Average user rating:  |
| Good, Almost Great. |
| The interviews are ace and remarkable in their clarity and insight. These are let down by the lack of context as to the battle within the wider campaign and a map or two would have enabled the reader to see the landscape and the positions, both would have added to the understanding of the action taken by each of the medal winners. Another example is the cover photo, listed as US Army coming ashore on Tinian Island in the Pacific Islands, which is sort of correct but Tinian is one of the northern Mariana islands (next to Sapian which was a major Marine victory) and was the home of the 509th Bomb Group which lead the atomic raids on Japan, a small detail yet one that would context this good book even better. |
| Good look at what MOH awardees went through |
| Smith has interviewed twenty-three recipients of the Medal of Honor, and coupled the edited interviews with brief scene-setting passages describing the war and the individual's circumstances. Official citations are appended. Acts for which the Medal was awarded occurred in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Some of the names are familiar-Senators James Stockdale, Daniel Inouye, and Bob Kerry. Most are little-known. They are of varied races, education, and background. Some are eloquent, as is Sen. Kerry on patriotism, guilt and redemption; others are blunt and inarticulate. The one common thread is that they generally consider themselves to be ordinary men who rose to an occasion they did not seek. Several make the point that they are not "winners," since in no sense did they compete for the Medal: they prefer to refer to themselves as recipients of an award. Smith was an editor of Parade Magazine, and his analysis never rises above that level, but the stories of the recipients are powerful in themselves. |
 If you miss Stephen Ambrose, this is even better |
| This is an extraordinary book. Larry Smith has done a masterful job in getting Medal of Honor recipients to open up and share their incredible stories. What you get are their thoughts, feelings, and memories, honest and unvarnished. The understatement and the humility make their bravery and achievements all the more powerful. Smith doesn't embellish or over-write. Instead, he lets each man have a voice. The result is gripping, page-turning, and will often bring tears to your eyes. Without Stephen Ambrose to do justice to those who fight our wars, we should be even more grateful to have Larry Smith. |
