life are being threatened.  And the idea of a bit of glory and bragging rights also figure largely in their eager decision to march off to battle.

For awhile, it's all they had hoped for:  excitement, pretty girls giving them adoring stares when they rode through town, nighttime conversations around the fire.  Even the first battle doesn't seem all that real.  But when the months drag on far beyond the six months the boys had assumed would be the extent of the war, they gradually realize that this was not some little rout of an annoying group of interlopers.

Loss of friends, battle wounds, and loss of family take their toll on Josh.  When the war is finally over, he finds himself wandering, unable to settle down and unable to hold a job for long.  The war became his life, and many times he had hoped it would become his death.  It did finally take him, but only long after it was over.

The author, Jim Carey, wrote in the Forward to "Echoes from Home":  "Very shortly into the writing, I found that I was no longer telling the story through Joshua, but rather he was telling the story through me."  And I can certainly believe that.

So poignant, so honest--the story goes right through the reader.  You can almost smell the gunpowder and see the smoke of battle.  The times in between action, marked only by drill and patrol, are told just as honestly as the stories of the skirmishes and clashes.

The gradual decline of the Confederate Army fortunes and supplies are shocking to Josh and his fellows:  the inability to get food or medicine, soldiers without shoes during the cold of winter, the new recruits and unsuited officers, as the war approaches its climax.  And when it is over, another sad leg of Josh's life journey begins.

Having known nothing but war and fighting for so long, Josh is ill-prepared to fit back into society.  Mr. Carey goes into what Josh's life was like after the conflict is over.  Interestingly, he tells it first through Josh's eyes, then through the eyes of his freed slave, Little John.  I really thought the end was well-written and very satisfying; a closure of sorts for all concerned.

Even though this book is a work of fiction, the war was not.  And this book showed the dire truth behind those battles we read about in history books.

Thank you, Mr. Carey, for pointing out what we need to remember.  There is no glory in war, only death.  I'm sure Josh is grateful too.
1357095
The days of the noblesse oblige are long gone since these scions of very wealthy families sacrificed their own money and eventually lives getting our country ready for the Great War.  The many graduates and undergraduates of the Ivy League schools strongly felt the need to serve and lead their country.  Their sacrifice didn't end with WWI.  They continued their efforts after the war to ensure that our country  was ready for WWII.  The graduates of these old establishment institutions no longer feel the need to give any service to their country, but seem only to be motivated to satisfy their personal greed.  The courage of their forbears made incredible sacrifices in rickety biplanes to defeat the Hun.  In more recent times their progeny  seem more dedicated to avoiding service to their countries.  The author has shared with us the dedication of these heroes of the early 1900s selflessly serving their country. It was an interesting and inspiring read.
434792
There are many uniforms displayed however, there are very few close up pictures. Therefore, the details are difficult to see.