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Do you have a favorite book?


RustyCanteen
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RustyCanteen

Do you have a favorite book(s)? Something that you have read before, but reach for again and again without getting tired of it? If so, tell us about it and why it holds your attention.

 

If you have more than one, feel free to tell us about it!

 

 

I have to admit I'll need to think about this question (I read a lot) , but off the top of my head I would say one book would be "Bataan Death March: A survivor's story" by William Dyess. It is what it is; a wartime (his story was originally written circa 1944) narrative of one man's war during the fall of the Philippines to his extraordinary escape from a Japanese POW camp in the former Davao penal colony. Tragically, Dyess was killed before his story was revealed in full to the public; but in keeping with his amazing life he selflessly gave his own life to save an innocent civilian during a training flight. A remarkable man.

 

RC

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The fighting 69th because i love how it tells about how they evolved over the years from 9/11 to iraq.

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I've read THE FEW and thought it was excellent. I'm fascinated by the Battle of Britain. My favorite right now is WASHINGTON'S CROSSING by David H. Fischer. For non-fiction it's amazing what a page turner it is. Another period of time I can't read enough about.

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"Nanette" by Edwards Park. It's about his love affair with his P-39 Airacobra while flying combat with the 41st FS, 35 th FG in New Guiniea.

 

First read it when it came out in the late 70s. I re-read it often.

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cperkins510

"Currahee" by Don Burgett, a paratrooper with A/506, 101st Airborne. It covers his fighting in Normandy on D-Day and after. In the opinion of many, the best US Army first person account of that conflict.

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I've read my copy of "The Root. Marines in Beirut" by Eric Hammel so many times the binding is shot. Powerful book.

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bellasilva

All Quiet On The Western Front for sure. But that's just military..I'm a huge Stephen King fan but I don't think that's what you're going for here.

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panzerbait

This may be dated and old school...but I have to say "A BRIDGE TOO FAR" by Cornelius Ryan. It is the very first WWII history book I ever read (not counting picture books in my elementary school library!) and THE book that got me started in my interest in military history in general and WWII specifically. Still a great read IMHO.

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This may be dated and old school...but I have to say "A BRIDGE TOO FAR" by Cornelius Ryan. It is the very first WWII history book I ever read (not counting picture books in my elementary school library!) and THE book that got me started in my interest in military history in general and WWII specifically. Still a great read IMHO.

The Cornelius Ryan books were some of the first in my "library". I still have the report I wrote in high school on "A Bridge Too Far." back in the 70s. They still are some of my favorites including the one he wrote and his wife finished dealing with his battle with cancer.

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panzerbait

Yeah...I did a book report on ABTF in the 1970's too. And I think that I liked the book so much that the 2nd history book I picked up was "The Longest Day."

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Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. I read this as a cadet and reread throughout my military career. It was on the recommended reading list for all Army officers.

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normaninvasion

3 books that have been with me since childhood and will to the grave are:

 

Rise and Fall of the TR: Shirer

Longest Day: Ryan

American Heritage 1st ed WW2 pictorial history

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Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. I read this as a cadet and reread throughout my military career. It was on the recommended reading list for all Army officers.

 

Mine too. Taught me a lot. I've read the uncensored Italian version, i've always promised myself to buy the original english version, but i never did it. Do you know if every english edition is the same (or has it been cut/censored)?

 

Other two books i enjoy reading again and again are

John Plaster's "SOG: the secret war..." and Bruce H. Norton's "Force Recon:1969" (i liked it even better than its very good sequel)

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I would say that one of my favorites, as a child, was The Spearheaders that I read while in elementary school. I can still remember the Ranger's climb of Pointe du Hoc.

 

Mark

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BigDogMilitaria

"Last Stand of Fox Company" by Tom Clavin and Ted Drury. Story of the Marines at the Chosin Resevoir. I was choked up about half the time.

 

"Phantom Warrior, the story of John Mckinney" by Forrest Bryant Johnson. The story of this MOH winner from the 33rd ID is unbelievable. How its not a movie yet, i dont know.

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"Last Stand of Fox Company" by Tom Clavin and Ted Drury. Story of the Marines at the Chosin Resevoir. I was choked up about half the time.

 

"Phantom Warrior, the story of John Mckinney" by Forrest Bryant Johnson. The story of this MOH winner from the 33rd ID is unbelievable. How its not a movie yet, i dont know.

 

You are spot on with "Phantom Warrior" Jay. It would be a great movie and given the disgusting manner in which he died at a VA hospital, quite relevant... Scott.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Sgt. Swigart

For Military books Strong Men Armed, The United States Marines Against Japan by Robert Leckie, 1962 has been one that I seem to read over and over.

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The book "And If I Perish - Front Line Nurses in WWII" is the book that started my obsession with reading about women in the military. :)

 

...Kat

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i have long been a fan of Rudyard Kipling, and my favorite among his works is "Barrack Room Ballads". his understanding of a soldiers life was directed at the british soldier of the 1800's, but so much of it seems to fit today. even his poem about afghanistan seems to be especially appropriate.

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No.

 

Quite frankly, as a bibliophile and enthusiast of military history, I don't have a favorite. I can't see how I could favor one single book out of the somewhere around 1000 books in my collection. The majority I have read, some more than once. I'll concede by saying that my favorite book is the one I'm currently reading.

 

Joe

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  • 4 months later...

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