Dog Company 6

Rating:
Summary: Great book; great reading
Review: Don't let the title fool you. This book is not about dogs. Dog Company is the phonetic alphabet designation for D Company that was used by the U.S. armed forces in World War II and Korea. Dog Company Six is the kind of book that many will want to read at least twice because it's so good. It's a novel about Marines in combat written by a Marine combat veteran. The prose is spare and to the point. The combat scenes are realistic and exciting. The book begins with an inexperienced infantry captain struggling with fears and doubts about his ability to lead Dog Company into war in Korea. As Dog Company fights its way through the Inchon Invasion, the battle for Seoul and the Chosin Reservoir - some of the most honored and storied battles in U.S. Marine Corps history - the commander matures into a tough, capable and brave captain of Marines. Author Edwin Howard Simmons is a retired Marine brigadier general who also fought his way up and the down the Korean peninsula in the same battles. His dialog is true to the Corps and his combat scenes have the realism that only a man who's been there can write. Dog Company Six isn't just a book about war and killing. It's about bravery, sacrifice and dedication to duty. Dog Company Six isn't just a book for and about Marines. It's an entertaining story, well told and deserving to be read by a wide audience.

Rating:
Summary: Mini Masterpiece
Review: I loved this book. One cannot doubt that the author knows his soldiers, knows the terrain and knows the weapons. An immense authority infuses the story.
The action begins slowly, as the war began slowly, builds in intensity, ends in retreat.
The scenes in Japan were not quite as convincing. There can't be all that many beautiful willing women waiting at the bar, although many Marines must wish for them.
I don't understand why this little masterpiece didn't get more attention.

Rating:
Summary: Puzzled
Review: I'm not sure that I read the same book other reviewers read. Although the novel had moments of painful realism, it was, for the most part, a jingoistic, cliched, disorganized, and poorly written account of the Korean War. One hopes for more for the long overlooked soldiers who fought in Korea than the self-congratulatory officer worship of this novel. I can only hope that this inspires a more gifted writer to address the topic.