Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission Review

I am not even someone who is fascinated by war stories but this account is so well written and engaging and heart rending that you can not put it down.
When David Halberstam died I figured that was the end of greatest non-fiction story teller ever, until I picked up this book. Mr. Sides recounts a story in the same manner, giving background history, personal anecdotes and histories. Everything he writes about engages you completely. this story, aside from being an amazing part of history, but personal and military, is so well told you can not stop reading and crave for more at the end.
I can't recommend this book enough.

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission Overview

On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected U.S. troops slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty rugged miles to rescue 513 POWs languishing in a hellish camp, among them the last survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March. A recent prison massacre by Japanese soldiers elsewhere in the Philippines made the stakes impossibly high and left little time to plan the complex operation.

In Ghost Soldiers Hampton Sides vividly re-creates this daring raid, offering a minute-by-minute narration that unfolds alongside intimate portraits of the prisoners and their lives in the camp. Sides shows how the POWs banded together to survive, defying the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and torture. Harrowing, poignant, and inspiring, Ghost Soldiers is the mesmerizing story of a remarkable mission. It is also a testament to the human spirit, an account of enormous bravery and self-sacrifice amid the most trying conditions.

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission Specifications

The Bataan Death March was just the beginning of the woes American soldiers captured by the Japanese army in the Philippines had to endure. The survivors of the march faced not only their captors' regular brutality (having surrendered, they were considered to be less than honorable foes), but also a host of illnesses such as dysentery and malaria. For three years these "ghost soldiers" lived in misery, suffering terrible losses.

When Army Rangers among Douglas MacArthur's forces arrived in the Philippines, they hatched a daring plan to liberate their captured comrades, a mission that, if successful, would prove to be a tremendous morale booster at the front and at home. Led by a young officer named Henry Mucci (called "Little MacArthur" for his constant pipe as well as his brilliance as a strategist), a combined Ranger and Filipino guerrilla force penetrated far behind enemy lines, attacked Japanese forces guarding Allied prisoners at a jungle outpost called Cabanatuan, and shepherded hundreds of prisoners to safety, with an angry Japanese army in hot pursuit. Amazingly, they suffered only light casualties.

In Ghost Soldiers, journalist Hampton Sides recounts that daring rescue, once known to every American schoolchild but now long forgotten. A gifted storyteller, Sides packs his narrative with detailed descriptions of the principal actors on both sides of the struggle and with moments of danger and exhilaration. Thrilling from start to finish, his book celebrates the heroism of hundreds of warriors and brings renewed attention to one of the Rangers' finest hours. --Gregory McNamee

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 21, 2010 15:11:05

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education Review

I enjoyed Mullaney's "The Unforgiving Minute". He is an exceptional writer and brought the scenes in his autobiography alive. I thought the synopsis provided on the back cover of the book was misleading as it talks almost exclusively of Mullaney's combat experience in Afghanistan. That was NOT the focus of this book - an integral part, yes. But this book really journalizes Mullaney's experiences of coming from a blue-collar background and graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, completing Army Ranger school, attending Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, meeting his future wife at Oxford and some of the difficulties faced in a Catholic/Hindu courtship and finally marriage, his combat experiences in Afghanistan, his assignment to the "Old Guard"(3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Washington, DC) and finally teaching history at the Naval Academy.

I enjoyed the detail provided in the book on the author's time spent at Oxford (very interesting), his travels around the world while at Oxford, his endeavors to be a scholar-soldier. The pages on Afghanistan were engrossing especially since my son is also an Army officer.

I really felt in many ways that this book was a way for Mullaney to write down his adventures - more of an expanded version of the daily journal he keeps - both so the memories wouldn't be lost but also so that by setting them to paper maybe he could get some insight into some very hurtful time periods in his life and either come to understand them better, lessen their negative impact on his life, or exorcise old demons. I didn't agree with the way he handled some of his personal issues but I am quite sure he would feel the same way if he was able to dissect my life, and I think he is brave to put his life out there for all of us to see. How many of us would be as candid?

He idolized his father and his father hurt him terribly by leaving the family. At least at the time this book was written, he had still not forgiven his father. Hand in hand, he had not forgiven himself (even though it was not his fault) for the loss of a soldier during battle in Afghanistan. He was not able to correspond with the fallen soldier's father, even though the father contacted him. In some ways this young man was very mature, also bright and engaging. But it comes across strongly in the book how rigid in some of his thinking he is, how he expects himself to be perfect and by the same token, others around him. Hopefully he is learning that no one is perfect. We all have our imperfections-it is part of being human.

I would like to read another later autobiography by this young man and see what life lessons he has learned, read more about his marriage and his doctor wife's career, about why he left the service (or why he thinks he did), about his family including more on his brother's Army adventures, about his time working with Obama, etc. As I wrote earlier, he is a very talented writer.

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education Overview

"One of the most thoughtful and honest accounts ever written by a young Army officer confronting all the tests of life." -Bob Woodward

In this surprise bestseller, West Point grad, Rhodes scholar, Airborne Ranger, and U. S. Army Captain Craig Mullaney recounts his unparalleled education and the hard lessons that only war can teach. While stationed in Afghanistan, a deadly firefight with al-Qaeda leads to the loss of one of his soldiers. Years later, after that excruciating experience, he returns to the United States to teach future officers at the Naval Academy. Written with unflinching honesty, this is an unforgettable portrait of a young soldier grappling with the weight of war while coming to terms with what it means to be a man.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 19, 2010 06:38:05