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Sergeant Nibley, Ph.D.: Memories of an Unlikely Screaming Eagle

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This book is written from a very interesting perspective. Hugh Nibley was 32 years old and had a Ph.D. when he enlisted in the army. He went into intelligence, and presumed that he would get assigned some nice safe assignment writing reports or something like that.

But those of who have been in the Army know that the Army Gods don't work that way. He was assigned to work with the 101st Airborne, and was scheduled to go into Normandy on D-Day by glider. (Unlike the paratroopers, the glider infantry was not composed of volunteers and did not receive the extra pay.) At the last minute a General bumped him off the glider so that he went in with the 4th division over Utah Beach. (The General, sitting in Nibley's assigned seat was killed, and all the men in the glider were captured.)

Being both older and better educated Sgt. Nibley was able to see and understand a lot more about what was happening than reports from the commanders or the normal soldiers. For instance, the stories about the 101st are legend (Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, etc.) but Sgt. Nibley points out that many of the volunteers were some fairly tough soldiers that had been given the choice of volunteering or going to prison.

There's a lot of comments of a similar nature throughout the book. Sgt. Nibley was a keen observer. This book belongs on any World War II library.

This book contains the wartime memoirs of Hugh Nibley, former professor
of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, as he participated in
combat operations throughout Europe during WWII. Professor Nibley
passed away in February 2005. The book was compiled by his son Alex
Nibley from interviews and letters collected over the years. What
makes this book so interesting is that although Hugh Nibley already had
his Ph.D before the war started, and had been a member of ROTC, he
elected to enlist in the Army as a buck private, rather than become an
officer. The juxtaposition of his highly educated and intellectual
perspective against the drudgery and horror of a common foot soldier
makes for a fascinating read.

Brother Nibley wasn't in the Army very long before his education and
extensive language proficiencies were discovered. The Army promptly
pulled him out of his job as a weather forecaster and sent
him up to work in military intelligence. Once given access to
classified intelligence data, the full power of his intellect became
unleashed, to the potential benefit of the Allies. Unfortunately,
things didn't always work out that way. Although he accurately
predicted when and where many German surprise attacks would occur, and
even the date when the war would end, he couldn't get many of the top
military brass to believe him simply because he was just a lowly
enlisted man. The book documents Brother Nibley's frustrations as he
watched helplessly as numerous Allied troops were killed needlessly
from attacks that could have been avoided.

The book includes a number of spiritual elements as well. It documents
how LDS Church Apostle Melvin J. Ballard set Brother Nibley apart for a
proselyting mission to Germany in the late 1920s, and commanded him to
tell the people to repent or they would be destroyed by fire from
heaven. It was to Brother Nibley's great sorrow that he observed many
of the German cities to which he had earlier cried repentance destroyed
by Allied fire-bombing during WWII.

If you like books on WWII, and anything Nibley, I highly recommend
this one for your collection.

Hugh Nibley was gifted and had a great curiosity. His WWII experiences would enlighten him as to the 'conspiring men' who seek riches from the troubles of others. He describes the sillyness of the War that was fought in places where the Romans fought and Napoleon fought. He describes terrible waste and destruction that war brings. A great adventure in which he was preserved, while others around him were lost. He describes the choices made my those in command to further their own carreeers while engaged in war. And the efforts to keep the war going.

This book was fantastic. This details Professor Nibley's experience during WWII. Some of it is detailed in his biography, but there is plenty of new information. It follows Nibley's almost comedic look at WWII. Although he took the war serious, he notes how he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Other times it is just the opposite. He is somewhat critical of the Army's predictable character, but with true Nibley fashion it is unoffensive. Highly recommend it.

I have been keenly interested in World War II for some time, and have been a fan of Hugh Nibley's scholarship and cultural criticism ever since I enrolled in one of his honors classes at BYU in 1989. I suppose that I am by no means alone in discovering for the first time, through this book, that Nibley, one of the most brilliant and educated historians to have ever lived, was right smack in the middle of some of the most momentous events to have ever taken place on this planet. The reason few people outside the LDS Church or anti-Mormon circles know anything about this astoundingly informed historical scholar is because he always shunned personal accolades or self promotion, which is precisely why, despite his age, his PhD and his ROTC training, he decided to avoid being made an officer. His marvelous intellect and his position as an intelligence NCO, combined with the experiences of an enlisted soldier as well as a missionary in Germany after the first world war, provides a totally unique perspective on the allied campaign against the Nazis. He clearly understands the evil of Hitler's regime and the need to confront it, but at the same time makes quite plain the absurdity of war, the failures to learn from history, and the frequent mindlessness of the military. He is never bitter, sarcastic or condescending (okay, some of his letters written at the start of the war were a little condescending, which he readily acknowledges in his recollections, having the advantage of age and experience). But as always he has a sharp wit and a fair amount of self deprecation that is a pleasure to read. I was so impressed by the obvious bravery and selflessness of this amazing man as his war experiences were retold by his son through old letters, diary entries, and recollections of his fellow soldiers, and equally impressed by how Professor Nibley consistently downplays his involvement, without any phony humility. The other thing that makes this such a hard book to put down is the way in which it is compiled and presented on the page. Hugh Nibley's son compiled the book from interviews he did with his father in his last years, as well as letters and diary entries from the war, recollections from soldiers that knew Nibley well, and writings by respected historians and prominent figures from the war (ie, Hitler, Speer, Churchill, Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, etc). All these different sources are mixed together and arranged chronologically to tell the tale of the war from multiple perspectives. These are presented in different fonts, often placed in separate boxes, so as to distinguish them from one another and also keep the reader's attention. There are also numerous black and white photos throughout, always serving to illustrate the subject being discussed on that page. I am generally not a voracious reader, but I had a hard time putting this book down. With few exceptions, Nibley praises the men he associated with in the Army, from his fellow intelligence officers (also very educated and bright), to the rough and ready airborne troops. Get this book if you would like to read a very engaging account of the Americans' northern European war effort, told from a very unique perspective, by a quite humble, witty, brilliant man. How does a dutiful, principled intellectual without any desire for self aggrandizement react to the worst calamities mankind can invent? That is what you will learn when you read this book.

Hugh Nibley is a famous LDS scholar known for his great erudition and his defense of the Mormon Church. He was fluent in at least 10 languages including many ancient languages, and used these skills to develop much of the foundation for modern LDS apologetics. He was a very colorful, interesting person and was also known for his criticisms of LDS culture. This book covers a period of his life of which little is known. He didn't publicly discuss his war years much, but in the last few years of his life, his son was able to glean some information from him and published this book.

The book starts when Nibley was an LDS missionary in Germany in 1927, and describes an incident when he crossed paths with Hitler. It then goes into Nibley's college years where he earned a PhD from UC Berkeley, and then a job teaching. When the war started, he enlisted as a private in the army at the age of 32. He went through various assignments and ended up in intelligence due to his language skills and became a sergeant. What follows is a fascinating story of his experiences in the army that included a landing at Utah Beach on D-Day, participation in the Battle of the Bulge, and the final occupation of Germany. He was involved with many of the key events and characters of the war.

The format of the book was interesting. It consisted of summaries by the author, quotes by Nibley, copies of letters from family and friends, many sidebars explaining certain events, and helpful footnotes. It's unique for a history of this type, but seemed to work well. I highly recommend this book for people wanting to learn more about Hugh Nibley; but the stories are great for anyone interested in WWII, especially the 101st airborne division to which he was attached.

I really look forward to reading this excellent book, but haven't had time to start it just yet. It concerns the WW II experiences of a scholar whom I admire.

This book was given to a friend as a gift. His wife is reading it to him since he is in poor health. They both are enthusiastic about its contents and style. Thank you.