Customer Reviews

Beyond Valor: World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Beyond Valor is a watershed in the reporting of World War II oral histories -- i.e., the actual participants of history describe the events they participated in in their own words, free from editorial embellishment and hindsight analysis. Mr. O'Donnell diligently interviewed hundreds of American paratrooper and Ranger veterans from the European Theater of Operations in World War II. What he has assembled in Beyond Valor is a collection of personal vignettes from young Americans that describe what hell was like during the bloodiest war ever. These men take us through training, North Africa, Sicily and Italy, Normandy and Southern France, Holland and Belgium, Germany, and going back home. Unlike other war books that use only selected quotes from veterans, embellish their words and otherwise bog you down with information and details that reveal nothing new, Mr. O'Donnell lets each veteran tell his full story. In some cases, veterans for the first time ever release emotions and bitter memories that have been bottled up inside their hearts and minds for 60 years. Many of the stories are powerful and moving, even emotionally overwhelming -- like the Rangers that describe the helpless feeling of seeing their buddies get cut down by machine gun fire right next to them as they rush up to attack a German bunker. In the vein of Stephen Ambrose, Patrick O'Donnell has put together an easy-to-read book with helpful maps that goes deep into the heart of combat as seen from America's living heroes. This book -- a tribute to the greatest generation -- is a definite keeper.

Pat O'Donnell's unique way of capturing the heartfelt and poignant views of the Rangers and Airborne of WWII makes for an unbelievable book. These vets put their battle-line experiences in their own words and after keeping them perhaps bottled up inside for 50+ years they come out in such a passionate and unforgettable way. Mr. O'Donnell strings their stories together in a manner that only punctuates events which if not told by the soldiers who actually experienced them, the reader would not believe actually occurred. The stories of how the young men faced death and overcame it will forever change my outlook on the war. This book provides an amazing historical context to the war and reveals events that likely would not have been told if left up to interpretation by those not actually at the Battle of the Bulge, Salerno, Southern France or at the liberation of the camps. What is so unique about this book is that it is not a second hand account as told to an author but the actual words of the soldiers. Mr. O'Donnell's use of "e-histories" is to be commended. This book is as important to documenting the history of World War II as any I've read. The terror and triumph these men experienced played on my emotions as I read chapter after chapter of this book. Mr. O'Donnell serves as the curator of amazing works of history in his web site TheDropZone.org and I am forever grateful that he decided to share some of his masterpieces with the world.

Excellent book, I definitely recommend it. Most rewarding of all, is that exactly as the author states in his introduction, the narrative, in the veteran's own words, takes the reader to the middle of the action, whether it be tragic or heroic. How the author tracked down these veterans and coaxed them into sharing their personal histories, some for the first time in sixty years, is beyond me, and an achievement in itself; the book and what it represents in terms of historical value and human interest is invaluable. I do wish that the maps had been larger, but that might have been a function of the publisher and not the author. In fact the maps are exceptional in that they are quite detailed, and extremely accurate. The author, Mr. O'Donnell, has succeded in striking a very effective balance between his own narrative and that of the veteran's oral histories. Very well done. I'll be looking forward to future books from this author.

Beyond Valor is by far the best oral history of WWII, and I've read all of them. The author does a masterful job of weaving their stories together with his own narrative. As someone who occupation revolves around oral history, I was most impressed by the way he provided minimal editing to their voices which are candid and give the reader a sense that your in the foxhole with these men. Smell, taste, and feelings toward their war that many of these men have buried for nearly sixty years come alive in this amazing book. I highly recommend it!

Mr O'Donnell brings the feelings of sorrow, anguish, and loneliness of the WWII soldier to the printed page as one one else has ever done.You feel like you are on the front lines with the men. Their stories are so moving I was in tears as I read them. Beyond Valor is outstanding and should be read by all.

Beyond Valor is a testament to the slowly-disappearing heroes that were part of that generation that helped make this country what it is today. The book compiles easy-to-read, first-person narratives as personally experienced by these heroes, describing in their own words the brotherhood they felt for one another ("You just can't let the guy that you are with down, that's all" -- Herman Stein, 2nd Ranger Batallion), the anguish on Omaha Beach ("They were floating all over the place, there was blood in the water -- it was just dark" -- Ray Alm, 2d Ranger Batallion), the frustation of seeing your men wiped out ("One of the [German] 88s saw them and blew them apart . . . they were literally blown all to pieces" -- Don Burgett, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division), the pride in accomplishing the mission ("They never hesitated for a minute. When they didn't have an officer, a noncom took over. Nobody ever stopped. They took the railroad and Nijmegen bridges." -- Chaplain Delbert Kuehl, 504th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division), and the joy of being back home ("Oh, God, I can put my head down, the sheets in the bed, there's no bugs on them, there's no rain falling on you, your feet are warm, your hands are warm, you're gonna get a hot meal, there's nobody shooting at you . . . ." -- John Burke, 5th Ranger Battalion).

I highly recommend this book to anyone.

The author has gone way beyond what other WWII books have portrayed. Mr. O'Donnell has presented the REAL SIDE of war through the oral histories of men, who had in many stories, for the first time related the locked up memories for these 60 years. The depth and cold hearted truth of war in their stories is very moving. I commend the style of Mr. O'Donnell's writing and the extent he took his explanation of units, troop movement and maps to better help the movice understand. There is much to digest in a very informative manner..not easily forgotten. I was left with much emotion and a deep appreciation to the men in this book and the many others who gave so much of themselves to our country. Beyond Valor should become manadatory reading in high school history classes. War is not pretty and this book, surely, details that clearly.

Also, found the audio cassette very good.

I was having a rough time finding a book on World War II to hold my interest. Beyond Valor changed that, I was able to finaly figure out what all of the other books were missing...the voices of the men themselves. Filled with chapter upon chapter of gripping stories that will fill you with pride & bring you to tears, all withinn the span of a few pages. Patrick O' Donnel has done what few historians tend to do. With the stories contained herin he takes you to the front lines of the most brutal of conflicts, and tells the untold story.

Beyond Valor is simply one of the best first person, World War II books published in the last 5 years. The author portrays the life of the ranger and the airborne troops not in his words, but instead in their words. He does something other historians have failed to do and that is to simply shut up and allow the people who fought the war to tell what it was like.

He hits all of the major campaigns, North Africa, D-Day, Italy, Battle of the Bulge, Market Garden and the famous Hill 400. While writing this, he does not interject his own assumptions and theories of what happened, instead he guides the reader as if he is performing a lecture to a classroom. This is where the author's strength arises. He does not keep on talking. He simply cuts off and let's the veterans tell their story, and what a story it is!

The veterans tell about the power of friendships, the fear of 88 mm shells coming at your foxhole, the horrors of watching a friend die, what it feels like to be wounded, and they even discuss how hard it is to get over the war.

By the time the book is over the reader will have a sense of how horrible war is and how much it should be avoided. This is simply one of the best first person World War II books on the market today. Patrick O'donnell should be proud of what he has created.

Pro: 1) The author allows the veterans to tell their tales 2) Great Readability 3) Great Maps help guide even the novice of World War II students

Cons: NONE

O'Donnell has selected and edited hundreds of eyewitness accounts by World War II Ranger and Airborne veterans, organizing the material within 13 chapters with an insightful introduction to each. He begins with "Dieppe" and concludes with "Home" while along the way sharing participants' accounts of their involvement in the invasion of North Africa as well as subsequent combat in Sicily, Anzio, Holland, and Germany. I was especially interested in the material concerning the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge but found all other material also stirring (sometimes heart-rending) as well as thought-provoking.

Perhaps you have already read John Keegan's The Face of Battle in which he examines comparable combat experiences from the perspective of so-called "grunts" who fought at Agincourt (1415), Waterloo (1815), and the Somme (1916). I was reminded of Keegan's book as I read O'Donnell's. In the latter work, we have eyewitness accounts of portions of various major European campaigns and conflicts in World War II. (It would also be of great interest to me to have, in a single volume, equivalent accounts from those who fought in Pacific campaigns and conflicts. These are available, it's true, but from several dozen different sources.) As indicated, O'Donnell provides a brief introduction to each chapter. All of the introductions are first-rate. They provide a context within which to correlate various personal accounts, not only with the others but also with the overall development of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower once referred to as "The Crusade in Europe."

I presume to share a personal reason for my high regard for what O'Donnell has accomplished in this book. Two of my relatives fought in World War II. Both were highly decorated. My father was an Army officer in the Philippines during the months prior to Japan's surrender in August of 1945. My uncle was a corpsman and among the first to land at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. In subsequent years I was eager to have each share his experiences but neither was willing. Later, while helping to raise funds for indigent recipients (NOT "winners") of the Congressional Medal of Honor, it was my great privilege to work with other recipients who, by then, had become highly successful business executives, physicians, investors, etc. Not one of them was willing to discuss his wartime experiences with me although, I later learned, they were quite willing to do so with others who had also "been there." I've seen most of the most highly regard war movies (those considered most "realistic") but only through personal combat experiences shared by veterans such as those interviewed by O'Donnell have I been able to get at least some sense of "what it was like." For that I am profoundly grateful to them and even more in awe of their achievements "beyond valor."