Customer Reviews

Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers"

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Don Malarkey offers yet another heart-felt memoir from those brave Band of Brothers, Easy Company, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment. Malarkey writes deep from the heart on every page of this gripping account of his life. From humble beginnings growing up in Astoria, Washington to attending the University of Oregon, Malarkey beautifully describes the people, places, and occurrences that had the most influence on his life. Like the memoirs of Winters, Guarnere and Heffron, the bulk of the book's pages are devoted the exploits of Easy Company. Malarkey does not stray far from the chronological events of Stephen Ambrose's book and HBO mini-series; however, he delves deeper into his own emotions and philosophical questions than his predecessors. Rather than explaining events, Malarkey paints a human face on the people who participated in them. As Malarkey clearly explains in the book's final pages, the attention brought upon him and his Easy Company comrades by both the book and film coupled with a string of Easy Company reunions, has been tremendously therapeutic in overcoming over four decades of suppressed post traumatic stress and survivor's guilt. This memoir tells more than just the story of Don Malarkey's life; writing it undoubtedly helped Don Malarkey understand the meaning of his own life, an undertaking better than any high-priced therapist could offer.

Most of us probably know Don Malarkey by the character portrayed by actor Scott Grimes in the popular HBO mini-series. Images of the carefree mischievous red-haired Irish kid from Washington State, who foolishly risked his own life to retrieve a German Lugar, and efforts to keep a stolen motorcycle with side-car hidden from the much hated Captain Sobel, immediately come to mind. These events were true. Yet Malarkey takes his readers into the turbulent emotions of a young man who, on the surface enjoyed English literature, recited poetry from memory, yet inwardly was forever changed by his experiences in combat. The film only scratched the surface of Don Malarkey; the book takes us to the inner depths.

The awkward scene where Grimes goes to pick up his uniforms from the British laundress, and silently pays for all the bundles belonging to his dead comrades killed in Normandy, is what this book is all about. Malarkey took the deaths of all his fellow Easy Company men hard, but none harder that the death of his closest friend, Warren "Skip" Muck. After Skip's death, Malarkey exchanged letters with Skip's fiance promising to visit her after the war, but couldn't bring himself to keep that promise. When she showed up at an Easy Company reunion in the mid-1990s, Malarkey embraced her and allowed fifty years worth of tears to flow.

The film showed Malarkey fidgeting with his coveted Lugar in the frozen woods outside Bastogne, but could not adequately convey that Malarkey was a hare's frozen breath from committing suicide. His undying belief that "a Malarkey never gives up" kept him from putting the pistol to his head and pulling the trigger. "Never give up," clearly provides the underlining message of the book. Another reason Malarkey did not take his own life that night at Bastogne was the memory of a promise he had made to his aging grandmother (who died in her sleep the night of June 6, 1944), that he would return home unharmed. Physically, Malarkey kept his promise to her, yet mentally and emotionally, he carried wounds that would plague him for decades.

Malarkey offers a most important fundamental message: no matter what trials and tribulations life throws at you, never give up! He also underscores the downside of World War II's silent "greatest generation:" keeping the memory of traumatic experiences bottled up inside of you will be your undoing. For those expecting just another Easy Company vet's perspective on events portrayed in the book and movie, this memoir will not disappoint. But Malarkey's underlying message on coping with the memories of war and getting on with your life is the true gift in this beautifully written autobiography. This should be required reading for any returning war veteran!

Any reader will be richly rewarded, regardless of whether they have read Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" or seen the mini-series, by this well told story of an American life.

Don Malarkey's autobiography poignantly tells how the legacy of the first World War, the devastating impact of the Great Depression on his father and his family, and other events molded his character and provided the drive and discipline that took a young man from a small town at the mouth of the Columbia River to become a decorated war hero.

It is a tale of honor, courage and loyalty to his comrades, love challenged by the isolation of war and the toll of battle and its scars, invisible yet no less haunting.

Co-author, longtime Oregon newspaper columnist and author Bob Welch, does a fine job of crafting Malarkey's journey through war and remembrance. A remarkable cache of Malarkey's wartime letters to his family and a girlfriend he left behind, discovered during the writing of the book and quoted extensively, take the reader to the frontlines with Easy Company.

Malarkey's love of his home state Oregon is an ever present theme conveyed through vivid description providing the reader with a shared sense of place with the author. The reader will gain an insight and understanding of the mindset of a young soldier, far away from his home and family, and the motivations and drive to survive to return to the people and place he loves best.

As a member of Easy Company, experiencing the highest number of days on the front line in the company, Malarkey tells not only the battlefield events in fine detail, and there are many, but also the war as seen through the eyes of a compassionate comrade. He revels in his deep bonds with those Easy Company members whose heroism was not included in previous books. The loss of best friend Skip Muck looms large.

As one of Malarkey's own heroes, Winston Churchill said "...never, never, never, never give up"; the reader will readily understand that Malarkey never did. This book will serve as an inspiration to many. After reading it, I realized that no challenge I will probably ever face be as great or horrific as those encountered by Easy Company in battle or Don Malarkey in life.

When you open this book, be prepared for a long read; I found it impossible to put down until the final page.

I've been a fan of Band of Brothers since it aired, and by extension, a fan of E/506 for about that long. The guys of Easy 506th have been writing a lot of books lately, and I have them all, and love them all, to a greater or lesser extent. But this one beats them all. "Malark" lays it all out, shows all his cards, keeps nothing back, makes himself tell all the things his comrades still try to shield in silence or jargon or laughs. He's opinionated, sometimes shocking, and his observation is surpassed only by his examination of his own self.

If you're looking for just a war memoir, too, you're only going to read half this book. This is a life memoir, and some of the best parts are at the beginning, when he and writer Bob Welch bring to life Astoria, Oregon, and life in the Depression; and the postwar period, when after the ticker-tape and champagne of victory faded, too many young men wondered who they were and what they would do with the horrible memories they kept, and too many young women wondered what happened to the sweethearts they had promised themselves to. The imagery and landscape of the Northwest recur over and over again, throughout the book, even as Malarkey bares his family history and the things you'd think a person would never say. The climax of the book is as emotional as anything I've ever read.

Of all the books written by and about Easy Company, 506th, 101st Abn., this is the one that deserves, and should win, the widest audience. Thanks, Don; you're the one, and you're still here.

Truth be told, I am not the kind of person who writes many book reviews. Honestly, this is my first. This book meant enough to me to take the time to write a few words on its behalf.

In the Ambrose book and HBO mini-series, Malarkey always stood out to me as the heart of Easy Company. I have read through Bill and Babe's book ... which I enjoyed, Webster's book, Major Winters' book, Compton's book, but this one was different. By far the best of the bunch. I sat down one morning to read it and finished it later that night. I didn't want to put it down. Mr. Malarkey really brought the emotion of growing up during the depression, facing the reality of being sent of to war, friendship, disappointment, and above all courage to the page in a very honest, humble way.

Personally, I really enjoyed the chapters he spent talking about his life before and after the war. It was interesting to see how the things he did before the war influenced who he was during the war, and the things he did during the war impacted his life after the war.

Thank you for not giving up Mr. Malarkey!

I received Don's book immediately after it was released. He did send me a signed copy.
Don was my guest in Eindhoven for a couple of nights and I enjoyed talking with him very much.
Reading the book now it feels like hearing his voice while he is telling me the stories.
He is a great friend. Not only because he was one of those who liberated us after almost five years of German occupation but most of all as a human being. I sure hope Don will be in Eindhoven again in the nearby future.
My house is his house. Don thank you for sharing your life story with us.
I know for sure your Irene is proud of you, watching you from above together with your buddies.
Peter van de Wal
[...]

This is the companion book to Dr. Ambrose's Band of Brothers that we've been waiting for since the late professor published his opus in 1991.

Unlike many other books, this one provides a thought provoking and fresh look at the rise of the 506th Parachute Infantry Division and their training in the American south prior to deployment overseas. And while this book centers on the training and subsequent invasions, it's not the same perspsective rehashed for new readers. It's really does a nice job of adding to the value of the Band of Brothers with new insite from a paratrooper's personal perspective.

The thing I liked most about the book was the description of how Malarkey grew up in the American North West and his reasons for going to war. I also enjoy the very cerebral perspective he took in quoting poetry, literature and song. The man is truly a rare person in many ways and someone I'd love to have a glass of Scotch with some day. He is a modern Irish warrior.

Quite frankly, after reading close to 300 books on World War Two history, I can safely say this book will find a sacred place next to Donald Burgett's fine works. I can always tell how much I enjoyed a book by the number of turned down, "dog eared" pages indicating something important. There are plenty "ears" in this work.

What Sergeant Malarkey has compiled here is a sometimes interesting, sometimes trite memoir of his experiences in what has now become the most famous company of soldiers to serve in WWII. Though eminently more readable than Dick Winters's own memoir, Easy Company Soldier is still marred by some of the same flaws that plagued the Major's book. Notably, Malarkey veers at times towards a flat, almost cliched laundry-list recounting of events that lacks a cohesive narrative flow.

There's much to like about Easy Company Soldier. For one, the author manages to be very candid about his experiences without descending into petty recriminations and score-settling against those with whom he didn't necessarily consider his 'brothers.' Though he does seem to harbor a certain disdain for the Ivy Leaguers--David Webster, Norman Dike--who served in E Company, Malarkey reveals his thoughts with a humanity and sense of forthrightness that is refreshing. He has mostly glowing things to say about his brothers-in-arms and reflects on his very difficult time in combat without bitterness or maudlin dramatics. Make no mistake, though, this tome is more about the people who shaped the author's life during the war than about the war itself. This contributes in no small part to the personal feel of this memoir. One gets a touching insight into the truly human costs of the war in comrades lost and family missed back home.

On the downside, Easy Company Soldier really should have been longer. It almost feels at times like the author is rushing through material that would greatly augment the book if given more elaboration. What's more, the book is sorely lacking in a narrative thread to tie it all together. Too many times the story jumps abruptly from event to event without sufficient explanation or background. It's often the little things that really make a book, and I'm sure there are a dozen small anecdotes and tidbits that the author omitted which would have really served to lend color and depth to the story. What's here seems very good as a draft, but it needs a little more flesh on its bones to be a truly top-flight account.

Overall, though, Easy Company Soldier is worth reading. There's nothing in it that will wow anyone, but it does provide another perspective on a soldier's life during an era of inestimable historical importance.

I find it hard to 'critique' a book whose author and subject deserve so much respect and admiration, but I thought a few points were nevertheless worth mentioning for potential readers to consider.

First, whether you've seen the miniseries or not, this book is worth reading; it is easy to follow and lucidly written. There are some discrepancies however, which should be re-edited for clarity as they may be confusing to some. For instance on page 140, Mr Malarkey writes that Norman Dike joined Easy Company as a replacement for "Moose" Heyliger in Holland. On page 186 however, he writes that 'Captain' Norman Dike joined Easy Company as Buck Compton's replacement.

Second, more of a disappointment than a critique, I was looking forward to an insider and detailed account of the taking of Berchtesgaden (Eagle's nest), but my understanding is he missed that event as a result of hospitalization due to illness.

Lastly, I was surprised by his open dislike of David Webster, which doesn't really add anything worthwhile to the story, and was even more surprised by his critique of Ambrose and the miniseries and how he comments: "I wish Ambrose had included a handful of guys he ignored, instead of dwelling so much on a bit player like Webster"(p.246). Naturally, it's his book and he can write whatever he pleases (he's certainly earned that right) but even assuming Webster could be categorized as a "bad" soldier, or a "bit player", the military's micro representation of society means it takes the good with the bad as long as they pass the training and play by the rules thereafter. Similarly, having a book or movie that includes individuals with obviously differing personalities is where others have failed and precisely what gives this show, the book, and the character development in both, some of its 'truer to life' strengths.

Overall, the book is an interesting personal account with plenty of pre and post-war coverage discussing the emotional and personality changes one goes through. This further grounds the story and shows the anguish endured by those who survive combat and return home to a place where most will never know or understand what it was like. If you've seen the miniseries, the book provides a (more realistic) view from a different camera angle, and fills in some of the blanks left out by the series; you'll certainly have a hard time stopping your mind's eye from seeing the actors and events from the miniseries as the story progresses.

If you're a fan of the show, you'll enjoy his comments in the Epilogue and Afterword, the most surprising of which was "Nobody I've talked to from Easy Company remembers being at that Jewish concentration camp at Landsberg". Yet Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends and Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters mention such a liberation. Regardless, the author's comments leave the reader wondering if the event took place at all, and if it did, why he wouldn't correct the location/event and expand on his feelings/experiences in that situation (though he may still have been in hospital at the time?).

The product itself: the book (paperback) is of good quality binding, paper and clear printing with average sized letters causing no eye strain. Amazon lists it as 304 pages, but the story (and epilogue) go to 257.

Malarky was one of the originals of Easy Co. He trained at Toccoa under Sobel and participated in all the operations fought by the company and indeed the 101st Airborne Division. In fact, due to the fact that he was never seriously wounded he had more days in combat than anyone else.

Malarky's war was extensive and at times difficult. He experienced the depths of depression outside Bastogne and though he writes extensively of battle, it's mostly being on the receiving end of shelling and the extreme weather. He goes into details about some actions, the Brecourt Battery for instance, patrols in Holland and holding the line in Belgium but I don't feel he really said a lot about what he personally did. Despite Dick Winters writing that Malarky was one of his `killers', Malarky himself only mentions two occasions and elaborates only the second time, though the first is in surprising circumstances. It is not a `war' book in this respect. Malarkey's main purpose in writing, in my opinion, is to reveal the relationships he had with his fellow soldiers rather than the combat. And in this he has been successful as there is a fuller and more intimate picture of this group than in any of the other Easy Co memoirs. Malarky has a lot to say about backgrounds, experiences shared and the tensions that sometimes arose. He conveys their strengths and worth but he also touches on their weaknesses. They are thus revealed in a far more substantial manner than is the usual case in a war memoir. Familiarity with the TV show would enhance this further.

On the show, Malarky has some interesting things to say, especially in how it helped him deal with his post-war issues. There isn't much that is new but he sets the record straight a few times. Otherwise there is lot's to read on his attitudes to the other members. He is a great admirer of Winters of course but also Compton and more understanding of Sobel than might be expected. Interestingly he is almost dismissive of Webster and had doubts about Speirs. There is much else and he is quite forthright with his thoughts and this was quite interesting. He is also extremely open about his own failings and the extent to which events got to him.

He is in the same vein when writing about his childhood. He was robust and independent but the times saw his family take some severe knocks. WW1 too had left a legacy that stayed with them and him. He handled things pretty well though and he certainly had spirit. So while `Easy Company Soldier' deals predominately with the war it is more the story of the man. The final chapters relating his post-war life were engaging and at times emotional.

As for comparisons with the other Easy Co memoirs, there is more explicit combat in Winters' book (and a focus on combat leadership) so look there if that is your interest. Webster's book is in some ways a more enjoyable read but it is more self-centered. Malarky's contribution is to reveal a great deal about the actual real men who were participants in it all. To that end, it is a very worthwhile read.

Easy Company Soldier
By Don Malarkey/Bob Welch

This book has it all -- action, loyalty, bravery, sorrow, faith, heroism, fear, hardship, loss, camaraderie, desperation and humor. It's the best and worst of World War II. In his quest to succeed Sgt. Malarkey fought two wars. The first was against the Germans and the second, against himself. Both a gripping human interest and violent war story, this is a must read for everyone.

First off, I'm a comparatively slow reader with a short attention span. I usually read in short bursts of about 30 or 40 minutes, often tire, get bored or lose interest to the point where reading actually becomes a chore. Rarely, does a book come along that I just cannot put down. Easy Company Soldier is one of the very few.

I started reading Easy Company Soldier at about 7:30 pm, six hours and seven chapters later I went to bed, got up an hour later and read for another two hours. The next day I finished the book. For me, that's a record only equaled once before.

The story begins with Don Malarkey growing up in Astoria, a city on the North Oregon coast during the Great Depression (not an easy life). His college life at the University of Oregon abruptly came to a halt in 1942 when he joined the army. Malarkey volunteered to be part of what he considered the toughest, most challenging unit in the American Army, the 101st Screaming Eagles Airborne Division. On June 6th 1944 D-Day, they jumped into Normandy, France.

Once again author Bob Welch captivates his audience. In his first WW II book, "American Nightingale" published in 2004, he poignantly captures the horror of war in the powerful biography of Frances Slanger and her courageous struggle to become a combat nurse with the 45th Field Hospital.

Easy Company Soldier is the remarkable story of Don Malarkey, who was originally made famous by Stephen Ambrose in Band of Brothers. With every word Bob Welch continues to envelope you in his dramatic story. Welch's unique writing ability enables the reader to hear every sound, to see the action, to smell the cordite and be a part of the general emotion of battle from France into The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, all the way from D-Day to Victory in Europe.

Don Malarkey has beaten all the odds. He survived 177 days of combat and fighting in many of the fiercest battles in Europe. Most of his outfit, Easy Company, were killed or severely wounded, yet Malarkey came through with only minor wounds. Now at 87, he has beaten the odds again and survived the calendar. After reading Easy Company Soldier I think you will agree, Don Malarkey is and always will be part of our "Greatest Generation".