Breathes There a Soldier: The World War II Memoir of Robert F. Heatley Stateside Training and Pacific Theater Combat 1942-1946

Rating:
Summary: A fitting tribute.
Review: Breathes There a Soldier is a fitting tribute and in depth look at what our soldiers went through before during and after World War II. This is a story of teenagers and twenty somethings plucked from all walks of life and shipped to far flung military camps in the U.S. for extensive training and finally combat. The memoirs of Robert Heatley describe in detail what it was like to be transformed from a citizen to a soldier while retaining what aspects of civilian life that he could.

The story of the 81st Infantry Division is not unlike any other military unit in its preparation and ultimate departure for battle, but the grueling schedule of nearly two years of stateside training takes its toll as 45 members of the Division were killed before even seeing a shot in anger. Fed into a war planning pipeline the 81st "Wildcats" with a proud lineage back to World War I trained from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, California and Hawaii.

The memoirs show an unbending devotion to country, family and fellow soldiers, bonds that were surely tested by spending four years away from home and under very trying circumstances. During his combat duty in the Pacific while witnessing the horrors of war and fighting for his life and others, Robert Heatley learns over time that not only has his father passed away but his mother as well. Upon his return home after the occupation of Japan he learns that his childhood home and all possessions are gone, having been foreclosed upon by a bank.

We owe this man and others like him a debt of gratitude. Where would we be today if Robert Heatley and millions of others like him did not answer the call to duty. He offers four years of his life and endures relentless training and the hell of the Pacific in places such as Peleliu. This island battle has received little notoriety, but is referred to by experts as one of the worst battles in the Pacific campaign. Surviving this and several other invasions he comes home to nothing.

The book is an intimate look at the life and times of an American, combat infantryman, and devoted father. Nice job Larry and thank you for your service Robert Heatley.