Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War

Rating:
Summary: More answers than I knew I had questions for.
Review: Greene offers a rare look deep into the psyche of the whole WWII generation through the eyes of two men who experienced it close up and personal. The story of his father, and his extraordinary conversations with Tibbets, helped me to understand my dad, and mother, and all their friends. And it taught me a lot about how that generation shaped mine, the baby-boomers.

Back in the fifties, as a small boy, I wondered about why the adults all cried when they played taps on memorial day. Now I understand.

I'm glad I picked it up. I'll be giving one to my father, and to a few other close friends.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I am afraid I really could not suggest this book to anyone above the age of 40 who knew their father. I read this book looking for some insight into the bombing of Hiroshima and what Bob Greene discovered about his father by talking with Tibbets. I was disappointed because it seems that Bob went into this not knowing anything about WW2 or the military. Unfortunately it also seems that he and his father never really talked at all, so he had to go to a stranger to find out what his father was like. That is sad. He brings this book off lauding Tibbets for the great hero he was. I don't mean to demean what Tibbets did. He was a hero. But if you read between the lines of his,(Bob's), fathers reminices you begin to realize that he was probably a real hero also. If you are looking for a book that tells it like it was and gives some insight to how people felt back during the war read "Flags of Our Fathers".

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Summary: Duty, a father,his son, and the man who won the war
Review: I believe it is almost impossible for someone who lived during World War two and remembers those trying years to avoid tears when reading many parts of this narrative, especially incidents like those concerning the Dolittle Raiders. It is unfortunate that so many have never learned what was done to allow them to enjoy the life they lead or to guarantee their very existence. Many of those who write revisionist history to negate the importance of the nuclear bomb drops on Japan might not even exist today were that not done. They owe their very lives to Gen. Tibbits and the 509th Composite Group and to all the people who fought for them 1941 to 1945. Books like this ought to be suggested reading to classes of American History at the senior levels of our public schools.

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Summary: Building a bridge between yesterday and today.
Review: I don't recall how I heard of this book, but the title was enough for me to go looking for it. I picked up the audio version and was hooked immediately. A simple story along with a dose of forgotten history makes this truly a wonderful find. I highly recommend this book to anyone that was moved by "Saving Private Ryan".

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Summary: ONE YOU CAN'T PUT DOWN
Review: I found this book to be written in typical Bob Greene style! Once you start reading it you can't put it down. I like Bob, am a child of a World War II veteran and found his discription of his fathers involvement in the war, provocative. I would highly recommend this book to any baby boomer who understands his parents patriotism from living with it, or those who don't undersand it as it will give you some insite into why your parents felt the way they did.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment .
Review: I have seen Bob Greene on some of the news stories on TV. I like his wit and sentiment. I was prepared for a great book on the great generation that produced his and my father. I was disappointed.
First, the book is disjointed. It goes from sentiment to sentiment, and then reverts back again. In his talks with General Paul Tidbitts, I thought he kept dwelling on the same emotions of a hard military decision. That decision was made long ago, and why keep hammering away at it. Bob, just get over it. The U.S. had to bomb Japan to spare the lives of American soldiers and sailors.
Another problem I have with this book is its lack of history. It tells a little of the history of his father, some of Tidbitts, and then a little on the Doolittle Raiders. Other than that, it is pure sentiment, repeated again and again. For a 300 page book, this could have been cut to 80 pages. I read this book, and it was a disappointment. If one wants to remember the Greatest Generation, read something from Ambrose.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment .
Review: I have seen Bob Greene on some of the news stories on TV. I like his wit and sentiment. I was prepared for a great book on the great generation that produced his and my father. I was disappointed.
First, the book is disjointed. It goes from sentiment to sentiment, and then reverts back again. In his talks with General Paul Tidbitts, I thought he kept dwelling on the same emotions of a hard military decision. That decision was made long ago, and why keep hammering away at it. Bob, just get over it. The U.S. had to bomb Japan to spare the lives of American soldiers and sailors.
Another problem I have with this book is its lack of history. It tells a little of the history of his father, some of Tidbitts, and then a little on the Doolittle Raiders. Other than that, it is pure sentiment, repeated again and again. For a 300 page book, this could have been cut to 80 pages. I read this book, and it was a disappointment. If one wants to remember the Greatest Generation, read something from Ambrose.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I just recently purchased this book, and I am happy I did. As a Lance Corporal in the US Marines I am always interested in reading military type books, but this was much more than that. It is a story about the relationship the father and son had. It also focuses on the victory in a war in which so many lost their lives. It is great that Tibbets contributed to the writing of this book. Who better to hear it from. Also, Bob Greene is a gifted writer, whether writing a novel or column. This book will be special to almost anyone who reads it, you don't have to be interested in the military to enjoy it. [e-mail]

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Summary: A totally different view of the bomb
Review: I read this book with my mind set on it being another negative view of America's role in WW2.
I was surprised and captivated with the book, read it twice.
Colonel Paul Tibbets opened my eyes to a totally different view of the use of the Atomic Bomb in WW2. He is a facinating person who has an amazing amount of wisdom on his career and life in general. Bob Greene did a wonderful job of introducing Colonel Tibbets to the reader. This book is tough to put down and will make you think.

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Summary: An honorable tribute to the Veterans of WWII
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a book to be read by everyone whose Parents or Grandparents were of the World War II Generation. This is an honest, insightful, and honorable tribute to the hero Paul Tibbets of the Enola Gay, and to Major Time Greene of the 91st Infantry Division, one of the many unsung heroes that put it all on the line to save the free world. One comes away with a knowledge of how our greatest generation viewed the world and their moral character. One also gets a wake up call as to their opinion of the current generation.

If you have recently laid to rest a Parent of Grandparent from the WWII era, as I have, this book will help you cherish their memory even more.