Customer Reviews

Recon Scout

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book captured me merely by the title, my Grandfather was a Recon Scout (the 85th Cav. Rec. Sqd.) as well, but he didn't tell me as many stories of his time as Mr. Salter has done in this true autobiographical classic. This book begins with a wide eyed, ambitious and energetic young boy who follows his desires to be a cavalry hero and joins up with the Army. He passes on the air corp. voluntarily and ends up with the horse cav. He even trains to do mounted (on horseback) charges, something that seems hard to imagine today. He ends up in the 91st Cavalry Recon Sqd (Mechanized) and ends up in Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He promotes up to Corporal and turns down other promotions during the course of the war. He finishes the war as hardened and experienced as any soldier.
This book captures the war from a first person view, Mr. Saltier engaged in everything from hand to hand combat, close quarters gun battles, running supplies under fire, rescuing wounded friends, and solo night patrols. As much as he excelled at these things and was truly a hero, these events left their scars on this young man.
Mr. Saltier spars no one his criticism, not the lieutenant who shirked a night patrol, not himself. He lost a multitude of friends, killed the enemy in close quarters, endured artillery barrages, darned and sewed his own equipment, watched civilians bury their dead children, stood guard in a [house of ill repute], met Churchill. He fought and suffered a myriad of wounds (physical and psychological) for his country. This book is as close as I hope I ever get to combat. In war, every soldier loses something, Mr. Saltier has eloquently shared all of those losses so that the rest of us may gain from it.

I'm proud to review this work, as I met Fred Salter shortly after he first self published this work in 1994 and am proud that he calls me "friend". For seven years I've personally believed in this book, and here with the rerelease of it by a major publishing company reinforces the exceptional nature of this book.

Not only did this book first give me a detalied and intimate look at the 91st Cavalry Recon Squadron, a unit I had tried to research for 5 years prior to its first debut, but it is the classic story of the common soldier. Fred's exploits, and those of his comrades, are the stories of which legends are made...and its all true. As courageous as Fred and his other scouts were, we are constantly reminded that they were human beings in a harsh and unnatural situation called war. These men were not "John Waynes" as we've been led to believe of the WWII veteran, but they saw and did things that still 60 years later that haunt them. Various post war syndroms that are commonly associated with Vietnam veterans were common to the soldiers of WWII as well.

Fred's book is very easy reading and to understand. Its captivating and gives a very intimate picture of a soldier and how he felt about those expereinces. This book should be a must read to every US military officer, in order to have them understand that they are not supermen and that warfare very much is a case of "...but for the grace of God go I..." (note the TRUE story of the Lieutenant outside Cassino, an episode that still upsets my friend, not with anger but guilt for his very understandable nature and actions).

This book is a must read for all Worlr War Two historians. Especially if you enjoy the Italian campaign, Mechanized Cavalry, or just an exceptional soldier's story.

Again, I am proud to know Fred and many of the 91st Cavalry personally, including many peoples mentioned "Recon Scout".

I'll end this review with an explination of how personal this book is. Many veterans ask Fred how he can talk about much of what he does...Fred notes that he can't, he can only write about them.

Recon Scout was a real eye opener for me on what WWII was really like. I had previously read Fred Salter's Maverick Tumbleweed and thought that he was a very interesting man. As soon as I finished Tumbleweed, I borrow purchasd Recon Scout. Fred provides a great insight into what he and others went through during their years in the trenches. When I finished the book, I passed it along to another friend. It has been very popular with my friends and I, men and women alike.

Have you ever wondered what thoughts went through the mind of a young soldier as he looked into the eyes of his enemy and squeezedthe trigger of his rifle? To better understand the effects of war on a soldier, you should read this book. Salter brought to attention many untold incidents and unanswered questions about World War Two.
Fred Salter tells a compelling story, full of laughter and tears. He puts the reader inside the skin of a soldier who is both heroic and flawed. Not only did this book give a detailed and intimate account of the 91st Cavalry Recon Squadron, but it is also a classic story of the common soldier.
The exploits of Salter and his comrades are stories of which legends are made. As courageous as tgesse sciyts were, we are constantly reminded that they are human beings in the harsh and unnatural environment of war. They saw an ddid things that still haunt them today.
Salter tells stories of daring nightly solo missions, the battle fields of Sicily, and a bloody nightmare of Monte Cassino, the lonngest battle the Americans fought during the war. He shares tragic and glorious experiences that will haunt him forever, refusing to shy away from the horrors and fears fo combat.
This is a valuable book for all libraries to have because of the popularity of the topic, and the personal view of the war as it was experienced by the author. It is a very well structured book that includes interesting photographs and maps of the theater of operationgs that Salter was involved in. It is easy to read and to understand. It gives a captivation personal picture of a recon soldier and how hefelt about hi war experiences.

This book is a perfect compliment to the immediacy of the coverage of the current hosilities in Iraq.
As long as the world is peopled by madmen, wars will occur and lives will be torn asunder. War is the ultimate grist mill. As bodies are crippled and destroyed so, too, are hopes and dreams. The phoenix may arise from the ashes, but it is crippled; its joy forever tempered, its smile never full. Therefore, the sacrifice made by those touched by war must never be minimized. To paraphrase another hero, "All of their tomorrows were relinquished for your today."
People who never experience the cruelty of this inhuman business often have their impressions molded by fiction, whether it be in print or on film. The immediate and uncensored images from Iraq show us the random, irrefutable violence of war. Mr. Salter's work provides for us the same "pictures", yet with the human touch often lost in newsreels. In his own style, he lays out a brutally honest recounting of his wartime experiences. You are given a frightening recounting of not only what happens when a trigger is pulled or a bayonet is thrusted, but you also find out what happens to the person holding that weapon. The reader follows Mr. Salter's descent into madness and is forced to accept that victory sometimes comes without fanfare, but always at a terrible price.
I am giving a rating of 4 stars because, by the end of his tale, I found myself more interested in how he survived the post-war years. I've learned that Mr. Salter has written a record of this survival entitled "The Maverick Tumbleweed", but repeated attempts to secure this book have proved futile.
Regardless, I've taken the initiative and placed Mr. Salter in the World War II Memorial registry in Washington, DC. It was the least I could do for this remarkable survivor.

After reading Forever on the Edge, I had to read Recon Scout to understand what the author went through during his war days. This book, with incredible detail and history, truly showed what a soldier experienced and how he survived. Especially interesting and harrowing were his nightly patrols into enemy territory. The author truly lets the reader in his mind as he battles to stay alive and keep moving forward. A must read for anyone interested in war and history. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks -- here's your next movie!

July 18, 1997

Last summer I had the occasion of meeting an interesting man nicknamed "The Maverick Tumbleweed". I met him on his 40 acre farm near Kalispell, Montana where he resides during the summer months. I quickly realized that he was a humble man with many life experiences after having served in World War II as a recon scout. Subsequent to the war, and as a result of wartime stress, "The Maverick Tumbleweed" sought peace and happiness in the Flathead Valley of Montana near the Swan Range of the Rocky Mountains.

"The Maverick Tumbleweed" is Fred H. Salter, author of a book entitled Recon Scout: A True Adventure World War II . This is a valuable book for libraries to obtain because of the popularity of the topic and the personal view of the war as experienced by the author. Salter writes about his wartime buddies, joining the horse cavalry when it was destined to become an entity of the past, and a humorous account of how he personally met Prime Minister Winston Churchill in North Africa.

Recon Scout is a well structured account of Fred's experiences that includes interesting photographs and maps of the theater of operations that he was involved. He has also included his own poem entitled "A Day In Battle" "Thoughts in A Foxhole" and the 91st Recon marching song that is sung to the tune of Those Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine. This book is useful for war buffs, students studying the war, and those interested in a personal account of the war experience as a recon scout-- one of the most dangerous jobs one can have in the army. Undoubtedly, World War II veterans will appreciate the true value of this book.

Presently Fred is working on his second book characteristically titled The Maverick Tumbleweed. This is not a book on his war experiences, rather, it is his personal story of his life around the country searching for peace. I anxiously await its publication.

While I met Fred Salter only briefly, I spent the first thirty two years of my life listening to my uncle, Frank Matowitz , recount the stories of his experience in Troop B of the 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. Frank joined the unit at Fort A.P. Hill, and served in all six of the 91st's WW II campaigns. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized how carefully Frank edited the stories he chose to relate to me. I found Fred Salter's book, which wasn't published until several years after Frank died , to be very informative , and highly valuable to me because of the additional details it provides. I think it is one of the best ground combat narratives I have read, and it provides a bright shining light on the accomplishments and sacrifices of some of the least known and most remarkable American soldiers who fought in World War Two.

Mr. Salter is not an historian. If you need to learn the military history then start elsewhere first. It helps to know the history, but it does not diminish the enjoyment and value of this book if you do not. And he does give the serious historian good information not to be found elsewhere. So if you are one, or just a buff, then you really ought to read this book.

Mr. Salter is not a polished stylist, but that is trivial because, having served as a scout, he has wonderful abilities to paint you the lay of the land as well as to move you through the events. It is nice for a man of great character to use his limited writing skills without resorting to the "as told to" route used by the famous and the lazy or those embarrassed to write as best they can and have, perhaps, a helpful editor. His voice is clear and endearing. If he goes into the weeds every so often to editorialize or to ponder, that is okay because he reveals himself as well as he hid himself on night patrol. He has no axe to grind or cause to lie for. He tells you about men who refuse direct orders to fight again, and he tells you what he thinks and why.

It is hard to imagine now somebody fixing his position by stars. But you can see he also guides himself by tested principles that created an inner compass. Hard to put down. Oh, darling dear, one more chapter and I will close the light.

One negative, but I cannot remove a star - the book deserves a better printing, The binding came apart in my hands.

Salter is one of the best role models I have ever read about and is an actual real live person who wasn't paid millions to do what he did. If you look around and visit your local VFW or Vet hospital you will find that most of the men there are of equal caliber. If this book doesn't make you want to volunteer to help out with old Vets than nothing will. I have never wanted to meet someone and shake their hand and thank them for not only doing what he did for us but for being such a great role model to military and non-military personnel alike.

I usually only read books about snipers but this book is riveting and belongs in every military history collection. I could not put it down. Fred Salter does an excellent job expressing all the emotions he (and many others) felt during his time in battle. He isn't afraid to talk about being scared or about not wanting to make decisions that could end up getting people killed. He gives credit where credit is due and never boasts about his own actions. Quite the contrary, he points out the things that he is ashamed of doing and expresses remorse even when he was totally justified in his actions. He takes responsibility for his actions and how they affect other people. He wishes for forgiveness even when he did what any one of us would have done in his situation; he is the type of person that more of us should strive to be like even if we are non-combatants. He is a real human and doesn't lose sight of the fact that most of the guys fighting on both sides of the line are too.

If they ever come up with a medal to give to guys who deserved them the most but don't want them and don't want to glorify their part in protecting our country and our way of life it should be called the Fred Salter award. His was not a single act of courage but was a lifetime worth of courage, education and emotion that makes me proud to be an American. If this book doesn't leave you reconsidering how you act on a daily basis and what true honour and integrity really is than you need to read it again. I would especially recommend this book for anyone who is not a military buff and might only read one or two military books in their lifetime. It will give them an appreciation for what both sides of a war feel like and how real the effects of war can be and exactly how courageous people can be when put to the test.