Above & Beyond

Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Account...
Review: A gripping account of World War II history in the Pacific. Follow the trials a tribulations of a young Marine flying cadet and his compatriots as they battle the Japanese on Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. Returning to the United States for reorganization into a new squadron, VMF-452, they retrain in the new F4U Corsair for a new deployment aboard the USS Franklin, CV-13. Disaster strikes on the morning of March 19, 1945 just as the 2nd launch of the day starts. A lone Japanese dive bomber has loomed out of the low overcast and found it's mark. Within scant miles off the coast of Japan the carriers fully armed and fueled planes make for a deadly inferno as planes, bombs and rockets explode one after another. The entire hanger deck is also awash in flames and explosions. Within minutes the carrier seems doomed to destruction as 3/4 of the flight deck is aflame. However, the gallant crew somehow manages to get some control of the holocaust. Over 850 men loose their lives this day as "the ship that couldn't be sunk" fights for her life. The narrative is not only told by Lt.Col. Weiland but interspersed with events and humor from the other officers and enlisted personnel associated with each event. This truly adds to the rich and colorful reading experience about these events. If your interested in flying, combat, or World War II history you won't put this one down !

Rating:
Summary: CAVU Days -- Earning your wings and surviving to enjoy them.
Review: Col. Weiland has earned his CAVU days after a lifetime of service to his country as a Marine Corps Aviator. This relatively short memoir covers his youth in South Dakota; his decision to join the Corps before Pearl Harbor; and combat tours in "Cactus" (Guadalcanal) and subsequent assignment to form VMF-451 and take it into combat. That combat tour was shortened by the Japanese bomber attack of 19 March 1945 on the USS FRANKLIN.
Some background research has led me to learn that this memoir is an expansion of a shorter article that Eric Hamel of Pacifica Press (the publisher) encouraged Col. Weiland to write. I am very glad he did. Pat Weiland tells a wonderful story; top of the line writing; tinged with the poignancy of loss.
As these WW II era vets climb into their eighties; these personal stories become the more precious.
READ THIS BOOK!