Rating: 
Summary: Once an Eagle
Review: I read this book 20 plus years ago, and it is compelling reading. The characters are drawn from real life, and could only have been written by a man who has lived life in the army. His intimate knowledge of military history and understanding of how the military thinks are so clearly the recollections of a man who had a career as a soldier. Anyone who wants to know why wars are fought should read this book. They remain fought not for the reasons we are told by our leaders, but for politics both national and global. The point of view of the young enlistee who rises to the GeneraL rank is perhaps a creation of two or more people, but thed names Omar Bradley and Dwight Eisenhower are clearly two who could have been that soldier. If you read 1 novel about the military, this would be my choice.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Military Novel Ever!
Review: As a Marine Corps officer I have read several books about war and warriors and I can honestly say that Once An Eagle rates as one of the best. Not only does this book provide numerous inspiring examples of leadership and courage, both physical and moral, it also gives the reader a penetrating insight into the different types of personalities within the officer corps. The reviewer who questioned the authority Mr. Myrer's insights on leadership due to his rank as an enlisted Marine in the Pacific theater demonstrated his irretrievable ignorance in so doing. Therefore, anyone interested in this book should completly ignore his review. As an officer who was once enlisted, I can assure you that our enlisted Marines are provided ample oportunites to both practice and observe effective leadership. It is often our NCOs and SNCOs who are the best judges of an officer's effectiveness.
Rating: 
Summary: Snidley Whiplash vs. Dudley Do-Right
Review: You will be disappointed. This book was written by an Harvard graduate. He never made it very high in rank as a Marine etiher and it leads one to naturally question his viewpoint, since he never had to command anything larger than a fire-team. So, if you think you're getting good insight into the real nature of leadership, forget about it. If you want to know what life is like in the military, read "Brave Men" by Ernie Pyle. It's a book with real stories about real people in the Army. Or, read "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose. There's so much more in those books than this book. I don't see why everyone lauds "Once an Eagle" after all, it is an absolute fiction. It's military mythology. It's a comic book without pictures. Sam Damon is too good to be true, almost comically - which is why it becomes ridiculous fiction - he's a Dudley Do-Right to the Army's Officer Corps. Meanwhile, the book's Snidley Whiplash, Courtney Massingale, is busy being a busy body, hobknobing with the senior ranks to get ahead. True, you see this in the military, but people are much more mean and nasty over even more mundane and petty things than getting ahead in the ranks. It's what a Harvard grad thougt a good leader should be: egalitarian to the extreme, humble, technically proficient beyond his ability, the ability to be predict the future, and a commie sympathizer. Remember: Myrer graduated from Harvard. Let's not forget what that crowd gives us (read: socialists.) As if you couldn't tell, Myrer's character "Massingale" really was patterned after General MacArthur. Unfortunately, Mac led troops in WWI and wasn't a staff officer. I'd read TR Ferenbach's "This Kind of War." No book better describes what goes wrong in the military and what we could do to correct it better than that one! Yep, "Once an Eagle" really lets you down.
Rating:
Summary: The Noblest Man I've Ever Known
Review: This book is the best that I have ever read. I'm presently serving my country, and I carry Sam Damon's example with me where ever I go. Sam is everything that we should be...and could be if we would only pay attention to the troops and the task at hand. Thank you Mr. Myer for this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A great read...but beware if you expect more
Review: This is the book that Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and all the other military groupies wish they had written. It is a great read that appeals to the military officer class, but it is no great literary work. There are no great lessons to learn here, as put forth in other reviews, and this book has no other great value either. But, for a darn good story, I recommend this book wholeheartedly!
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest novels ever written.....
Review: I've been meaning to write a review of "Once An Eagle" for some time, but being waaaaaayyyyyy behind in both my reading and reviewing, other things always seemed more pressing, but I can hold off on this one no longer. For my money, this one of the truly GREAT novels of our time. The war hero who hates war may be a cliche character, but Myers hero, Samuel Adam "Sad Sam" Damon, is no cliche, but one of the strongest characters in fiction. From boyhood on a Midwestern farm in pre-WWI America to Indochina, Damon leads men, and leads them not by saying "Forward men", but with the old infantry credo of "Follow Me"... yet despite his ability as an officer, he is always torn by his own doubts of that ability and by guilt for the deaths he feels he is responsible for. Damon stand as an example of the "perfect officer", so of course he is required to be opposed by a perfect example of the non-perfect officer, the ambitous and ruthless Courtney Massengale, who is always at least one rank above Damon. The battle scenes are horribly realistic, and helpness Damon feels, especially in one part when he realizes that he and his command have been betrayed by Massengale, and if he (Damon) can save any of his men, he must do so at the expense of his best friends life, involves the reader to a degree seldom seen in any novel. I have been told that "Once An Eagle" is required reading in the Marine Corps and the Army War College, as an example of all a officer should be, and if true, no book can serve better as a textbook for that than this work of fiction. It grabs you and refuses to let you go, ever. You won't read "Once An Eagle" just once. It is truly deserving of being called "One of the World's Great Novels"....
Rating:
Summary: A book well worth reading
Review: I first read this book as a high school student in the late 1960s. Vietnam was reaching it's peak and the Armed Forces was never out of the headlines. Since that time, I've taken it dwon from the shelf and re-read it. I have found it of value in my military career as a reference on leadership and personalities. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest or need to know about positive and negative leadership traits. The lead charecter starts his military career in the desert and scrub of Mexico searching for Pancho Villa. Sam Damon is not in the branches that might have a little dash or adventure such as the cavalry or air service. He is a ground pounder in the infantry as a private who's biggest concern is learning water discipline. He moves on through ranks and gains a commission during World War I and manages to retain it following the war. The inter-war years and Damon's adjustment to both married life and military life on officers row is insightful. World War II is Damon's moment to shine; he does but not without personal costs both within his immediate family and his service family. His end is both moving and I felt, almost inevitable. This book is not a quick read, nor is it one that is good for only one time. It's value is from rereading it and learning something new each time. I highly recommend this book. My only criticism is that it is rather high priced; I wish the publisher could get it down to where more people would be able to purchase the hard bound edition and not the paperback.
Rating:
Summary: I Could Not Stop Reading This Book
Review: It has everything. It is a world-class epic. It is a love story. It is a war saga. It is about life itself. While the settings and context are military, the book is about values, politics, family, and war itself. Despite honoring military values like courage and loyalty and square-dealing, it is the most anti-war book you will ever read. War is depicted as a worst-possible solution. You will indeed be richer for reading this book. It gets my vote as the best book ever written
Rating:
Summary: Professionals and Careerists
Review: There is one purpose for the existence of a professional military organization. That purpose is to engage in warfare, when necessary, to defend the nation. Peacetime, which unfortunately is usually just a breathing space between wars and lesser fights, should be spent training and preparing for the next go-round. Once An Eagle brings that fact of life chillingly home to roost. I first read this excellent novel in the 1970s and I have reread it many times and learned more from the book each time. It also served me well throughout my military service as a Marine artilleryman. The main character is a composite, a combination of Woodfill from War I to Eichelberger in War II. The author has caught the essence of both military service and the military life, even though he salts the dialogue with Marine terms instead of the corresponding 'Army talk.' The characters are real, the battles were actually fought, both on the battlefield and off (the off battlefield ones, unfortunately are still being waged and not always for the 'good of the service'), even though a good part of the fight in France during War I was taken liberally from the book Fix Bayonets! Artistic license is both acceptable and valuable, especially in this case. Soldiers, not carpet knights, win the nation's wars. Unfortunately, they will still have to be waged, fought, and won. This excellent volume makes the distinction between the soldier and the courtier, and what the country needs to defend itself. One retired Marine officer who is also a prolific author of Marine Corps lore, has termed these two types of officers 'lions and lambs'-the distinction should be obvious to the casual observer and reader. This book should not only be required reading for every military professional, but also for the politicians who are their civilian masters and who send them into harm's way.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a classic
Review: Do not be deceived by the praises heaped on this novel by military officials: it is not nearly that good. It is a passable foray into the minds of two military men, but it is also about 300 pages too long. No reader who is unfamiliar with U.S. military history "insider knowledge" will understand why the two main characters are so diametrically opposed in their approach to life in the military/warfare. The book is more of an inside joke than a story, but only Army brass would get it. If you've never been in the military, this book will mean very little to you and disappoint you. If you've been in the military, you'll understand what's going on and wonder why nobody in charge learned anything from reading it. I've been in the military and think it's a boring book with occasionally interesting sections. Myrer is dead, so save yourself the cash and read "Red Badge of Courage." You'll enjoy it more.
|
