Customer Reviews

Shane Comes Home

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

 

 

Having known Shane personally I am amazed and greatful of the rare talent the author, Rinker Buck possess.

He has managed to capture the man that Shane was without actually ever knowing him personally and be able to tell the story of a brilliant, intelligent dedicated Marine.

I am certain that those who read this book will come to appreciate the man, the marine, the hero that Shane was.

If anyone deserved to be remembered and honored this way, it was definetly Shane!

Living in San Clemente, CA, I remember the local reports of Shane's death. He lived in SC when he deployed to Iraq. When I learned he was a Citadel grad (I'm from VMI) during one of Rinker's radio interviews, I had to buy this book and did by the end of that day. That said, I was very leery of how a New England columnist would present a topic as dividing as the Iraq War has been.

I was not disappointed. Rinker left the divisive politics aside and focused on the man, family and Corps behind the hero. He provided and incredible story of a true American hero. No doubt, Shane is a hero.

This work certainly could have been be written about many more of the countless heroes in this day. Rinker provides a first hand insight how the families of our heroes deal with their greatest loss. This is a must read.

A Most Amazing Young Man

Shane Comes Home is a book about a most amazing young man, Marine Lt. Therrel Shane Childers by Rinker Buck. I purchased the book because his family comes from Cabell County, West Virginia, the place I live and worked as a deputy sheriff. I do not know the family but I patrolled the area they came from, Salt Rock, WV. I knew the roads well, Smith Creek, Madison Creek, the "Dog Fork" of Madison Creek, Hickory Ridge, and WV State Rt. 10. I thought I would read a little about the area I knew so well and maybe the mention of some of the people I know, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Rinker Buck does an excellent job of telling the story of the first American to loose his life in combat in the Iraq War. The story of this amazing Marine is so well told I couldn't put the book down. There is little about the war, it is about the unpleasant job of notifying the parents of a fallen hero. It is about a young boy growing into a man who was loved by everyone he met. I am only sorry I never had the pleasure of meeting Shane, but after reading the book I feel like I have known him all his short life. Anyone who is fortunate enough to read this book is in for a real treat.

Fred E. Moskey, Retired Cabell County Deputy Sheriff.

moskey25@comcast.net

I read this book a few years ago, and it literally moved me to tears. This was a strong portrait of an extraordinary soldier who was the first combat death in the Iraq invasion and the impact his life and death had on those who loved him. What I walked away with was the profound sense of how each and every death that we suffered in the Iraq War was a tragedy that left a gaping hole in our society. It was beautifully written, and I found myself asking, repeatedly, "Why did he have to die?"

If you ever wonder what a "soldier" is, read this book. If you need to be reminded about the price of war, read it. It's unforgettable.

I didn't think I wanted to read this book at first, but am glad I purchased it and read it. Another reviewer said that it was about the man, the military and his family and this is very true.The book goes into all of Shane Childers life from childhood to his final moments interspersed with the details and goings-on of the preparation for the funeral. That was the letdown in the book for me. After all the talk about the ceremony, etc., the funeral services itself was only described in like 2 paragraphs. I thought for sure every detail of the funeral service and committal would have been mentioned. But it seems as if every biography I read goes right up to the death of the individual and then one paragraph or so about the funeral. Writers don't seem to think the readers care about hearing about the ceremonies and burials, but I for one do. This was a real personal account of one man's life and I was glad to get this close to an actual situation. It does bother me SO much though that the author NEVER capitalizes Marine, Marine Corps, etc. I don't know proper grammar perhaps but I think that a Marine is a title and the Marine Corps is an organization and should be capitalized, even if in proper grammar it shouldn't. Make sense?? A soldier is a soldier, a sailor is a sailor---but a Marine is a MARINE. Very good reading!!

Shane Comes Home captures the eccense of a life well lived. It is a an accurate account of growing up in a country where not everybody is supportive of our war effort, yet avoids any partisan bias towards the war. It is extremely well-written with a touch of humor and irony, and an easy read. Though throughout the book the author makes a few references about Shane leaning a little to the Right, that is not unexpected from an educated military man. If there is ever a soldier, or a person for that matter, I would like to emulate it would be Shane Childers. He is an almost super-hero character, constantly on the move saving people from harm, all the while trying to find out who he really is. This book is for anybody who enjoys a good story, not just for soldiers or military folks. I highly enjoyed it and recommend it for its pro-American stance, regardless of your politics.

Two issues made this book almost unreadable to this active duty Marine of 14 years. When I spotted these two items (both on the front teaser flap!), instinct was to cast it aside as material that obviously was either ill-researched or uncaringly compiled and therefore inaccurate. First, the author rarely capitalizes the word 'Marine.' The Associated Press Styleguide is the 'Bible' for all book, newspaper, magazine, or other printed material publishers. The AP Styleguide dictates the capitalization of the word "Marine" in all uses referring to the Armed Service, regardless if 'U.S.' is in front of it. 'Marine' is a proper noun. Terms such as soldier, sailor, airman, etc. are not capitalized per the AP Styleguide as they are not proper nouns. Secondly, it is very surprising to me that the author chooses to refer to 2nd Lt. Shane Childers as a soldier. Any Marine, or anyone who has been around Marines can tell you that they are most assuredly not soldiers. They are Marines, and should be referred to as such. The author seems to have much respect for Childers in describing his professionalism and dedication, yet uses the word 'soldier' to describe him, which literally one of the most (no offense to our outstanding Army brethren) unprofessional and disrespectful descriptions of a Marine that could be given him in a memorial such as this. Any research at all would reveal this. My deepest condolences to the Marines who knew Childers and read this book. I urge readers to fight through these two errors-in-fact and examine the heart of the book for what it is, a memorial to an amazing man.