Rating: 
Summary: Stories about the Pacific War.
Review: A fairly interesting book. O'Donnell lists the campaigns of the elite troops of this theater of command, details the plan of battle, and then gives the oral histories of those who served in those campaigns. Most of the veterans are at the end of their lives, so these oral histories present a heartfelt tribute to the difficulties these soldiers endured during combat. What surprised me most was how these soldiers/veterans got choked up recounting the battles they went through, and the friends they lost. Freedom isn't cheap, and these soldiers are living proof of how America was affected by the battle.
This is a good read. Oral histories are good at describing the personal experiences of soldiers, but they don't put perspective on the actual battle campaigns. If one wants to know more about the War in the Pacific, one needs to read a general history, before reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Stories about the Pacific War.
Review: A fairly interesting book. O'Donnell lists the campaigns of the elite troops of this theater of command, details the plan of battle, and then gives the oral histories of those who served in those campaigns. Most of the veterans are at the end of their lives, so these oral histories present a heartfelt tribute to the difficulties these soldiers endured during combat. What surprised me most was how these soldiers/veterans got choked up recounting the battles they went through, and the friends they lost. Freedom isn't cheap, and these soldiers are living proof of how America was affected by the battle.
This is a good read. Oral histories are good at describing the personal experiences of soldiers, but they don't put perspective on the actual battle campaigns. If one wants to know more about the War in the Pacific, one needs to read a general history, before reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Experience Battle from your Armchair!
Review: Author Patrick O'Donnell has done a masterful job of interviewing surviving Pacific war veterans for this marvelous book. From the first American offensive at Guadalcanal to the final shots on Okinawa, McDonnell's interviews take the reader into the heart of combat in the Pacific. Often graphic and touching at the same time, these interviews tell the reader firsthand what it was like to fight against the Japanese. The soldiers often speak of the horrors of war, such as having a buddy die in their arms, seeing a fellow soldier break down mentally, or facing the atrocities of the Japanese, such as cannibalism of dead American soldiers.The heart-felt interviews by these veterans were touching to read, and they brought a human element to the war. Many of the vets said that they tried to never get too close to another soldier because of the risk of death, but inevitably, friendships were formed, and when someone died, it usually affected other soldiers in a very personal way. Many of these men would cry like babies after losing a buddy, especially if his dying had saved someone else's life. Uncommon valor was a common virtue amongst these men. The vets spoke of men hurling themselves on live grenades to save their platoon or crawling great distances under enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade. Compassion was also talked about by the vets. American soldiers on Okinawa continuously helped the civillian population after the Japanese tried to use them as human shields to stop the Americans. This book moved me in a way I've never felt by a book before. I found myself grimmacing with every bullet wound and crying with the men as they discussed the death of a friend or some horrible act committed by the Japanese. This book offers a perspective on the war which can only be told by the men themselves. I highly recommend this excellent work. The stories contained inside will truly move you, and I'm sure your emotions will come out as well.
Rating:
Summary: Memoirs of the Pacific War by the Men who Fought There
Review: Author Patrick O'Donnell has done a masterful job of interviewing surviving Pacific war veterans for this marvelous book. From the first American offensive at Guadalcanal to the final shots on Okinawa, McDonnell's interviews take the reader into the heart of combat in the Pacific. Often graphic and touching at the same time, these interviews tell the reader firsthand what it was like to fight against the Japanese. The soldiers often speak of the horrors of war, such as having a buddy die in their arms, seeing a fellow soldier break down mentally, or facing the atrocities of the Japanese, such as cannibalism of dead American soldiers. The heart-felt interviews by these veterans were touching to read, and they brought a human element to the war. Many of the vets said that they tried to never get too close to another soldier because of the risk of death, but inevitably, friendships were formed, and when someone died, it usually affected other soldiers in a very personal way. Many of these men would cry like babies after losing a buddy, especially if his dying had saved someone else's life. Uncommon valor was a common virtue amongst these men. The vets spoke of men hurling themselves on live grenades to save their platoon or crawling great distances under enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade. Compassion was also talked about by the vets. American soldiers on Okinawa continuously helped the civillian population after the Japanese tried to use them as human shields to stop the Americans. This book moved me in a way I've never felt by a book before. I found myself grimmacing with every bullet wound and crying with the men as they discussed the death of a friend or some horrible act committed by the Japanese. This book offers a perspective on the war which can only be told by the men themselves. I highly recommend this excellent work. The stories contained inside will truly move you, and I'm sure your emotions will come out as well.
Rating:
Summary: Very unusual, readable format which grips your attention
Review: I found this an unusually readable book as first person narratives of combat. The emotion was left in the accounts and you can't help but be touched by the various stories as opposed to a detached historical rendering. The latter is important as a context for these highly personal accounts. There is no attempt to cover the gore and pathos of combat. The accompanying maps were very good also and helped to pinpoint actual events; many of the battles I never heard of. Reminds me of With The Old Breed and Pacific War Diary for its impact, also Flags of Our Fathers. It's great that these veterans lived until a time when they could have permission to express these emotions; they weren't allowed this I don't think until the last decade or two.
Rating:
Summary: Another great work by Patrick O'Donnell
Review: Into the Rising Sun takes the reader even further into the minds and hearts of WWII veterans than his previous book "Beyond Valor." The stories in this latest book are unbelievably intense and honest. Revealing incidents that have gone unspoken for almost 60 years, the story tellers really underscore the horrific nature of the Pacific theater during WWII. The stories at times made me wince. The description of the jungle warfare that took place and the suicidal nature of the japanese soldiers really brought out a lot of the "unglamorized" nature of war in the Pacific. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants to learn the true nature of war and understand the complete human side of it.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks so much, Patrick
Review: My dad has shared some, but not a great deal, about his S. Pacific experiences as a demo specialist w/ the rangers. Your work will allow his grandchildren to get a sense of the sacrifices that he and others made. Thank you so much for researching and publishing it.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Beyond Valor?
Review: Pat O'Donnell's new book, "Into the Rising Sun", is a serious piece of historical research, but extremely "readable", interesting, and maybe even addicting. He has done a great service to our nation and to the heroes he has dedicated his life to honoring, our WWII veterans. In some ways, this book exceeds the fine job he did in his first book, "Beyond Valor", in the sometimes gruesome, sometimes funny, and always incredible stories of heroism and valor shown by our soldiers and Marines and their personal battles during WWII in the Pacific and CBI theaters. The stories of Japanese cannibalism shocked me, and descriptions of other horrors, and sacrifices, suffered on both sides moved me emotionally. No wonder my father's generation never wanted to talk about their experiences! The descriptions of the battles, as told by the veterans themselves, are exceptional, and confusing, and emotionally draining, and so realistic. Where these men went, and what they went through, no one should have to experience. Pat has done another great job with this book, and I don't know if I can wait another year for his third book. At least I hope there is a third.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ
Review: This book is one of the best documentaries of Pacific war veterans that I have ever read. I was spellbound for the two days it took me to read this book. I would recommend this for anyone who wants to know what it was like on the front lines against a vicious and determined enemy in WW2.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, if a bit limited in scope
Review: This is the second of Patrick O'Donnell's books. O'Donnell is a gifted oral historian who's been collecting the recollections of men who were soldiers and served in the Second World War, partially through a website he set up some years ago, and partially through other sources. This compilation shows off O'Donnnell's strengths, and weaknesses (such as they are) and is a good example of his work.
O'Donnell, for whatever reason, is very attached to "elite" infantry units. In his book on the European Theater, this included paratroopers, rangers, and the members of the 1st Special Service Force. In the current book, which covers the Pacific Theater, the distinction between "elite" forces and the regular ones is somewhat more blurry: Army Rangers, paratroopers, and members of Merril's Marauders are the participants from the army, but the author chose to distinguish the Marine Raider and Parachute units from other Marine outfits. This is a weakness as all of these forces were disbanded in 1943-4, and so the book would be rather truncated as far as the Marine Corps went for the last 18 months or so of the war. This (of course) is unacceptable, so the author merely follows former members of these specialized units who were absorbed into other, regular Marine regiments.
The result is that some battles are covered in considerable detail here, while others (notably Saipan and Peleliu) are ignored because the Marines who participated in these campaigns weren't "elite." This includes members of the 1st Marine Division, who were arguably the most experienced in terms of combat against Japanese soldiers. So what's here is rather skewed and somewhat disjointed, but if you accept that, then the material that's here is worthwhile.
I enjoyed this book, within its limitations, and I would recommend it and the others in O'Donnell's series, provided you accept what they are.
|
