Customer Reviews

Love Company: L Company, 399th Infantry Regiment, of the 100th Infantry Division during World War II and Beyond

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Love Company by John M. Khoury

John Khoury's "Love Company" brings a face of humanity to the tragic business of war. Though it is written from the perspective of maturity, Khoury's descriptive prose captures the innocence of youth in the face of a corrupt world. His is a timeless account for all wars and all soldiers. There is eloquence and poignancy from his opening line, "I was an ordinary infantry soldier who served my country in World War II..." to the conclusion of the war when Khoury writes, "I felt no pleasure in victory."

Khoury also brings insight and wit with the ironies of war. From the name of the battalion, Love Company, an obvious antithesis of war. To the final page where he mentions T5 Frank Johnson, a soldier who never saw combat directly, but was credited incorrectly on the cover of Time Magazine to having fought in the Battle of the Bulge!

This book is not just for WW II veterans and their children and grandchildren. "Love Company" takes its place among well-written memoirs of the WWII era, and is recommended reading for students, historians and journalists as well. Clearly written and well-documented, "Love Company" is a welcomed bookshelf addition. I look forward to seeing the film.
Review: Joan Bellofatto, January 2004

I was in the heavy weapons company M of the 3rd Battalion, 399th Reg. My machine gun section often went with the rifle companies - John Khoury's Love Company, as well as with Item and King companies on their most difficult actions, both attack and defensive.
John tellls his story very well, and his use of the morning reports gives an accurate feel for the large number of casualties that our battalion experienced during out 6 months of combat from Baccarat France to Stuttgart, Germany.
For my story, see "An Improbable machine Gunner."
Great job, John !! - Frank Hancock

My Grandmother was married prior to the man who became my grandfather. Unfortunately I did not know about this first marriage until a month or two before her death in 1999. I was recently curious and typed his name into Google to see if anything came up. This book came up. I love reading about WWII and what the "Greatest Generation"" did to protect our freedoms. My Grandmother was married to SSGT Nicholas Franzini who was killed on April 18, 1945. In the book Mr. Khoury mentions him and a premonition of his death. He also mentions my grandmother. It is nice to know that the memory of his service lives on in the book. If anyone reads this and has more information for me on Nick Franzini please let me know. I have about 75 letters from him to my grandmother in order from October till a week before his death. The book gives a good time line to follow along with the letters.

I'm a bit particle to this author because my father served in Company L with John. After attending many of the reunions with the men from company L and the rest of the 100th division this book recounts many of the incidents that I have been privildged to hear from the author and his buddies of company L. John does a great job not only reliving his experincess, but also some of the experiences of others in his company.

Well written narrative of one person's perspective of the activities of his company in WWII. It is not meant as a history of the company. It is the author's recollections coupled with some of his comrade's rememberences. He did use daily reports and a narrative that chronicaled the 100th division's activities as source material. Overall, if you know someone who was a combat infantry soldier in the European theatre of WWII, it is worth a read.

John Khoury illustrates the truth of war in his autobiographical account of WWII. Instead of glorifying heroes, Khoury shows the reality of war. He believes that all war is a waste of time, money and most importantly, lives. For a realistic and true approach to WWII, pick up a copy of "Love Company."

I really enjoyed reading the book. It a gave a lot of insight into the persona effects of World War II on an ordinary teenager. He didn't see himself as a hero or savior of anything. He was just a man, a young man, doing what he had to. It is hard to believe and important to remember that this young man was only 19 years old, still a teenager, when the call of duty came knocking at the door. The book is a great experience and a worthwhile purchase. I would suggest this book to anyone.