When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Charles Bradley enlisted in the army. An avid skier and mountaineer with a degree in geology, he quickly found himself among the first members of the new 10th Mountain Division, the only unit of the U.S. Army established to train men in mountain combat. Soon, Bradley was training candidates for a potential ground assault on Japan and in a new theater for mountain warfare: the magnificent but potentially life-threatening Aleutian Islands.
Bradley's military career kept him from the front lines of the war, but he and his companions had their own battles with loneliness and fatigue, with Aleutian weather and terrain, and with the military brass. The Axis powers were real enough, but the immediate enemy was the environment. It was Bradley's job, now on assignment with the North Pacific Combat School, to help teach his trainees the skills of survival and mobility under conditions that included rugged terrain, glaciers, fierce winds, heavy rains and snow storms, and the threat of avalanches.
Each story of confrontation with that rugged environment is balanced by one of discovery and awe. The Aleutians could be dangerous, but they were also an unspoiled realm for adventure and fascination. Soldier Bradley also grew as an artist; his interest in the natural history and geography of the islands is reflected in his paintings of what he saw near his posts, first at Unalaska and later at Adak. It is also reflected in his honest, insightful prose. Bradley is a writer with his own voice, his own clear way of conveying how recruits struggle or how ravens play.
Aleutian Echoes is one man's carefully observed, sometimes wry memoir of natural wonders and unnatural challenges.
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Editorial Reviews
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When the U. S. entered World War II in 1941, Charles Bradley enlisted in the army and found himself a member of the training command with the new 10th Mountain Infantry Division. He helped develop the skills of survival and mobility in the rugged environment of the Aleutian Islands. He also found his own distinctive way to cope with the gravity of the war (and his responsiblity for the lives of the men he trained) by combining his lifelong interest in the outdoors with his artistic talent. Aleutian Echoes tells the story of his experiences, balancing military training with personal observation about a unique aspect of Alaska's involvement in World War II, beautifully expressed through his writing and through his art. -- Midwest Book Review
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A visually beautiful book and a good read,
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This review is from: Aleutian Echoes (Lanternlight Library) (Hardcover)
Writing a review of Aleutian Echoes feels a bit futile, because I very much doubt if many folks will ever read it. There has to be some reason to read about something as obscure as the North Pacific Combat School which operated for a year and a half on Unalaska and Adak in the Aleutians and processed/trained less than 300 men during its short tenure in 1944-45. Well, my own convoluted reason for being interested is that I "almost" got sent to the Aleutians back in the early 60s. I was one of ten army Morse code intercept operators given special training at Ft Meade, MD, in the summer of 1963. Five were assigned to Sinop (Turkey) and five to the Aleutian atoll of Shemya. I drew Sinop, but five of my buddies from the past several months of training at Ft Devens and Meade, headed NW to the Aleutians. In my own memoir, SOLDIER BOY, I have documented my own adventures in Sinop, but I have always wondered what an Aleutian assignment would have been like. Charles Bradley's beautifully rendered memoir of his WWII years there have answered many of my unasked questions. Unalaska and Adak sound like pretty unforgiving and harsh places, but Bradley's intense interest in the flora and fauna, the climate and terrain, the extreme weather conditions, etc. all make for a very interesting book, and his beautiful photographs, water colors and pencil sketches of the area are tremendous "extras." It helps, I think, that Bradley was older than the average WWII recruit, in his early 30s, so his story is a bit more mature and thoughtful than my own recorded experiences from 20 years later in northern Turkey. His stories of training on the slopes and summits of the volcanic peaks are, by turns, scary and comical. And I was especially moved by his description of the breaking up of the unit after VJ-Day -"We packed our gear and waited our turns for transportation home. NPCS broke up, one or two chunks at a time. There was lots of pounding shoulders, waving, yelling insults, and good wishes. Also there were unseen lumps in the throats and awareness of an unforgettable adventure ending." This passage brought to mind partings of my own from close army buddies of 2-3 years, and the (unkept) promises to keep in touch. Lumps in the throats indeed. Friendships forged in the military are the strongest ones you ever make, no question, and are never repeated in later life. Charles Bradley is gone now, and I am very sad that I can't write or call him and tell him personally how much I enjoyed his story and thank him for his service. Godspeed, Charley, wherever you are. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA and LOVE, WAR & POLIO
5.0 out of 5 stars
A spellbinding read; his photos & paintings are marvelous.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Aleutian Echoes (Lanternlight Library) (Paperback)
Charlie Bradley has written a fascinating book about his experiences in the "Mountain Brigade" in WW2. Through his shrewdness he avoided a mindnumbing GI tour in Illinois and ended up in the 87th Infantry Regiment on the slopes of Mt.Rainer with men training for action in mountainous terrains and in winter conditions. In June of '44 he found himself aboard a ship out of Seattle headed north for "Armageddon", the code name for Dutch Harbor, Unalaska. He would be an essential part of the soon-to-be-born North Pacific Combat School, which would move to Adak several months later. Charlie has written a rivetting account of his experiences, most in the Aleutians. It is profusely illustrated with gorgeous color photographs (amazing how most stood the years!) and his water color drawings. I stayed up late into the night to finish reading it. (OK, I'm biased somewhat. I've been in the Aleutians and feel a strong bond to anyone who's been out there roughing it.)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting mountaineering, Aleutian style.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Aleutian Echoes (Lanternlight Library) (Paperback)
Captain Bradley, trained for mountain warfare in the 87th MountainInfantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Infantry Division, was sent to the Aleutians to help create the North Pacific Combat School, in secret preparation for the assault on Japan which never came. Although never in combat, Bradley and the other instructors had their own battles, with treacherous terrain, poor equipment, and the worst weather in the world. Nicely illustrated with color photos and Bradleys own paintings. The introduction, not by Bradley, contains one factual error: the 364th Infantry Regiment relieved the 138th Infantry Regiment of the Missouri National Guard, not the 140th.
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