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Patchcollector

Just wrapping up my "Summer" read (I know,I'm behind.As usual :lol: )

 

It's titled" Gentlemen B@stards" by Kevin Maurer.

 

Here is a small "write up" about it:

Kevin Maurer, co-author of No Easy Day and Lions of Kandahar, once again heads to a war zone to cover Operation Enduring Freedom. This time, he embeds with another Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA or A-team) and documents his experience overseas. Traditionally, Special Forces (commonly known as the Green Berets) have been focused on mastering unconventional warfare. However, the war in Iraq saw their role change into that of a counter-terrorist raid force.
As the United States transfers responsibility of Afghanistans' security to the Afghan Security Forces (ASF), the role of the Green Berets has somewhat reverted to their former one. The A-team that is followed in this book had the responsibility of training and supervising a special contingent of Afghan police. This proved to be a challenging mission since many of the ASF personnel were apathetic and disloyal to the security of their own nation.

Maurer is both realistic and blunt about the less romantic side of modern warfare.The hours of the day are consumed by lifting weights and trying to train the ASF, with eating and calling home squeezed somewhere in between. The book does not shy away from mentioning the tension between teammates living in such close-quarters or the pecking order between different units. Reading this book will give you a glimpse into the current post-climatic phase of the War on Terror.

It also raises an important question: are we winning?

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Hello,

 

I just finished Iwo by Richard Wheeler, a classic about Iwo Jima campaign ... a very realistic depiction of this grueling campaign ... and The Last Lieutenant, by John C.Shively, the story of a young officer leading what remains of his outfit through the meat grinder.

 

E

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I just finished "Patriots from the Barrio"

 

This is a new book that has just come out. ISBN 978-1-4990-5495-8

The book, Patriots from the Barrio is the story of an all Mexican American unit, E Company, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. The book tells the story of these brave young Mexican American boys who fought segregation and hardships in the United States and then went overseas and fought in Africa, Sicily, Italy and Europe. The unit gained most of its fame at the failed Rapido River crossing in Italy in January 1944. Almost 90 percent of the unit was either killed, captured or wounded.

I have a special interest in this book which goes back 20 years. I wrote about two of the men in this book for a college Newspaper that I was the editor of. I will post a link to the site that shows the articles that I wrote for the Borderlands Newspaper for 1994 and 1995. I am proud to say that I have been cited in this new book and I am listed in the bibliography.

When you go to the EPCC website, on the right side you can see the different editions. I was the editor for volumes 12 and 13. You will see and be able to read the articles that I wrote and edited.

http://epcc.libguides.com/borderlands

Leigh

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I just finished "Patriots from the Barrio"

 

This is a new book that has just come out. ISBN 978-1-4990-5495-8

 

The book, Patriots from the Barrio is the story of an all Mexican American unit, E Company, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. The book tells the story of these brave young Mexican American boys who fought segregation and hardships in the United States and then went overseas and fought in Africa, Sicily, Italy and Europe. The unit gained most of its fame at the failed Rapido River crossing in Italy in January 1944. Almost 90 percent of the unit was either killed, captured or wounded.

 

I have a special interest in this book which goes back 20 years. I wrote about two of the men in this book for a college Newspaper that I was the editor of. I will post a link to the site that shows the articles that I wrote for the Borderlands Newspaper for 1994 and 1995. I am proud to say that I have been cited in this new book and I am listed in the bibliography.

 

When you go to the EPCC website, on the right side you can see the different editions. I was the editor for volumes 12 and 13. You will see and be able to read the articles that I wrote and edited.

 

http://epcc.libguides.com/borderlands

 

Leigh

 

Have you seen the memorial behind the Coliseum that was put up a couple of years back?

 

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Have you seen the memorial behind the Coliseum that was put up a couple of years back?

 

Joe,

 

Yes I have seen the memorial. It is located at Delta Park. I went to the unveiling ceremony they had.

 

Leigh

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Joe,

 

Yes I have seen the memorial. It is located at Delta Park. I went to the unveiling ceremony they had.

 

Leigh

 

I was there as well!

 

Joe

 

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gunbunnyB/3/75FA

i'm reading both "WOLFPACK" by david jordan and robert ballard's "BISMARCK" both quite well written and informative.

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Among the best I've ever read, Ed! "For Crew and Country" is great as well.

 

I am working on Mission 376 right now, as it chronicles a mission my tailgunner flew, and mentions the plane's bombardier.

 

Next I will be reading "Feather Merchant" by Bill Greenwell. I found a uniform on ebay ID'd to a man that turned out to be in the 447th BG, 709th BS, and Greenwell was his pilot! Found out he wrote a book, wham, bam, had it ordered before the line moved ahead 3 feet at the haunted house my wife, kids and I were at. Ain't technology grand??

 

The uniform I got belonged to a man that was with the 709th BS at the same time as a local man (friend of my grandmother, actually) that was KIA.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Tropic Lightning Wife

I'd like to recommend a book. It's entitled, "On The Fault" And yes, it was written by my husband. I believe the events and aftermath of Vietnam are as relevant today as they were when our Vets came home so long ago. Here is a short synopsis. If this is not the proper place for this recommendation, please let me know.

 

A Decorated Soldier Explores the Lives of Disabled Veterans in a Fierce and Funny Novel

 

On the Fault, a novel by Ronald J. Wichers, showcases the remarkable resiliency of disabled soldiers who wage their own inner battles when a better life seems out of reach.

 

Ronald J. Wichers’ On the Fault follows the men of Delta Company as the Vietnam War batters their hopes and breaks their bodies. From the thick, steamy jungles to the trauma of the military hospitals where the men recuperate from life-changing injury, this is a world where the odds may seem stacked, but fierce courage and hope can attack any challenge.

 

A decorated war veteran, Wichers knows firsthand the problems of disabled soldiers. On Oct. 24, 1970, Wichers was on a search and destroy mission in the jungle near Xuan Loc when his unit was assaulted. Hit directly by a rocket propelled grenade, he lost his left arm and was hospitalized for five months at Letterman Hospital on the Presidio in San Francisco. But he turned his experiences into art, channeling them into this brave, brash novel that is as feisty as it is important. On the Fault is available for sale online at Amazon.com and as an ebook for Kindle and similar channels worldwide.

 

About the Author

Ronald J. Wichers served with a rifle company in the 25th infantry Division Vietnam. He is the recipient of an Army Commendation Medal for heroism, 3 Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star medal. He lives in Temecula, CA.

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I'm reading, "Top Sergeant" by William Bainbridge right now.

It's pretty dry and he skips right after being a WW2 grunt in the Bluge (106th Division) and later a POW pretty fast. Just like a lot of people in high places in the military, he sees himself as a 'aw shucks, I'm just there for my troops' when anyone who's served knows you don't become SMA without knowing how to seriously climb ladders and play the political ends of things.

It's not a bad book but not the best I've ever read.

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Beachhead to Brittany. the 29th division in Brest August to September 1944. the second book in Joe Balkowski's series of the 29th division in WWII

 

-Dave

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  • 1 month later...

I'm currently reading The Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson. It's the second in his monumental "liberation trilogy", covering the campaigns in Italy, mostly from an American persepctive. I have to say however that it's fairly verbose, much more so than his first (he's a journalist, after all). I still recommend it, however.

 

You know, I didn't get interested in North Africa and Italy until I happened to thumb through his first work An Army at Dawn, in the bookstore. That one I highly recommend.

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Just finished "Forgotten Fifteenth" by Barrett Tillman. 'The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine'. An excellent look at the 'other' major strategic air force in the ETO. Mr Tillman, an aviation author of note, covers the 15th from its start in November 1943 through war's end and beyond. The 'Mighty Eighth' received the lion's share of publicity of the air offensive in Europe but the mission of the 15th in terms of men, machines and success, a huge effort, was largely underpublicized. If you enjoy air war history and stories of B-24s, B-17s, P-38s and P-51s, et al, and the men who flew them, you'll enjoy this excellent history.Bobgee

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Patchcollector

I've been chipping away at "Ghost Wars" for the last month or so.It's a "meaty" read so I'll be at it for awhile! :lol:

 

So far it's really interesting.

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Diary of Anne Frank with my 8 year old daughter...she came home after school one day last week and asked me about it.

 

Around that time (maybe later, 5th grade perhaps?), I had to read a book called "The Devil's Arithmetic" in grade school. Really cool book. A typical modern youth who tires of the old country's traditions here in America is zapped back to 1939 or so Poland at Passover Seder. Heck of a twist at the end.

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gordon_sml.jpg

 

Fighting for MacArthur: The Navy and Marine Corps' Desperate Defense of the Philippines by John Gordon. A very interesting read from the perspective of the sailors and marines during the Bataan / Philippine Defense campaign.

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Currently reading "Sherman's Flame & Blame Campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas....and the burning of Columbia" by Patricia G McNeely.

 

...Kat

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I finished James Campbell's 'The Color of War' a few weeks back and thought it was a good read. It is really several stories in one, but centers around two major events; the battle for Saipan and the Port Chicago disaster. The events are told through the eyes and experiences of sailors and Marines involved with both events. The title refers to the double standards and prejudices present in the Naval services, and how those hurt the war effort; as well as the men who served.

 

For those unfamiliar with what happened at Port Chicago, it was the major Naval Ordnance loading facility in California during WWII. Unfortunately the demands of war made safety standards near useless, while unprofessional behavior among some officers (it is alleged that some officers in charge of loading teams set quotas which could not be met safely, and that they may have even placed bets amongst themselves) led to if not created, an accident waiting to happen. In July 1944 that accident happened. Two ships were being loaded around 10:30PM when something (the actual cause is unknown) happened which led to the detonation of an entire ship filled with ordnance, the pier loaded with ordnance awaiting transfer to the other ship, and much of the base. The loading teams and crews of the ships were wiped out; the one ship ceased to exist and left an underwater crater.

 

No survivors leave was granted to the surviving loading teams and they were detailed to load yet more ammunition after their friends had been killed in the accident. Some of the men were asked to load ammunition and said they were not willing, given the risks involved with ammunition and lax safety standards. The men were separated from their unit and charged with mutiny. The defense for the men was up to the task, but overruled on numerous occasions by a court which it seems had judged the men guilty before ever hearing the evidence.

 

The other half of the book is devoted to a Marine who survived yet another example of poor ordnance storage practices which led to the 1944 'West Loch' explosion in Pearl Harbor. Later he is sent into battle all the while wondering what happened to his friend who he had not seen since he dived into the harbor during the explosion and subsequent fires.

 

I found it to be an interesting recounting of both events, and although neither event is new to me I still feel I walked away with a better understanding of them.

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