D-Day +60 Years: A Small Piece of History

Rating:
Summary: Two Books in One
Review: "D-Day +60 Years" is a great read! It's really two books in one. It's a military history based on 20 years of thorough research as the author doggedly sought to learn how his uncle died on D-Day in Normandy. It's also a throat-swelling story of a handful of D-Day heroes in their twilight years who-with the author's help-reconnect and bring some closure to the enormous experiences and sacrifices that they shared. As I read this book, I was mesmerized by its powerful, true story. I laughed, and I fought back tears.

Military histories come in two varieties-they're either the intense and personal "grunt's-eye view" of a small and hellish piece of the battlefield, or an aloof and critical overview of an entire battle, campaign, or war. This book is the soldier-level sort, following a handful of 101st Airborne Division paratroopers and the intrepid pilots who flew slow and level through murderous flak to get them to their drop zones. Reading this book, I once again marveled at the courage it took to win that war and at how the tiniest of details separated survivors from those who fell. I also enjoyed the humor and resourcefulness of remarkable people coping with challenging times-stories that ranged from the "Urgin Virgin" pin-up artwork on a C-47 aircraft to a wedding gown made from parachute silk. As a Vietnam vet and a paratrooper, I was amazed at how little the tactics, equipment, and human antics had changed from a time before I was born to my own service a quarter-century later.

But what makes this book truly unique, in my opinion, is the mystery and human emotions that unfold as the author follows one lead after another in his quest to learn who his uncle was and what sort of men these were who won history's greatest war. The cast of characters begins with a few troop carrier crews, but grows to include paratroopers, French civilians, the soldiers' girl friends and wives, and their children today. The author lived an adventure that anyone would envy-he met true heroes, and was of service to them for all they did for us.

Rating:
Summary: Two Books in One
Review: "D-Day +60 Years" is a great read! It's really two books in one. It's a military history based on 20 years of thorough research as the author doggedly sought to learn how his uncle died on D-Day in Normandy. It's also a throat-swelling story of a handful of D-Day heroes in their twilight years who-with the author's help-reconnect and bring some closure to the enormous experiences and sacrifices that they shared. As I read this book, I was mesmerized by its powerful, true story. I laughed, and I fought back tears.

Military histories come in two varieties-they're either the intense and personal "grunt's-eye view" of a small and hellish piece of the battlefield, or an aloof and critical overview of an entire battle, campaign, or war. This book is the soldier-level sort, following a handful of 101st Airborne Division paratroopers and the intrepid pilots who flew slow and level through murderous flak to get them to their drop zones. Reading this book, I once again marveled at the courage it took to win that war and at how the tiniest of details separated survivors from those who fell. I also enjoyed the humor and resourcefulness of remarkable people coping with challenging times-stories that ranged from the "Urgin Virgin" pin-up artwork on a C-47 aircraft to a wedding gown made from parachute silk. As a Vietnam vet and a paratrooper, I was amazed at how little the tactics, equipment, and human antics had changed from a time before I was born to my own service a quarter-century later.

But what makes this book truly unique, in my opinion, is the mystery and human emotions that unfold as the author follows one lead after another in his quest to learn who his uncle was and what sort of men these were who won history's greatest war. The cast of characters begins with a few troop carrier crews, but grows to include paratroopers, French civilians, the soldiers' girl friends and wives, and their children today. The author lived an adventure that anyone would envy-he met true heroes, and was of service to them for all they did for us.