A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces [Hardcover]

Lewis J. Korman (Author), Matthew Naythons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2003

On October 22, 2002, more than 125 of the world's finest photographers set out on a unique global mission. Their instructions were simple: look beyond the daily news headlines, dig beneath the breaking stories, and capture what life is like on an ordinary day for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces around the world.

For 24 consecutive hours, this prize-winning team of civilian and military photographers -- working with the cooperation and support of the Department of Defense -- chronicled daily life in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

The resulting book of photographs documents the lives of elite units and freshly minted recruits; of cadets, generals, fire-fighters, medics, and MPs; of soldiers at desolate outposts and on strategic bases. It illustrates life in the cockpit of a fighter, on a Trident submarine, in an underground missile silo, and at computer terminals in a war room. It shows personnel patrolling borders, jungles, mountains, and harbors; training for special operations; and fighting terrorism.

It is a timeless portrait -- in indelible images and eloquent words -- of the men and women who wear the uniforms of the American military. They are your sons, daughters, spouses, neighbors, and friends.

Together these photographs provide an inspiring visual reminder of the routine and heroic operations, the sacrifices and dedication, that are necessary to defend America's freedoms 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This dazzling collection of photographs, the latest installment in the long-running A Day in the Life series, pays tribute to the men and women of the U.S. armed forces in their work and their play, from the jungle tents in which members of the "Joint Task Force-Full Accounting Team" sleep, to the mind-boggling hardware that the all-male Trident sub crew operates. The photographers, who include Pulitzer Prize winners and military personnel, enjoyed terrific access to facilities and troops, and their crisp shots reveal predawn war games on Icelandic lava fields; lunch prep at the army's Advanced Culinary Training Course in Ft. Lee, Va.; a field of "mothballed" planes in an Arizona desert; soldiers' search for al Qaida operatives in the eerie green light of night vision goggles; and an army recruiter's meeting at an Iowa Pizza Hut. The brainchild of EpiCom-a new book packaging outfit whose principals are Naythons, a veteran book packager; Korman, the former CEO of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; and Trident Media head Robert Gottlieb-this volume casts military personnel as hard workers, patriots and heroes. As such, it may appeal as much to military recruiters as it will to vets and everyday Americans looking for a portrait of the men and women sworn to defend the U.S. (EpiCom also enlisted Gerald Ford's former personal photographer, David Hume Kennerly [who now covers Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon as a Newsweek contributing editor], as "executive producer" of the project.) With Boeing underwriting the project, some readers may wonder about a certain military-industrial complex quid pro quo-but this is a gripping portrait of the inspiring men and women of the armed forces nevertheless. FYI: An exhibit at the Washington, D.C., Women in the Military memorial, running from May 9 to July 8, features photographs from the book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-These full-color photographs of Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard personnel offer a dramatic and poignant portrayal of men and women engaged either in safeguarding our country's interests or in training to carry out national commitments. The factual, descriptive captions are embellished occasionally by personal quotations. Stateside facilities featured include Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain headquarters of the U.S. Northern Command; San Diego's Marine Corps Recruit Depot; Key West's Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School; Arizona's "boneyard," where thousands of military aircraft are mothballed in the desert; and Missouri's Whiteman AFB, home of the B-2 stealth bomber. Overseas pictures show troops serving in rugged terrain in the Philippines, performing aerial support missions over Kosovo, engaging in jungle training in Okinawa, erecting tent cities in Qatar, and conducting undersea operations on board a Trident submarine. Readers unfamiliar with the global scope of U.S. military operations, particularly the humanitarian and peacekeeping missions, will find this rich visual depiction of roles to be educational, and students with a career interest in the field are likely to find positive reinforcement in the personal, human face this book places on those who opt for a future in the armed forces.
Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: DITLO; First edition. edition (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060541806
• ISBN-13: 978-0060541804
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 10.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,458,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible portrait of the men and women of U.S. military, May 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces (Hardcover)

Living in Washington, D.C., the events of 9.11 made it clear that the U.S. needed a strong military, but I soon realized that I had no understanding of tthe men and women in our armed forces.. Even when news starting coming out of Iraq, I wanted to know more . . .just who were they?

The cover of the May 12th issue of USNEWS alerted me to the fact that on October, 2002. 125 of "the worlds best photographers" (the magazine's words) fanned out around the world to photograph the military for the latest book in the "Day in the Life" series .

The photographs are a surprising and dazzling portrait of America's armed forces. During that 24 hour period, photographers seemed to follow the sun around the world. They shot Navy seals in Guam, women fighter pilots in Turkey, women marines at Paris Island, and ordinary military families at home cooking pancakes.

I realized these men and women in the uniforms of the five services could be my neighbors, friends, relatives or co-workers. Thank you authors for this book. I now know the perfect Father's Day present for my father-in-law, a combat vet from Viet Nam (1st Air Cav).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The American Military Family passes in review, October 8, 2003

By 

The Sanity Inspector (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces (Hardcover)

What a great theme to choose to revive the "A Day In the Life Of..." series! The predictably excellent photos (except for one field portrait where the camera's autofocus missed the subject) are a wonderful documentary of a single day in the globe-spanning mission of America's military.

Familiar images inevitably occur: Drill sergeants bawling out rattled recruits; wide-angle nose shots of fighter jets, flight deck sailors giving "launch" hand signals to carrier pilots; mud-slathered soldiers crawling through training courses, anonymity-suggesting group photos; and individual portraits showing the full range of humanity that calls America home.

There are also plenty of pleasing novelties, at least to me. A soldier in Hawaii snaps a salute while carrying a surfboard. Soldiers run station drills around a golf green, the only one on the one-hole course, in the Korean DMZ. A SEAL emerges, like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now, from the water. A seemingly prosaic picture of a cadet eating upon closer inspection reveals a meal of pancakes, cake, nachos, a pork chop, a hot dog, and other unharmonious victuals. Women and families are plentifully represented throughout.

We get representative shots of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield, a rear view of President Bush disembarking from Air Force One, a National Security Agency lab, and pictures of the troops in Afghanistan on the job. The closest thing to actual trouble that was going on on this day, that was allowed to be photographed, was a forensic investigator examining a Marine's sabotaged parachute. So, there are no pictures of military intelligence giving prisoners an interrogation, though there is a picture of Camp Gitmo.

This is a splendid album, technically and thematically, of America's best.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful gift book -- Thank you to our Armed Forces!, May 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces (Hardcover)

This book is filled with great moments and beautiful photographs, and shows a lot of the behind-the-scenes moments. It's a tribute to all the young men and women who have put their lives on the line and dedicated themselves to service to our country. I think it's a great gift for all American families to remind them of the sacrifices that the military service makes.