23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
characteristically modest and yet quietly proud, July 12, 2001
I started reading this volume, which makes a trilogy of Mr. Brokaw's work on this generation of Americans, shortly after reading the latest update on the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. I continue to be incensed over the fact that 56 years have passed since the war ended and there are groups who continue to attempt to stop the construction of this monument. Elsewhere I have read that we lose almost 4,000 veterans of this generation every month. The youngest are in their seventies. Who will be left when this colossal bureaucratic snafu is finally put to rest and all legal challenges cease? The Korean Memorial finally was built, and their Memorial honors the Veterans of Viet Nam. It's reprehensible that this monument has not been completed decades ago.
There have been only 3 reviews of this work and yet it resides on the top of the best-selling books in the nation. I wonder why the comments have to date been so few? Perhaps people believe they have said all they can say to thank Mr. Brokaw and his team that produced these books, and the generation that has been the topic. If that is the case, say again what you have said in the past, for these men and woman can never be thanked enough.
In many ways this is my favorite of the three books as the voices and stories come from an incredible range of people. A man from Germany who was a child in The Hitler Youth writes of his experiences with Americans. A Viet Nam Veteran writes with awe towards the commitment the participants of WWII made. And there are even letters that bring attention to men and woman who served in areas that did not receive the attention they were due by History or the books that have documented the war.
Please read of a Family who, "adopted", an American who was killed, created a memorial for him, and to this day are in touch with his Family. Listen to a conversation between two men who are veterans of the war, one from the USA and one from France. See if you can read it through without a tear.
There is no end to the thanks we owe to all Veterans of the wars this country fought. None of us today would have what we enjoy without their service. The world is far from perfect, black pilots and nurses fought for a country that segregated them as they fought the same war. Today racism is certainly not gone from this country, and that illuminates the importance of those who fought before they left, during the war, and when they came home. How can you possibly find superlatives appropriate to these people?
Mr. Brokaw and his team and all those veterans/families, that contributed to his books have raised the awareness of ideals that too often have to be sought out from obscurity from the, "ME", generations of today.
This trilogy is as important a literary work as has been written, and it deserves to be recognized as such. For such recognition not only honors those that created the work, but even more importantly it honors those that are the subjects of these books.
Thank you to Mr. Brokaw, my Father who enlisted on his 17th birthday, and all veterans wherever they are serving, or may have served.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Many Honorable Dimensions of Sacrifice and Caring, August 27, 2001
This book brings the dangerous and trouble-laden world of the 1930s and 1940s to life in a remarkably vivid and compelling way. Almost every letter comes with a photograph or memorabilia that make you realize that many of the servicemen and women were just kids when they moved into their place in history. They wanted to fall in love, marry, and raise a nice family. But first they had to take on incredible risk on land, on the beaches, at sea, and in the air around the world in places that they had never heard of. If they didn't become injured or killed, they knew that it was just a quirk of fate that they did not. Everyone lost family members, friends, buddies, and heroes. If they worked as a medic, they saw more ravaged bodies than we can imagine. Many still bear the pain of their wounds today. Nightmares continue to haunt the dreams of many others. Yet most have spared their families the full horror of that experience. Through Mr. Brokaw's books, we can better imagine some of what it might have been like.
My Dad was pretty open about many of his experiences in the Eighth Air Force, but every so often a new one slips out. I suspect that even in these stories we are getting a censored version of what the actual experience was like. Dad did share the number of times that Luftwaffe bombs blew up part of his barracks (while he was sleeping there) and obliterated his sleeping area (when he was away on leave). What he remembered most searingly were the horrors of the shot-up crews returning from bombing runs over Europe (especially when they crashed in a ball of flames) and officers committing suicide by jumping off the top deck of his ship on the way home. As a youngster, I was terribly surprised and thrilled when former president Eisenhower came through our hometown and recognized my father in the crowd at the train station, and called Dad by name and rank. We had no inkling that Dad had met the president. Dad's response was simply that he had met a lot of the top brass, but he never told us any of their names.
Our family was lucky. My parents met because of the war, so my life was immeasurably influenced for the better. None of my father or mother's families were killed or physically injured in World War II. One uncle did experience shell shock as a teenager in the Battle of the Bulge, and had to avoid stressful situations for the rest of his life. From this book, I was able to imagine what it was like for families that were not so fortunate.
I was surprised to see that many of the veterans and their families had never been back to the battlegrounds and cemetaries. I asked Dad a number of years ago if he wanted to go back. He said he didn't care if he did or not (a typical Greatest Generation answer), but my Mother did. So my wife and I gave them a trip to England as a present. They had a ball, and saw many of the old sights. My Mother said that it seemed to do him a lot of good to see things back in peaceful circumstances. But there was no way that we could presuade him to go to France or Germany on the trip. He gave no reason. I suspect that the pain of the memories of those he had known who had died om bombing runs over that territory would have been too great for him.
Since then, I have attended a reunion of Dad's old unit, and was pleasantly surprised to see how much the men care for each other. I don't know of another man my father was ever close to after World War II, but here were dozens he knew well and liked. It was a side of him that I had never seen.
This book contains many memories like these. Often written by family members, the introduction then puts letters from the veteran into evidence at the court of history for us to experience.
You will be powerfully moved by the stories of sacrifice (whether from being POWs, lack of supplies, discrimination, or the chilling experience being exposed to grave danger), loss (families losing their only child, wives losing husbands after just becoming pregnant, and veterans losing their buddies), and willingness to serve (great efforts to volunteer when too young or too old, to volunteer for tough duty, and trying to help all and sundry). One of the most powerful for me was the description of the horrors of a concentration camp that was considered well kept by the Nazis in order to make a good impression on the Red Cross. Most moving for me was the sense of forgiveness that many veterans felt towards their former enemies.
If you know someone who served in World War II (whether a family member or not), I hope you will consider giving them this book and saying "thank you." After a few months have passed, ask them if they will tell you their story. If they will share, why not ask them if they would be willing to let you make copies of old letters and memorabilia so that you can send them to Mr. Brokaw? In this way, we can capture more of what happened then, honor these wonderful people, and pass on their legacy to generations yet unborn.
May the best and most important of these memories live forever!
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MEMORABLE, TOUCHING AND REAL!, May 24, 2001
Tom Brokaw is no stranger as a journalist and news reporter. In this book, he once again reveals his true character and sheer ability to reach out to his audience, magnetically draw their attention, and touch the hearts and souls of readers. "An Album of Memories" is just as the title implies. Based around the Depression Era and World War II, this haunting book reveals letters, photographs, drawings and other documents based primarily on the armed forces. You will encounter letters written by veterans and their families; letters that will touch your heart in such a profound way that you will impulsively smile, shed a compassionate tear, and become deeply moved by the events and the stories which unfold. I highly recommend "An Album of Memories". Brokaw deserves a thousand ovations for what is destined to be a literary success. It is an intense book charged with emotion and strength, love and loss.
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