Customer Reviews

Down in Flames

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My wife and I had been waiting for this book since we saw the campanion DVD,In Times of War, a year ago. It was well worth the wait; we found ourselves with Ray Parker in a lumbering B-24, and went with him into a German prisoner of war camp. This vicarious experience was enhanced by a number of actual photographs. Those who can remember World War II will find this easy reading book a nostalgic journey. Those who do not will come to appreciate why the men and women who fought and died in World War II are called our Greatest Generation.

Very well written. I wasn't able to put the book down until I had finished reading cover to cover. Kept me very interested all the way through and gave me an insight of what these real men had to face in such horrific times. I highly recommend this book. Ray you are a very brave and talented man, and deserve to have many people buy your book.

They are our National Treasures. If you have any doubts about what our "Greatest Generation" accomplished during the dark days of World War II, this story lays them all to rest. Told in a way that makes you feel like you are sitting beside him for the whole incredible ride, Mr. Parker reveals his tale with a sense of realness and humbleness that makes you truly understand how "everyman" our soldiers, flyers, and sailors were (and are!). He packs it with humor and love, with fear and gratitude - with awe at his luck of cheating death many times over, but also with the pain of watching so many die needlessly. After reading this story I am in awe of him and how he always found the courage to do "what had to be done." Ray Parker is definitely a national treasure, and I for one am very happy that he is sharing his story.

divider3Growing up there were two things I lacked. One was knowledge of World War II and the other was grandparents.

Don't get me wrong...I studied World War II in school unfortunately I don't remember a lot of the details. History was not a favorite subject as a teenager. It wasn't until I was an adult where I started to realize the value of knowing History. As far as grandparents went...most of mine passed away either before I was born or while I was very young so I missed learning at their knee.

When I read Down in Flames by Ray Parker I felt as if I had been given both knowledge and a grandfather in one book.

Mr. Parker explains the War and the effects it had on millions of people in a way that you can definitely understand and comprehend theenvironment , the situation and the times. With a sincerity, intensity and detail that can be explained by only one that has lived the situation.

I felt as if this book could have been written by my grandfather. The gentle yet firm way he tells his story gave me a paternal feel. As if the story was told directly to me.

I can only imagine the horror that Mr. Parker and others went through as POW's. I was glad to read that Mr. Parker also spoke of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which is so prevalent among our service men and women.

In one part of the book Mr. Parker describes why so many service men/women do not speak of the situations they endure. Simple put...it is too hard to relieve.

Down in Flames gave me a renewed respect for our Military and for all they do to protect the freedom of our country. It doesn't matter if you agree with the principal or not..these young menand women put their lives on the line so that we have the privilege to agree or disagree with out repercussions.

Mr. Parker presented an image of World War II that I could have never learned in a history book. It shed light on his thoughts, feelings and situation at the height of WWII. I appreciate his loyalty to your country and to completing a book that helps generations understand, a little better, what World War II was about. Down in Flames