Sword of Valor: Black Sabre #5 [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Tom Willard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2003

Tom Willard's critically acclaimed Black Sabre Chronicles trace the 130-year history of the Sharps military family from the time of the Western Indian Wars through the two World Wars, Vietnam, and, in this fifth and final novel, the Gulf War of 1990-1991.

Lieutenant Argonne Sharps is a West Pointer and the only black woman to pilot a Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter in the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" division. She is assigned to the Persian Gulf in preparation for the 101st's deployment to Saudi Arabia in Operation Desert Shield, and in its behind-the-lines assault into Iraq in Operation Desert Storm.

Her valor in "extracting" Special Forces officer Jerome Moody from Kuwait City earns Argonne a Bronze Star citation and Moody's undying gratitude-and love.
Argonne's experiences in the Gulf War impact her family at the Black Sabre Ranch in Arizona-a military family anguishing over seeing their beloved daughter become the first woman, and fifth generation of Sharpses to go to war.

Tom Willard's intimate knowledge of combat-earned in Vietnam-gives Sword of Valor a special ring of authenticity as the brief, high-tech war unfolds, and the Sharps family history of warfare unfolds with it.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This solid conclusion to the Black Sabre Chronicles (Buffalo Soldiers; The Stone Ponies; etc.) features the same workmanlike prose, brisk pacing and knowledge of African-American military history as its predecessors. Five generations of the Sharps family have fought in the U.S. Armed Forces. In this installment, Lt. Argonne Sharps-the family's first female member of the military, a West Pointer and helicopter pilot with the Screaming Eagles-steps to the fore. She does her duty in the first Gulf War amid plenty of action and falls in love with an African-American Special Forces major. But the past casts a long shadow, in the form of flashbacks that provide a recapitulation of the earlier books and also trace the sorry history of racism in America and the U.S. Army. Life in the present is not all roses, either. Retired Gen. Samuel Sharps, the Tuskegee Airman who is now the family patriarch, must bury his son Franklin, killed in a plane crash, while enduring the ancient burden of waiting for a Sharps on the firing line to return home. The Black Sabre Chronicles conclude as they began, a history lesson cast in the form of well-told tales in the classic family-saga style.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Prais for The Black Sabre Chronicles

"Willard's storytelling is unstoppable."
- The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)

"Because the author is himself a veteran of the Vietnam War, the graphic battle scenes feature a gritty, realistic edge." -Booklist on The Stone Ponies

"An engrossing generational saga about blacks in the military...Wonderfully exciting air battles." -Kirkus Reviews on Wings of Honor

"A fine addition to the author's generation-spanning saga, which, without undue fanfare, offers object lessons in such virtues as fidelity, honor, and tradition as well as a full measure of pulse-pounding action."- Kirkus Reviews on The Sable Doughboys

"An important publication. . . A solidly written, no-wasted-words story that will excite anybody wanting to know more about this important chapter of American history."
-Washington Times on Buffalo Soldiers

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• ISBN-10: 0312873859
• ASIN: B000IOF1RK
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,155,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Is Mr Willard for real?, February 24, 2004

By 

"waanakiksin" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword of Valor: Black Sabre #5 (Hardcover)

Mr. Tom Willard, in book #5 of his Black Sabre Chronicles: Sword of Valor has done a great injustice to 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, the 101st Aviation Brigade, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and Ft. Campbell and their involvement in Operations Desert Shield and Storm. While, on one hand, he touts the book "as a teaching tool... to provide insight into the African-American experience in... [American] military service" what is in the other hand paints a very different picture. His characterization of a female African-American pilot (LT Sharps) as one who is controlled by her hormones for a Special Forces officer and one who continually makes decisions not in keeping with flight regulations and what is best for her soldiers and the Army. His portrayal of the Sharps family as one that can never do wrong, one that has no black sheep or deviants in 130 years, rings of "positive racism" for lack of a better term. Mr. Willard's lack of knowledge of Ft. Campbell, Clarksville Base, Fiddler's Green, Sabre Army Heliport, and the surrounding communities indicate that he has not been to any of them. His lack of knowledge about military equipment, Army procedures and Cavalry traditions indicate that he has not done the necessary research, even though most could be obtained on the Internet. He referred to an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior as an OH-54D. He has the Kiowa Warrior in the book when the 2-17th Cavalry did not get them until 1996. He never mentions what Troop LT Sharps is in or if she has a Stetson Cavalry hat and spurs or not. He has LT Sharps allow a sick pilot to attempt a flight. He has LT Sharps fly a reconnaissance mission in her Kiowa by herself because the sick pilot couldn't make the flight. He has LT Sharps fly that Kiowa in a flight of one aircraft. All of the three preceding points are against flight regulations. The first is a demonstration that LT Sharps does not take care of her soldiers. The second is physically impossible because one person cannot fly the helicopter and operate the reconnaissance equipment at the same time. He has LT Sharps allow a reporter impersonating an officer to continue his deception. He does not explore the professional working relationships LT Sharps would have with her Troop Commander, Troop First Sergeant, fellow pilots and crew chiefs. He had a recommendation for an award for LT Sharps be submitted to LTC Cody who was the commander of an Apache Battalion, not the Squadron Commander of 2-17th Cavalry. He implies that the Kiowas and Apaches are part of the same battalion named the 101st Aviation Battalion. In reality, the Apaches are 3 battalions and the Kiowas are 1 (battalion-sized) squadron that are part of the 101st Aviation Brigade. He has the Commander of a National Guard water unit personally deliver a three-day pass to a specialist, thereby bypassing this soldier's Platoon Leader, Platoon Sergeant, and Squad Leader. He has C-17 cargo planes in the book when they did not enter full active service until 1995. There are more errors than what I have listed. In the light of these errors and the character flaws of LT Sharps, I am not sure what positive lessons this "teaching tool" is intending to impart, if any. I will not be recommending this book to my fellow soldiers.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, October 19, 2004

By 

D. Becker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sword of Valor: Black Sabre #5 (Hardcover)

I personally know the author of this book and i was told by a friend to read this book. Wow what a great book i couldn't keep my eyes out of this book. It is action packed and has a little bit of a love story. And it has a whole lot of family history in it. I recommend this book many times over and i also would recommend the 4 other books in "The Black Sabre Chronicals."

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Close to an EXCEPTIONAL Series, January 17, 2004

By 

"moodyr20" (APO, AP KOREA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword of Valor: Black Sabre #5 (Hardcover)

Tom - What can I say. You caught our eye with BUFFALO SOLDIERS, and end this great series with an outstanding book. HONOR and HERITAGE are two words that come to mind when I read this book. Not only does Argonne fall in love with me, he tells the Sharps' family history. The Sharps have left a LEGACY for generations. My twins - Robert and Rashad will begin to read BUFFALO SOLDIERS soon, as part of "Dad's Mandatory Reading List". Tom Willard has told a story over a 100 years that no one else could have. You are a great friend and a great American. Thanks for everything. HOOAH!!!!