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Summary: My Memorial Day Weekend Read
Review: I must say that I am not a regular reader of war history, but I didn't have to be to enjoy this book -- I could hardly set it down. What a facinating and utterly moving story about war, survival, devotion, abandonment, patriotism, cruelty and the prevailing human spirit. I didn't even realize the significance of my reading it over the Memorial Day weekend until I was about finished. The book is a tremendous tribute to the thousands of men who served, suffered and died for our country (and other countries) under simply unbelievably harsh and cruel circumstances. I am a changed person for reading this book and I celebrate Memorial Day with a vastly new and humbled perspective about what this day is really about!
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Summary: Ghost Soldiers
Review: Mr. Sides has created a vivid account of such an important time of American War History during the II World War. His use of personal accounts makes his story telling so real that as a reader you find yourself in the midst of the story. In addition, he shows a creative knack of weaving these accounts with the historical setting. The story is gripping, moving and holds your attention from beginning to end. It is story that needed to be told.
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Summary: A Thriller Near Manila
Review: 'Ghost Soldiers' packs an emotional and thrilling punch. The survivors of the Bataan Death March endure three years of agony only to face execution as Allied forces close in on Japanese positions in the Phillipines. A Ranger Company is sent behind enemy lines in an attempt to free hundreds of prisoners. 'Ghost Soldiers' explains all sides of the conflict. It grimly describes the prisoners' suffering. This true tale provides the minute-by-minute tension of the escape. You root for the Rangers and celebrate the heroism of all involved. I finished it on Memorial Day and found myself in tears, very proud of these 'ghosts' of nearly sixty years ago.
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Summary: The true Great Escape
Review: Riveting account of the infamous Bataan Death March and the daring rescue of the American soldiers who were lucky enough to have survived it. An instant WWII classic. Of course, look for Hollywood to someday transform the book into a big-screen stinker starring Ben Affleck and some other lousy actors.
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Summary: Forgotten part of WWII!!
Review: This part of history is one of the least Americans know of. Most public school educated people don't even know where the Philippines is, Bataan Death March or Fall of Corregidor. People need to be educated about the tragic story and the triumph of people both Americans and Filipinos in being able to sustain the sufferings inflicted by the Japanese soldiers. A very true account, a must read, I guess this would be more interesting than the movie Pearl Harbor if they make a movie , the invasion of the Philippines (Bataan Death March and Fall of Corregidor), a really DARK PART OF THE HISTORY OF AMERICA!
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Summary: Skillfully told story
Review: This is an excellent book which recounts a bit of military history of which I was unaware. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the tale is that it had such a happy ending. I, for one, cannot imagine enduring what the prisoners in this story had to endure. As a former military officer, I cannot imagine the luck and courage of the Rangers who rescued them. However, this is not a book I would recommend for the squeamish or the very young reader. Some of the crimes committed by the Japanese on the "Death March" and at the POW camps are quite grisly and linger in the memory. Nevertheless, a great book!
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Summary: Whew! What a sacrifice these guys made!
Review: This is a great book! I only wish more was written about the Pacific war along these lines. These men experienced a type of combat that few others in the history of mankind have ever seen.
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Summary: A successful account of American POW's ordeal
Review: This book is an excellent account of what happened to the American POW's held by Japan during World War Two. It is amazing what these men went through for their country. I give it the highest recommendation for anyone who is interested in the subject. The many interviews give the author a lot of credibility on the topic. I also recommend Grandfather's Tale: the Tale of a German Sniper.
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Summary: Don't miss the experience...
Review: I'm not a fan of War stories or history books. I am not easily moved emotionally. I read this because it seemed like an interesting story. I was astounded by this book. It actually gave me chills in the end. It was shocking how cruel the Japanese captors were to the Americans and gave me a deep respect for the American POW's of World War II. The book is well researched, intelligently written and emotionally stimulating. It reads like a fast paced action novel, the character development makes you feel like you know these people personally and the mood of dread, fear and hope are touchingly communicated to the reader. Don't get me wrong, this is not a tear jerker story, it is an accurate account of history as told by people who actually lived through the ordeal. It has intrigue, spies, guerrillas, culture clashes, desperation and most of all - courage. It is a rewarding read in the end and an adventure from the beginning. Highly recommended!
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Summary: How much can man endure?
Review: Disappointment and shame for having to surrender at Bataan; humiliation and abuse from the Japanese captors who treated those who surrendered as less than worthy opponents; starvation, exhaustion, and torture on the 70 mile forced trek, known and immortalized as the Bataan death march; punishing, back breaking labor in slave camps. So it was for US servicemen who surrendered at Bataan or who were captured elsewhere in the Philippines in 1942. For one such Army private - Eugene Nielsen, whose story makes up one of the narratives of GHOST SOLDIERS, the three years of his life spent in the Philippines was a perpetual nightmare. Beginning with a description of the torture and execution of prisoners at the Puerto Princesa Prison Camp on Palawan, Philippines, the book describes the daily ordeal - it can't be called life - that these men endured. By December 1944 the Japanese on Palawan knew that it was only a matter of time before the Americans returned. The officer in charge, the one the men called the 'buzzard' decided to rid himself of his prisoner problem. From their positions in trenches the Americans watched as Japanese carrying liquid filled buckets approached. "With a quick jerk of the hands, they flung the contents into the openings of the trenches. By the smell of it on their skin, the Americans instantly recognized what it was - high octane aviation fuel from the airstrip. Before they could apprehend the full significance of it, other soldiers tossed in lighted bamboo torches." The details provided by the book are obviously gruesome. That Nielsen and 10 others survived the incineration is miraculous. It was these survivors' accounts as told to Army intelligence that prompted the US to send in Rangers to free the 513 Americans held prisoner at Cabanatuan. The narratives of four other survivors is interwoven with the exploits of the Ranger officer who led the mission. "Little MacArthur's" story and that of the other 120 Rangers and 200 Filipino guerrillas who successfully freed the prisoners, is as heroic and as uplifting a story as the survivors tales are grim and gruesome. The author is correct in calling these men the "ultimate survivors." We can only be glad that there are a few still alive today to retell their story. The author spoke to 30 in researching his book. Similarly with IN HARM'S WAY, this WWII narrative is written by a young man (the author is 39). These survivors who refer to themselves as "Ghosts" because they felt abandoned should take some gratification in knowing that their story is still of great interest and their courage a source of inspiration to young writers today. "It is with books as with men; a very small number play a great part." (Voltaire) I salute the GHOST SOLDIERS.
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