Customer Reviews

Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"HUMBLE HEROES" ....Truly Déjà vu, "all over again"

"HUMBLE HEROES" takes me back where as a young boy we sat close to the old Atwater Kent Radio in the evenings to catch every word of what was happening in the war, and where our uncles, cousins and friends were fighting and dying. On Saturdays we watched The MovieTone News at the local theater, from which our teachers in school would follow with a geography lesson tracing the battles of that awful time.

Through the eyes of the crew of the USS Nashville, "Humble Heroes" is not only a history of W.W.II, but also the strengths of these average "Joes" performing heroic feats, suffering unimaginable pain, and yet still being able to maintain a sense of humor.

Author Steve Bustin has captured the history, the agony, and the camaraderie of these "Humble Heroes" and their loved ones. Is it any wonder that Tom Brokaw called this "The Greatest Generation".

Bob Annick

Writer Bustin obviously worked extremely hard to document the facts in Humble Heroes, not only through U.S. sources and those who served on the USS Nashville, but also digging through a number of foreign sources, including Japanese naval records. The result is what I consider to be an astounding account of the Nashville's capabilities and the dedicated, courageous crew's performance under extreme stress at a critical juncture in our nation's history. Bustin brings the war and the Nashville's greatness to life and he makes it a point to give all sides of the story.

I bought this book because I had the opportunity to meet one of the men who served on the Nashville and played a heroic role as young seaman, John Bosier, who now lives in Michigan. Had I not met him, I probably would not have bought the book because I normally just don't buy military historical accounts. Having said that, I'd recommend it to anybody who just might need or want an account which brings alive what the military did for us in WWII (and ever since for that matter). Without folks like John, his shipmates and all the others who served at home and abroad, we certainly wouldn't be enjoying the freedoms we are enjoying today. There are lessons to be learned from this book which we would do well to remember in our current societal, foreign policy and military environment; specifically, stay the course and support our military to the hilt if you want to win and keep America free.

Humble Heroes overall is a quality book as described by the other reviews. I would've rated it a 4/5 instead of a 3 had it not been for a few negative issues that I felt detracted from it. The positive of the book are covered in other reviews nicely so I will focus on what I thought were negatives:

I found most of the photos are dark and poorly printed compared with other similar book subjects. (perhaps the hardcover edition is better?) The pages the photos are printed on are the same as the text pages so the photos come across predominantly black compared to a wider range of greys seen on the glossy photo pages in most books.

The book has numerous typos, some relatively insignificant (like "sates" for "states") but others are more significant. For example, it states HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk on Dec 8, 1945, when they were actually sunk back in 1941 (and on Dec 10).

There was also one reference to Tomcats (the aircraft) being used in WWII - clearly poor research as there were no Tomcats in use until the 1970s! (although they made a sci-fi appearance in 1941 in the time-traveling movie "The Final Countdown"....)

The first indication that there was some poor research was in the preface. The author states "great ships like the Enterprise, Hornet, Arizona, and Missouri, all of which are museums or a national cemetary in the case of the ill-fated Arizona". The famous Enterprise (CV-6) of WWII fame was in fact scrapped by 1960, so obviously it is not a musuem (unfortunately). My assumption is the Hornet the author is referencing is the Hornet (CV-8) from the Doolittle Raid since it is the only Hornet referenced in the book, especially considering the Nashville's role in the raid. In any case, the Hornet (CV-8) was sunk in Oct 1942, same year as the raid. There was a second Hornet (CV-12) named in honor of the Hornet lost in 1942 which is actually a museum today, so I can give the author the benefit in this case although an uninformed reader would not realize that there are two Hornets being referenced.

I actually would've liked a longer book with more operational detail and personal stories. Granted the text portion covers almost 170 pages alone, I'm sure there is a lot more interesting anecdotes and stories that could've been shared.

Had it not been for several cases of errors/typos like these I mentioned (and others not) I would've rated the book higher. In the back of my mind as I read it I wondered if there were more errors that I just didn't realize were actually errors?

This book is a well documented tribute to the USS Nashville CL43 and all those sailors and Marines who fought and died so courageously aboard her. Mr. Bustin has captured the essence of navy ship board life with his interviews and readings. He shares with us the daily drudgery and the horrors of combat, offset by moments of humor for the men's mental survival.
As readers, we are taken through the 1938 commissioning, whereby it had been built as part of the "Treaty Navy", of which I'd never heard. The "Treaty Navy" was created to prevent war by establishing parity amongst nations from 1921-1938. Parity didn't work.
The Nashville began its life cruising to many glamorous ports in Europe and South America. It served as a transport ship of the UK's precious gold brought to the USA for safe keeping.
Then Pearl Harbor happened. The Nashville was first on line in many conflicts. Oftentimes she went on secret missions to"push the Japs around". General MacArthur used her as his flagship on several tours, including his famous walk ashore through the water when he returned to the Philippines. On more that one occasion the General was asked to leave because the ship had to enter into the thick of battle but couldn't do so with him aboard.
I was transported by Mr. Bustin's descriptions of the Nashville's attacks on Japanese occupied Aleutian Islands. I felt the intense cold, violent winds and stormy seas. I was caught up in the horrific telling of the kamikaze attack on 12/13/44 which left 133 men dead, 190 wounded and the ship severely damaged. I cried for those brave men who had to go through such an experience.
The ship became a living lady to me while reading her story. I truly was saddened to read of her demise. Decommissioned, sold to Chile to fight communist aggression, then sold for scrap. An ignominious ending for such a great courageous lady. Then, to learn that not one of the 74 American cruisers, such as the Nashville, has survived. That is truly sad for America and those who served aboard them so well.
A big thank you goes to Steven Bustin for his fine work on the subject.
Adaire Leps

The author provides interesting insights into life aboard a cruiser leading up to and through World War II. However, the history the ship sails through is more remembered shipboard scuttlebutt than matching the events surrounding the ship. If you are interested in personal stories and a flavor of shipmate adventures, you will enjoy this book. If you are looking to better understand the events of the Pacific war, you will be disappointed.

Humble Heroes is an extremely accurate account of the
USS Nashville CL43. Although I was an eyewitness to the
Kamikaze attack,December 13 1944,that took so many lives
and wounded scores of so many others I never got the
full impact in the minute detail found in this book.
Author Bustin tells it the way it was - it has helped me
immensely with my WWII research.

My father served on the U.S.S. Nashville from 1940 til 1943. He was on the Dolittle raid and numerous Pacific shellings. It was great to read about his service and fill in the blanks in the letters I have that he wrote home. Since my dad died of leukemia in 1955 when I was only 8, I did not have a chance to discuss his service. This book help fill that gap. I am grateful to author for that.

Bob Yager

We've all read the text book accounts of the battles that make up the Second World War, but what really resonates is not the technical accounts of the battles, instead its the individual heroism displayed by average citizens placed in extraordinary circumstances. Steve Bustin obviously did his research in writing this book, but rather than focus on bland descriptions of the events befalling the officers and crew of the USS Nashville, he focused on telling the story from the viewpoint of the brave men of this proud warship. Of particular interest to me was Steve's account of his own father's activities while serving aboard this Brooklyn-class light cruiser. Bustin's choice to tell the story through the eyes of the men who lived it was a brilliant choice that paid off in a rewarding read and a chance for the reader to connect with these yesteryear heroes in a more personal way than one could through a mere textbook account. The story of the USS Nashville is incredible in its own right; when coupled with Bustin's masterful storytelling, it becomes a must-read for not just military history fans, but for anyone that enjoys a well-crafted tale of uncommon heroism, valor, and bravery. Bustin did right by these men and has made sure their stories will endure for decades to come.

Am really enjoying this read. I had an uncle whom I never met who was one of the officers on the Nashville (Cmdr. Dick Boutelle)who was killed in the Kamikazee attack. Since my father died when I was young we know very little about his brother other than that he was an Annapolis graduate. I learned of my father's service with the USAA 8th in Europe during WWII but knew nothing about his brother's service on the Nashville. Hope to contact any crew who knew him to learn more. If any WWII Nashville crew read this review I can be contacted at Kingfungo@AOL.Com. Wish the book had had an index.

Mr. Bustin has painted a poignant and realistic picture of boys becoming men in the face of fear, hardship, and death. Not only has he given the facts but he has brought to life the first-hand accounts of young men leaving home for the first time, some from the prairie's of Kansas and others coming down out of the hills of Tennessee to spend years in the middle of an ocean, the South Pacific. I know some of those now elderly gentlemen whose lives were shaped by their experiences on the USS Nashville, and there is no doubt that the author has aptly portrayed the story of kamikaze attacks, lonely sailors in Australia, and the pride of returning General Douglas MacArthur to the Philippines.