Beyond Pongani Mission [Paperback]

Staff Sgt. Robert James Bable (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2001

A collection of factual stories that stem from my term serving as a team member of the 32nd Division - Headquarters Message Center forward echelon, while we were engaged in the Battle of Buna, New Guinea 1942-43. This true story is one of a disastrous fiasco that enveloped American GI's in the early stages of the offensive against the Japanese forces in New Guinea. Contains many original photographs and maps.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

I was born on June 19, 1919, and grew up in a small semi-rural village in the south central part of Michigan. I discovered who I was while exploring the fields and forests that surrounded our village. As a young man, I spent a great deal of time in the Ontario wilderness where I learned many of the secrets of living off the land -- skills I would need in the remote regions of New Guinea.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Bokmal Press (December 17, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 097014413X
• ISBN-13: 978-0970144133
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,541,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Stories not War Stories, January 20, 2005

By 

Katrina Cinco "kmcinco" (Lansing, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Pongani Mission (Paperback)

This book was very interesting! It's a first hand account of a soldier who really experienced World War II in the Pacific Theater. But the best part is that Bable didn't just put together a collection of "war stories," but rather, "life stories." Some are funny. Some are sad. Some are survivalist. Some are frustrating. Some are just bizarre and unreal. But all are VERY interesting and I would definitely recommend the book!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Would be 5 stars after a proofreader checks it over., May 8, 2002

By 

JULIA ZINZOW (Delafield, WI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Pongani Mission (Paperback)

This has the potential for 5 stars, but the clerical errors throughout will become distracting to the reader who pays attention to detail. The prose is riveting from beginning to end. The slice-of-life activities of Bable and his buddies keeps you turning the pages to see what will befall them next. The sketches and vivid descriptions with remembered dialogue all help to make you feel their pain and frustration right along with them. It was a revelation, too, that the rumors were actually true what I'd heard about General MacArthur's reprehensible role during that time. After reading this book, I can believe it all.
SSGT Bable grabs you right off with humor in the first pages, and then he's able to keep you entertained while recalling some of his lowest and discouraging days in some pretty scary places. I'm just glad he made it home and filled in a journal to make this book. It's a slice of history we shouldn't forget.