Customer Reviews:
Great Read.......2007-07-06
I got so much out of reading this book that I am not sure where to begin. There is a lot of very valuable medical information, but more importantly it gives the reader a chance to get to know many interesting breast cancer survivors including the author. They all become friends along the way, and the reader learns a lot about living as a breast cancer survivor as well as being part of a support system. Anyone who is touched by this disease (which is just about everyone) will benefit from reading this book. I highly recommend it.
Inspiring Stories of Breast Cancer Survival.......2007-03-29
In 2001, San Antonio pathologist, Deborah Douglas learned she had breast cancer. She had already lost her husband and her father to cancer. Now, it was her turn to face it.
Actually, she had been facing cancer for years. In an active pathology practice, she had seen hundreds of cancers under microscope, had been the one to so often make the decision: benign or malignant. After getting her own diagnosis, she decided to retire from her medical practice. She went through all the treatments, was pronounced cancer-free, and in 2004, as a way to prove to her family that she was fit and well, she decided to walk in one of the Susan Komen Foundations 3-Day Walk for the Cure events. She got online, registered for the first one, and then on an impulse, decided to register for all ten 3-Days to be held that year. Each 3-Day Walk is 60 miles, done in twenty-mile increments each day. Later came the idea to write a book of the experience. And what a book it is.
Divided into ten chapters, each chapter representing a different 3-Day city where Douglas walked, she tells the breast cancer story through interviews with other participants and cancer survivors that she meets at each of the events. At the end of each chapter is a montage of photographs taken of those who shared their stories. Layered in between, in short passages, Deborah's own story also emerges. The result is a deeply moving and compelling work of literature that also happens to be of vital medical importance.
All of the people in the book are cancer survivors in one way or another. Most have been diagnosed with breast cancer, but some are walking for loved ones they have lost. One young husband saw a poster for a 3-Day event on his way home from his wife's funeral. Three months later, he was walking in her memory. Another walker wore a pink jacket from 2002 that read: "In honor of my mom. 13 cities. 780 miles." And yet "Foot Soldiers" is far from depressing.
Many participants come to the Walks as part of a team. Some dress up in wacky costumes like contestants on "Let's Make Deal." They have Opening and Closing Ceremonies, sort of mini-Olympics productions with people giving speeches, with music, a "survivor's circle" and a flag processional. They sleep in tents, thousands of walkers, on sleeping bags, with a big tent dining hall. During the Walk, comfort stations, theme-decorated Pit Stops or Grab & Go Stations, line the route, and driving crews "sweep up" walkers who can't make the whole 20 miles each day on foot. Other drivers ride along in vans with loud speakers playing Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" and other up-tempo songs to encourage the walkers. It sounds like great fun, summer camp for adults, the kind of place where you probably make friends quickly and for life. Douglas says, "For many participants, hugging is as integral to the 3-Day as walking. So is being nice, helpful, and emotionally open."
As I read I found myself wanting to join, wondering if I could possibly walk twenty miles in one day, let alone 60 in three, or 600 in a few short weeks as Deborah Douglas did. I went online and found a web site, www.the3day.org, that explains the Walks in detail. They have links to other sites with important information about breast cancer awareness. One excellent site is www.komen.org with particularly interesting and educational interactive features. You can also visit Deborah Douglas's site, www.the3-daybook.com, to learn more about her and "Foot Soldiers." It is a book to read and then to share.
my top recommendation for the newly diagnosed.......2006-12-13
after reading "dr. susan love's breast book" i was well versed in the technical aspects of my disease. "foot soldiers" spoke directly to my soul. i read dr. love's book in 2 days; i savored "foot soldiers" and extended the reading of it over several weeks. i re-read many parts and my copy's spine is now broken, so many pages are dog-eared that i might as well highlight every word in this book.
this book shows the reality of living with breast cancer through the eyes of the patients, survivors, their families and friends. it is an invaluable resource and a great source of comfort, humor and inspiration. the writing is impecable and the weaving of the stories into one is very well done. i've been buying books from amazon for years and never before felt compelled to write a review.
BC Survivor Relates.......2006-11-29
Breast cancer changes you. How it changes you depends upon your intrinsic personality, the people who love you, the medical professionals who care for you. "Foot Soldiers" is a book about change, challenge, hope, love, and courage. You know these women; you are caught up in their life-affirming stories. Narratives spill across the pages as participants in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk tell their stories during events in 10 cities in 2004. Women, sometimes their husbands, daughters, sisters, mothers, and friends share their stories. Author Deborah Douglas weaves her own breast cancer story among those of the other runners, sometimes to clarify medical information or to share her experience in empathy with a storyteller.
Dr. Douglas does it so subtly that the reader almost don't realize it is the author speaking - until you read a phrase that perhaps only a Texan could write --"radiation treatment knocked the straw out of me." While the tragic is inescapable, comic relief and an overriding sense of hope balance the poignant stories.
Inspiring, comforting, or provoking anger, the honesty of these stories help those of us who are touched by breast cancer know that we and our families are not alone, that it is important to pay attention to our instincts regardless of what the experts tell us. This book challenges us to live with hope, great courage, and great love.
Wonderfully well written and poignant.......2006-11-03
This is a wonderful book and exceptionally well written. Dr. Douglas touched my heart with every new chapter in the lives of the people with whom she walked. Each story was filled with the bravery, fear and success of each of the participants whose lives she became a part of during the walks. But most importantly, it raised my awareness of how fragile our lives may be and how we must live each moment to its fullest. Cowboy hats, pink of course, off to her!!
Amazon.com
What was daily life like for a lowly infantryman during the last year of World War II in the European theater? Foot Soldier, Roscoe C. Blunt's memoir, tells us with unadorned candor. "Rockie" Blunt, a front line soldier with the 84th Infantry Division, fought in the Roer and the Battle of the Bulge. He suffered frostbite, severe trauma, killed many enemy soldiers, and was, briefly, taken prisoner. Blunt concentrates on the quotidian: digging foxholes in frozen earth, sleeplessness, meager meals, shelterless winter bivouacs, and exhausting marches. By the war's end, Blunt is less disturbed by the sight of battlefield dead than he is elated by the discovery of fresh-baked baguettes. Foot Soldier, self-effacing and infused with a healthy skepticism about "the brass," is a rough-edged marriage of Studs Terkel's Working and Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. --H. O'Billovitch
Book Description
Now in paperback: One of the most immediate, unvarnished accounts ever written of a soldier's day-to-day struggles in World War II, by "a war hero and a patriot."- Washington Post.
Through the prism of ultimate victory, the "greatest generation" that fought World War II has been seen as triumphant. But the brutal reality of the war as endured by combat infantrymen has remained little documented. In Foot Soldier, Roscoe C. Blunt provides an all-too-rare glimpse into the experience of fighting at the Allied front.
Nineteen-year-old "Rockie" arrived on the continent in November 1944, when burnt-out U.S. vehicles still littered the beaches. His 84th Infantry Division fought at the Roer, through the Battle of the Bulge, and at the crossing of the Rhine all the way to the Elbe; Rockie was briefly taken prisoner by an SS Panzer unit. Drawing upon his numerous letters home and the journals he scrawled in foxholes and tents, he has given us one of the most detailed, immediate accounts of the Second World War ever written, a memoir sure to take its place with the classics of war literature.
Customer Reviews:
Pass this one by... .......2007-05-05
Foot Soldier by Roscoe C. Blunt, Jr.
Foot Soldier is Roscoe C. Blunt's story of his experience in WWII. My review for this book will be different than many others. Why, well, Mr. Blunt totally failed with this book. This is a one star book. Mr. Blunt, to put it bluntly, was a blow hard and a sad sack. I'll admit that I failed to finish reading the book, mainly because I got tired of his blow hard ways. When ever Mr. Blunt is doing something, either he's a total slacker or the most heroic person there is. Examples; in crossing the Atlantic Mr. Blunt was so sick that he couldn't move from his bunk space and barely survived; after landing in England (his units was the 84th ID) he tells about men from his unit mixing it up in a pub with men from the 82nd Airborne. This is physically impossible due to the 84th landing in England on 1 October, the 82nd Airborne Division was involved in Operation Market Garden and the post Market Garden operations with the British. In addition, Mr. Blunt talks about walking from Normandy to the front and developing blisters. This is very doubtful since the 84th landed in Normandy between 1-4 November and was deployed in the Netherlands between 5-12 November. After reading Mr. Blunts tripe (in the first 50 pages) I just had to give it up. If you want to read historical fiction that's not that good, read this; if you want to read a good memoir from a man who fought in WWII, read Bootprints!
Point of view of the common infantryman .......2006-12-14
This is a very good read book. It is well written, interesting, and gives the point of view of the common infantryman or in this case anti tank platoon member of the 84th Infantry Division. "Rocky" Blunt did a nice job writing the book. You will not be disappointed. The book was read by Jimmie Kepler in June 2005.
Hard to Believe.......2006-11-10
I have read many books on fighting in the European theater in WWII. I have also heard first hand accounts from my uncles who fought in Europe including one who was a tank driver under Gen. Patton. I must say I found Roscoe Blunt's book hard to believe. He states he received special training to defuse landmines and bombs. But after being in combat for serveral months he never was called upon to use his special training. At one point during the Battle of the Bulge he mentions he leaves his foxhole alone, at night to reconoiter thru a minefield toward German lines then becomes disoriented and lost. If that is an example of how a "battle tested" soldier acts then it's amazing he lived to tell the tale.
I have to believe most of what is written in this book is highly embellished to say the least.
entertaining.......2006-10-05
This is an easy read, with many exciting passages, if they are sometimes filled with a bit too much portentious prose.
But as far as history goes, I'm not sure how much of these events to take at face value. Some of the stories about Mr. Blunt's experiences sound more like something thought of in Hollywood as opposed to real events. Still, they make for fun reading.
What is of value is the frank discussion of the behavior of soldiers. The Germans are not the only ones presented as barbarians as war pushes men to extemes. Blunt is honest about the looting that was commonplace, as well as the hunger, cold, and misery that went along with winter war. He is a bit more reticent about relations between soldiers and women, expecting us to believe that a 19 year old didn't know how to be excited around a womwan, but I filed these under the entertaining humor bits, much like his occasional references to himself in the third operson that pop up now and then.
Overall, I wouldn't call this a great memoire of WWII, but it was fun to read.
84th Railsplitter's view of Foot Soldier by Blunt.......2006-04-13
To list all the statements in Roscoe Blunt's book "Foot Soldier" that are factually incorrect would take more space
than a review should use. I will cover only one action, the Roer River crossing. I made this crossing with the first assault in a boat at 0330 23 February 1944. I was a member of the 1st Battalion Headquarters Company Antitank Platoon 334th Regiment 84th Division. For the Roer crossing I was part of a bazooka team attached to Rifle Company C. This operation is accurately portrayed in the 334th Regimental History "Fortune Favored the Brave", Mannheimer Grossdruckerei, August 1945. My name PFC Douglas J Harvey on page 136 establishes that I was in this attack. The Divisional History "The 84th Infantry Division in The Battle Of Germany" states Blunt's Regiment, the 333, crossed the Roer River on the 24th on the well-established bridgehead. His account indicates tanks were crossing at the same time. The first tanks crossed noon of the 24th establishing that he was not in the first wave. Only two air attacks by individual aircraft, ME 262s, one of which was shot down, are mentioned in the 84th divisional history. However, artillery hits were frequent. Blunt's stories of throwing grenades, being strafed by waves of planes, and hand to hand fighting after crossing on the foot bridge are pure fantasy. This all supposedly took place 36 hours after the initial attack of which I was a part. I had difficulty in reading all of Blunts book because of my frequent anger by his distortion of facts. No star was not an option or I would have used it.
Douglas J Harvey
PFC 1st Battalion Headquarters Company Antitank Platoon 334th Regiment 84th Infantry Division
Customer Reviews:
It was like learning my father's war experience first hand.......2007-07-27
My father served in the Southwest Pacific also. He very rarely spoke about what he experienced there. All I knew was he was in New Guinea and the Philippines. After going through his separation papers and old photos after he died, I learned he was in the 41st Division in the same places and at the same time as the author of this book. It was well written and described what the men of my father's and the author's generation had to go through. A true soldier's story from the "Greatest Generation".
Very good combat memoir of the Southwest Pacific.......2005-01-12
This book is a brief, but solid memoir of a soldier who fought in New Guinea and the Phillipines written nearly fifty years after the end of the war. The battle descriptions are first rate and his prose is very readable. The author is honest in admitting when his memory of events is imperfect but the years have not dimmed much. The author comes across as a likeable guy who is rightfully proud of his contribution to the "Good War".
Book Description
BAPTISM BY FIRE
Chris Ronnau volunteered for the Army and was sent to Vietnam in January 1967, armed with an M-14 rifle and American Express traveler’s checks. But the latter soon proved particularly pointless as the private first class found himself in the thick of two pivotal, fiercely fought Big Red One operations, going head-to-head against crack Viet cong and NVA troops in the notorious Iron Triangle and along the treacherous Cambodian border near Tay Ninh.
Patrols, ambushes, plunging down VC tunnels, search and destroy missions–there were many ways to drive the enemy from his own backyard, as Ronnau quickly discovered. Based on the journal Ronnau kept in Vietnam, Blood Trails captures the hellish jungle war in all its stark life-and-death immediacy. This wrenching chronicle is also stirring testimony to the quiet courage of those unsung American heroes, many not yet twenty-one, who had a job to do and did it without complaint–fighting, sacrificing, and dying for their country.
Includes sixteen pages of rare and never-before-seen combat photos
Customer Reviews:
Who Reads Books About the Vietnam War? I do..........2007-09-13
I went with five stars against my better judgmemt. Oh, the book was most interesting and the humor alone was worth the price and effort, but we Vietnam veterans have had so many roses thrown in our paths and so much glory that I'm afraid of overdoing it.
Anyway, Ronnau gets my vote and five stars simply because he was able to stop taking drugs and killing babies long enough to write a book. I was able to get my newest title, "Kill Me If You Can", out between these things, but haven't been able to completely give them up. It pleases me to no end when an 11 Bravo guy makes good. Thanks and congratulations, Doc.
One of the best books ever written on the Vietnam War.......2006-12-23
"Blood Trails", written by Long Beach, California native Chris Ronnau, tells of his experiences as a foot soldier in Vietnam. His unit, the Big Red One, was involved in many important infantry operations in the III Corps area of South Vietnam, north and west of Saigon along the Cambodian border. In this book, he conveys the day to day emotions of a youthful soldier called off to duty in a foreign land where he ended up becoming a hero during a fierce firefight in April 1967, during which he sustained mass trauma to his face. This is his story of personal courage, along with a moving account of the battlefield comraderie among 19 year old soldiers who depended only on each other for survival in America's longest, most frustrating war.
Pathologies of Vietnam.......2006-11-11
This is a ground level view of the role of the American Army in Vietnam. The story is based on the contempoarary diary of a man who decided to enlist, and requested infantry duty in Vietnam, during the height of the war in the late 1960s. The author is clear that in writing the book, he relied on his diary, and tried to convey the genuine emotions of his younger self, but he also writes with the perspective of thirty years reflection on his own experience. The book clearly reflects genuine experience, and is grippingly readable. While the author does not set out with any political agenda, it does offer a first hand account that clearly illustrates the tactical insanity of the war from an infantry man's perspective. The author and his brothers in arms rarely understand the larger purpose of their day to day activities, but are clearly aware that their actions do not add up to winning the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. For those of us who were not there, this book offers a window on one of the most important events of twentieth century history. We all can be glad that Chris Ronnau lived to tell us his story, and had the presence of mind to record these events when they took place.
One Line Doggie's Tour in Vietnam!.......2006-10-20
There have been countless memoirs by Vietnam combat vets over the last years. I rate Christopher Ronnau's as one of the better efforts.
Ronnau was in combat from January to April 1967 with the Big Red 1, his tour shortened by a serious wound to the face received in an ambush. BLOOD TRAILS is his account of those months in combat.
I enjoyed Ronnau's book for several reasons. First of all, it seems a realistic account of an infantryman's lot in Vietnam circa 1967 - lots of endless patrolling, an occasional encounter with Victor Charlie often with uncertain results, night ambushes that come to naught, and a few terrifying firefights. Second, his narrative includes "daily routine" snippets like cooking C-rats with gobs of plastic explosive that give a sense of immediacy. Third, he doesn't include "remembered conversations" in his book. I have a big problem with any autobiographical work that includes reconstructed conversations from 30, 40 years ago. Hell, I can't remember what I said to my wife last week let alone 20 years ago. Ronnau kept a diary which increases my comfort level as to whether or not he's telling the truth or embellishing.
Anyone interested in learning of the life of a combat infantryman should pick up this book. It provides an unvarnished portrait of life in the Nam.
Customer Reviews:
A fascinating book ..........2005-12-29
After reading a brief biography of Napoleon, I picked this book to get acquainted with the tough lives of soldiers. I agreed that Napoleon was a great soldier and strategist, but the events that ocurred in the Russian Campaign were disastrous, with a total disregard for the lives of soldiers, especially the allies. These people died slowly, mostly because of starvation and cold, fighting and dreaming to get home alive.
A few people did manage to get home save, and this story is a unique account of that, in particular when the army have to "reculé" from Moscow. A fascinating book to learn the unknown facts of wars in this period.
Wonderful!!.......2005-01-28
An outstanding book for anyone interested in history. Although it was somewhat common for politicians, generals and admirals to keep logs, it was extremely rare for a person of lower rank to write anything. Mainly because few of them could read or write.
The main part of the book and by far the most interesting is the authors diary of Napoleon's march into Russia during 1812. Nearly half of million men entered Russia. Jakob details the problems of such a large army and the lack of food. The Russians were destroying everything whilst in retreat. These problems however were nothing compared to that which was to come after the army left Moscow to return home. Only 25,000 from 500,000 survived. Jakob barely got out alive despite the hunger, attacks from other soldiers in his own army and the Cossack raids onto the rear of the retreating army.
The book was not written as a daily diary. That was just not possible. Jakob wrote the diary years later. The main item that stands out is that he details the facts without clouding the images with any political views or emotions.
I truly wish that there were more books of this nature by the common solider or sailor.
Extremely interesting.......2004-03-18
I had absolutely no knowledge of war in general or of this era but just happened upon this book and found it a totally compelling read. Absolutely fascinating. Keep in mind too that I am female, college educated (engineering/art) but one who avoided all history and related classes like the plague in high school & college--but I truely enjoyed this book and it made a huge impact on my mind. I plan to insist that my children read it. It certainly makes one thankful for what one enjoys in our society today.
Great read for those interested in 17th-18th century warfare.......2003-11-09
I find this book to be a great read. Almost everyone has some knowledge of the glory of Napoleon and his mighty army but few have heard about the common soldiers who fought them. This book truly depicts the hell that is war. Although it's an easy read for anyone, it's of considerable historic value. It provides a first hand account of the methods of warfare for the better party of 16th-19th century. Excellent read, go get it.
interesting - but for a narrow audience.......2003-08-06
The "diary" (it was put together years after the Napoleonic Wars0 privides the reader with a decent perspective on the hard life of a conscript in Napoleon's Grand Armee. The fact that a conscript was literate is in itself remarkable - even more so when you judge the book's command of language (maybe with a little "help" from the editor.) But the book, as short as it is, is not for everyone. I would recommend it to those who are familiar with the Napoleonic campaigns, military historians, or those (like myself) who enjoy memoirs. The brutality and senslessness of the combat, and especially his account of the retreat out of Russia are fabulous. Less so the rest of the book, especially the letters at the end.
Book Description
This 3rd volume in the "Officers and Soldiers" series, shows in extraordinary detail the uniforms of the foot soldiers of Napoleon's Imperial Guard. This is a dream book for the modeler and historian alike and is packed full of full color images, using Histoire and Collection's extremely talented team of graphic artists.
Customer Reviews:
I haven't received this item yet...it's been 3 1/2 months.......2007-06-03
I can't rate a product that I haven't recieved. When will this item be shipped?
Best Bang for the Buck.......2003-06-29
I own a pretty good collection of Napoleonic uniform books including Eltings, Lachouque, Bucquoy, and Funckens just to name a few. Some of these volumes are hundreds of dollars. Andre Jouneau and Jean-Marie Mongin have come up with tremendous uniform books at an extremely low cost. ...It has hundreds of images of the Old Guard, Young Guard, Grenadiers, Chasseurs, and all the major units of The Imperial Guard. It has good color detail and is a great book for people interested in this period. Although I am not a miniature painter I do not think that you could find a better book to illustrate detail in order to paint miniatures. The images in this book are computer generated which can have its pluses and minuses. On the minus side this means that the faces on the images are all pretty much the same and the poses are nearly identical. On the plus side you get numerous images with detail. Overall I enjoy these books more than any other series including Osprey simply becasue of the huge variety of uniforms included. I hope they continue with this series as anticipated. Future works are supposed to be 2 volumes on Napoleonic Hussars. I would pick them up as well. If you have any interest in Napoleonic uniforms do not hesitate to buy these books.
Not short on details.......2003-04-19
Here's a book that shows practically all aspects of the uniforms of the Guard (foot). Examples of service stripes, NCO rank, shako/bearskin cords, flags, and other accouterments/regalia are clearly illustrated. This is a pure reference book for the "uniformologist." That's why I am very well pleased with it. Easily worth it's price several times over. Can't wait to get the Guard Cavalry one. Also, this is one of the few books I've seen with easy to follow organization charts that help explain the Guard units' composition, history, etc.
La Garde Imperiale.......2002-05-31
This is an excellent introduction to the troupes a pied of Napoleon's Imperial Guard. It is not meant as a definitive study, but it does cover the foot troops (infantry, artillery, supporting services, pupilles) of the Guard quite thoroughly. Using computer generated graphics that appear in the books of FG Hourtoulle and produced by Histoire et Collections, it is an astonishing achievement in the presentation of the myriad regiments that made up the Guard at its height.
It has a few minor errors on the first go round, such as not giving the Fusiliers-Grenadiers queue's like the Old Guard infantry, which the regiment earned for valiant service. however, the overall impact of the volume more than makes up for it.
The references used include Rousselot, Rigo, and Michel Petard, all quite reliable and the booklet is logically laid out. I thoroughly enjoyed this volume and will use it often as a quick reference. I bought it sight unseen, taking a gamble and this time came out on the winning end. This volume is highly recommended and it is also recommended that it be used with John Elting's superb Napoleonic Uniforms, Volume II, as well as any and all Rousselot plates you can get your hands on. This booklet will be especially useful for wargamers and figure painters and it is highly recommended.
There will be a second volume on mounted troops.
Average customer rating:
- An outstanding and emotional read
- Great book on the life of an Infantryman in Vietnam
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Line Doggie: Foot Soldier in Vietnam: Foot Soldier in Vietnam
Gadd
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
 General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Vietnam
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0671662430 |
Customer Reviews:
An outstanding and emotional read.......1999-04-24
The author brings to life the sights, sounds, and emotions involved in battle. I was really able to get into the mind of the author and was compelled to read on from the turning of the first page. I have read this book 4 times, and would gladly read it again. Unfortunately, this book is out of print. However, I would recommend it to anyone who has access to it.
Great book on the life of an Infantryman in Vietnam.......1998-05-07
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very factual. I was in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam from August 1968 to November 1969 and was almost assigned to the authors unit. Reading this brought back many old memories. I believe this is a must reading for all those people who didn't have to go to Vietnam to see how American men survived (and died) in the jungles and rice fields of Vietnam. Too bad this book is out of print.
Average customer rating:
- A war within us all ...you capture what we all feel..what we all have questioned.
- The Guts of Enlightenment
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Awakening of a Foot Soldier: A Journal of Liberation from the Suffering of War
John M Healey
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Eastern
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Eastern Philosophy
| Other Eastern Religions
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 059540362X |
Book Description
I was in the recognition that I was here for many more reasons than I could possibly comprehend; the superficial, the psychological, the emotional, spiritual and the anything else ending with an "al" that could be squeezed into this being. I was here to seek, to sit, to eat, to make money, to live, and to die. In 1992, author John M. Healey enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Somalia. Upon his return three years later, he was declared mentally unfit for service and was discharged. In 1998, Healey found a backdoor entrance into the Army and reenlisted for a second term. He was then sent to Bosnia, and upon his return he disappeared, never to return to that life-in uniform-again. Awakening of a Foot Soldier: A Journal of Liberation from the Suffering of War is a collection of journal entries that take place between August 2004 and February 2006. At the time of his first account, Healey is in Kuwait awaiting his entry into Iraq where he will work as a civilian contractor. Living in the darkness of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, he goes to Iraq in search of death and ultimately finds inner peace. Awakening of a Foot Soldier is an enlightening story that shares the vulnerability of a young man and his quest for peace and liberation from the darkness of war.
Customer Reviews:
A war within us all ...you capture what we all feel..what we all have questioned........2006-10-20
This being was going to write you and say, "just finished the book"... this is incorrect in saying this.. for this is a never ending reality in which one awakens to the reality of ones self in a continuous state of being..of living. always a new.
There are many journeys to this reality yet so few are making ... the "Full circle".. so we keep coming in and out until what? we get ..get what? the reality of being.. the completeness within the complete itself...
I am LOVE, I choose Love this Love for i now know choice... Yet I choose for I have been in the battle fields within the hate, the beatings and sleepless nights throughout this childhood. I have been the hate of self hate ..the torture of self inflicted pain and suffering from anther's suffering... i have been the homeless the self centeredness and victim... it is only through this acceptance that i may be who i am now.. awake..and the desire to challenge the bitch of reality... the reality to all this is to unlearn all the bull and to reach for the truth and heal and then unheal the illusions within the illusions.
This books depicts of great..courage within and without... and the soo many journeys we pick ...we choose... or not even aware of the choosing.. what a game.. a circus i might add... giggle..giggle... Once again this being is faced with another undoing with this suffering.. for with this suffering it is taken beyond the suffering i thought was the reality... this being has gone far before the childhood.. into nightmares and more illusions of itself..i also was labeled as ptsd.... what a label... been through alll the therapy and i choose to still go.. even though now i am labeled as not having this label...giggle..giggle.. why do i go? to push it to see how far..i can go.... this being relates to you..in many ways ..why should we not... for we all are the same.
when you speak of the child within... well this is a subject of much understanding... as the whole in the book itself...
you write what i feel what we all feel.. what we all question.. .. in the writings i have.. it is the same.. different.. place.. different time.. yet same place same moment... This being Knows where you are...and I choose to know you.. in love.... how grateful this girl is in this moment to be "our " book ..in love... in joy and truth.. and in honor ..honoring yourself... whom you may choose to create at any giving moment... and to see the hate the pain the suffering from the outside world... it allows us to to feel ..to cry and to know....what a blessed day it is... to embrace this knowledge .. of understanding..... none of us are alone.
The Guts of Enlightenment.......2006-10-09
John Healey is for real.
This is not a hearts and flowers story of awakening. If you are one of those convinced that enlightenment is crystal rivers and new age music and little cherubs on your shoulder, this book is not what you are looking for. Ironically, it is also exactly what you need to read.
Enlightenment is pretty stark. It is pretty awesome. It is pretty overwhelming and pretty overpowering. But it is not in the least bit pretty for the human being. This book is about that kind of enlightenment - the only true kind. Hell and back. Death and rebirth. Literally - not quaint little sayings. The real thing. And though John's encounter with the Absolute is not painted as the pretty picture which so many want to form in "their minds" about awakening, it was without a doubt written from direct experience of this most shattering of truths. Drawn from a "life situation" in which the cosmic joke ends up being that the war(s)in Somalia and Iraq worked significantly towards setting up the catalyst for "John's" liberation.
It is worth repeating - John Healey is for real. His journal is raw. This is not an easy book, and nor should it be. If you are ready to stop dabbling on the outskirts and prepared to encounter a genuine, unflinching modern account of the perils inherent in falling off of the path - especially if enlightenment is what "you" truly seek - you need to hear what John has to say.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful memoir of a WWII infantryman's combat experience
- Notes From Soldiers
- The reality of war on the ground
- Review by Robert L. Tener, Fairfield Towne Crier, Newark, Ohio
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Falling Out and Belonging: A Foot-Soldier's Life
S. Joseph Krause
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1425925790 |
Book Description
This WW II novel revolves around the experience of a callow youth destined to join the Fourth Infantry Division in Hürtgen Forest. The narrative traces the bonded ties of six comrades in arms, three of whom are killed and three wounded. Vividly detailed, the stressful existence of Combat Infantrymen causes some men to break. What helps those who see it through is their loyalty to one another, called a "culture of caring" by their Chaplain. In Part I our innocent recruits are sobered by incidental casualties on the way up, which initiate them into the inconsequence of death. Part II takes them into Hürtgen, a battle fought under continuous icy rain in steep-hilled terrain favoring the well entrenched Germans. Casualties often run over l00% of a Company's authorized strength. Attacks are met by unrelenting artillery and mortar fire-machine guns at close range. In a typical situation, our narrator covers a Sergeant, who, after taking out a machine gun pinning the Company down, is himself killed by a sniper. A hard-headed West Pointer insists on night action, impossible in the Forest, and, after stepping on a mine that takes his legs off, he rolls on another that hits those nearby. General Patton called Hürtgen "an epic of stark infantry combat." Part III deals with how, badly depleted in numbers and morale, the men successfully withstand the Breakthrough, thereby saving Luxembourg, a defense for which Patton gave the Fourth a Unit Citation. In the concluding Part, the narrator is wounded and put on limited assignment. He dislikes the rear echelon life-style, guys being obsessed with whores, drinking, stealing, and feasting, but he holds his peace and decides he'll return to the world where reality matters.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful memoir of a WWII infantryman's combat experience.......2007-06-13
Concise and elegant account of combat in France, Luxembourg and Germany in the final months of the European campaign. Especially clear account of what it meant to be on the line in the Hurtgen Forest.
Notes From Soldiers.......2006-12-19
Notes from soldiers who have read Falling Out and Belonging: A Foot-Soldier's Story, by S. Joseph Krause.
* Nov. 13, 2006, from Ray Dunkel, Past President of the 4th Infantry Division Association:
"Great reading. Your writing depicts the Life of a Combat Infantryman in the truest sense. The realistic description of the action in the Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge were gripping and intense."
* Nov. 14, 2006, from Victor Bonomi, who served with the 4th Division in WW II:
"[I] find it very interesting. Brings back memories of the time spent in Hurtgen Forest."
* Dec. 1, 2006, from a colleague who served with the 4th Division in Vietnam:
"It is a powerful book, one that increases my appreciation of you and all the others who fought in WWII."
* Sept. 17, 2006, from a friend who served in Vietnam:
"It is a truly 'good read,' and I very much enjoyed it. It gives an insight into battle and the people who actually do the fighting that only a veteran can really know, and I really got caught up in your descriptive prose.... I saw more than my share of eyeball-to-eyeball combat and was really able to empathize with the fear and anguish you have so vividly described.... Your writings brought back memories of my own combat experiences, including the intense feelings that come with the loss of one's comrades-in-arms. Thanks for taking the time to write the book."
* June 21, 2005, comment by WWII novelist:
"There is much that is terrific in the manuscript. The depth of your knowledge and experience comes through the manuscript in a way that I envy, evident in the details of everyday life in the war, in the sense of how soldiers actually fight, and permeating all aspects of the narrator's perspective. The seemingly endless and senseless, random loss of life is very vividly presented, as is the narrator's coping with it. The characters are people who you have clearly thought about a great deal, and love."
The reality of war on the ground.......2006-12-11
This book had for me much the same impact as the movie, Saving Private Ryan. At first I found it somewhat difficult because of the many characters and the rapid passage of events. Then I began to realize that this was not accidental, but was instead by the author's design. Take an eighteen-year-old boy, submit him to an intense six week course of training and then shove him on a boat for England and Europe at the crucial peak of action in WW II. The author felt and wanted the reader to feel the sudden lurch from staid, predictable home life, to life profoundly uncertain, peopled by those with but a temporary part to play, and pushed along by kaleidoscopic events over which you have little control or understanding.
For those who fight on the ground, like the young narrator journalizing this brief but everlasting experience, war is indeed hell. And this book masterfully brings home that reality. It also makes evident just what it is that held this young man, and no doubt holds young soldiers today, to a task in which comforts are few and life at risk moment to moment. It is not the lofty purposes intoned by Generals and state leaders about the war. It is simply the bond that forms under the crucible of physical pain and constant fear between the soldier and his buddy. Each learns how profoundly they hold each other's life in trust. It is an experience like no other. And it is unforgettable.
This is a magnificently told story. If you want to get some sense of what war is like, read it.
Review by Robert L. Tener, Fairfield Towne Crier, Newark, Ohio.......2006-12-05
The following Review appeared in the Fairfield Towne Crier, of Newark, Ohio, p. 13, November 26, 2006.
S. Joseph Krause, Falling Out and Belonging: A Foot-Soldier's Life. A Review by Robert L. Tener.
Falling Out and Belonging is an apt title for this novel told in the first person. The narrator is a sensitive young man serving in the Fourth Infantry Division during two of its bitterest battles in World War II, Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. It is based mainly on a journal written by the author after his discharge.
The novel gathers force and relentless intensity as we follow the narrator through the deadly combat in Hurtgen Forest. The details are often brutal in their honesty about the effects of the German shelling on the bodies of the American soldiers, the cries of the wounded, and the narrator's feelings about his safety, his need to be with his buddies, his fears, his jumping into muddy ditches when shells fall too close, his response to the deaths of close friends. The deaths wear on the narrator.
One of the most touching scenes is his pre-combat meeting with a young seamstress, as they develop feelings for each other. After being wounded, he thinks about wanting to reunite with her, but decides instead that he must return to the men in his Company with whom he has a sense of belonging.
This novel resonates with anyone who has been in one of the services during war time. For the general reader it provides an awareness of what war on the ground was like for a historic generation.
Book Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.
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