Customer Reviews

Unsung Valor: A GI's Story of World War II

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Review of UNSUNG VALOR by Cleveland Harrison by Dr. Paul C. Dalrymple, editor, Antarctican Society Newsletter, BUT formerly PFC, rifleman, 2nd Platoon, B Company, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Division (Cleveland's own!) Reading this book, especially the first part, through the fiasco at Orscholz, was like looking into an ancient history mirror of my own military life, reflections of which I had successfully tried to lose in my memory bank. But reading this book turned out not to be a tragedy of very bad memories, but more of "Wow, this is the way it really was!" How great to see and read a book about the war from its lowest level, that of a private carrying a rifle in the infantry, the story of an ill-fated battle where seventeen hundred were killed outright, 300 were captured - Patton's biggest single loss in World War II. More war books are written by decision makers; this one was by a war executioner. A young kid, still wet behind his ears, who had heard the singing noise of bullets flying by, the exploding burst of shells from the German 88--turned into an anti-personnel mode--crashing in trees overhead, who had felt the hot sting of shrapnel tearing into his own flesh. This was war at its ugliest. How an outfit was put together by the infiltration of young teenage college students mingling with soft and hard coal miners, some of who could not even write their own names. It seems so highly unlikely today, but that was the way it truly was in the 94th Division in World War II. Some names had to be changed, not only to protect the innocent, but also the writer! This book is written so lucidly and with so much passion for the human being that anyone interested in life is going to enjoy it.

In reading Unsung Valor, I was constantly amazed at the author's ability to portray the specifics of day to day life as a G.I. in W.W. 2. Many novels go for the bullets, the blood and guts, of warfare - sometimes to its glory - but A.C. Harrison takes the reader on the long hard run of what it took to become a soldier, to be transformed from boy to man, from innocence to awareness.

The author has the ability to take relatively quotidian events and make them specific, interesting and emotional.  I found his style fluid and easy to read, and his imagery compelling. He conveys seemlessly a very personal pov of how it felt to grow into manhood baptized by fire. 

What I found most refreshing was the theatrical experiences he had along the way.  I'd never thought that in the middle of a world war that the most basic form of entertainment; skits, singing, impersonations could have such a large impact on the fighting men. Indeed there's something very poignant
about that - the tough GI who can't help but smile because one of his theatrical brothers in arms is so funny, the songs sung that made soldiers so dearly miss home which some would never see again. Read this book!

This is great personal account of the war experiences of A. Cleveland Harrison. What makes Harrison's Unsung Valor different is that it is a memoir by a soldier who was not in a lot of battles but rather spent his war years as a cog in the military bureaucracy. But if you think this sounds like a boring book, think again.

It is a credit to Harrison's writing ability and his talent for telling a story that his book never flags in holding the reader's interest. When the last page is turned, most readers will share my thought that this was a really interesting book and that it provided a view of war seldom reported.

Unsung Valor is a first-rate literary achievement. Throughout it observes strictly the literary standards of unity and coherence. But above all, it captures in precise, vivid phrase what was experienced. I was forcibly impressed with the author's uncanny perception of the world in which he lived and moved. And it did occur to me that this is two-books-in-one: a great World War II personal story and a comprehensive (encyclopedic) record of the daily life of a World War II GI. I don't remember to have seen that experience so fully and accurately detailed. So, in this sense, Unsung Valor is a valuable reference document. A fine contribution to the growing literature on "The Last Good War."

Unsung Valor has so many favorable reviews that it needs no more. I agree with all of the good things already said about it, but I want to emphasize one point: EVERY TEENAGE AMERICAN SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. It catches for them the feeling of the time. It tells them about their grandfather's war. It shows how one young man managed to cope, and cope very well, with events beyond his control. This is a valuable lesson for any generation. With this book, Cleveland Harrison has performed a service that no general or admiral could. Read it for enjoyment. Give it to a young person for education.

As a former member of Co B,301st Regiment, 94th Infantry Division who shared many of the experiences described by Cleveland Harrison,I am impressed by the manner in which he describes the feelings and frustrations of the private soldier. The enlisted men often felt that they were the pawns of generals, manipulated for hidden motives. Only in retrospect do see their own importance. Harrison captures this as he personifies the common man.

Havingwitnessed and treated the dead and dying as a Navy Corpsman in the Pacific area war I believe I qualify to comment on Harrison's revealing memoir. He turns a one time excursion in the Army's impersonal life into a full-length drama worth your time to read.As an expert rifleman,he moved when ordered,not aware of why or where. Living in stressful conditions with an enemy trying to kill him in combat,his mantra was "Thy will be done". The reader celebrates that God had a better plan than having Harrison die in a German mine field. How he learned lessons in combat,the Army Hospital in England and his assignment to military government should be required reading for high school and college students. The book is a tribute to those who earned our freedom. A.M.Stranz,R.Ph.,LL.B. a class mate.

Unsung Valor is truly an extraordinary book. I am 44 years old and have studied World War II rather extensively in the past. However, this book has revealed this war (and all wars) to me in a way that is completely surprising and unique. I now have a different frame of reference for studying all wars, especially World War II. For someone like me who has never served in the military, this book provides an invaluable insight to truly understanding the realities of war. The common, mundane, everyday details, which are made so interesting, provide a setting which only heightens the intensity of the actual battle scenes in an unusually enriching and exciting way. This book reads so easily you literally feel as if you are going through the experiences with Dr. Harrison. Unsung Valor brings the reality of war to the reader in a unique way and succeeds where most other narrowly focused books fail. Dr. Harrison should be commended for educating a younger public on the extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary men who answered when their nation called. It is well worth the read and the time invested.

After posting a message on the 94th Infantry Division's website looking for information on the attack on Orsholz, Germany January 20-21, 1945 I was contacted by Cleveland Harrison. Mr. Harrison put me in contact with other members of the 301st Regiment of the 94th Division who were with a family friend when he was captured outside of Orsholz. Mr. Harrison mentioned his book and suggested it might provide more detail about the battle. After reading his book I was amazed at the clarity and detail of his recollections. I have corresponded several times with Mr. Harrison, and he was gracious enough to sign my copy of his book with a dedication to my friend. His story is wonderfully expressed as the memories and journey of one man in a time of fear and uncertainty. It is written in a way that will touch the average person, and make them understand, if only for a moment, what it was like to see the world through his eyes.
To all the 94th Division veterans, and to you Cleveland, thank you for your service.
Welcome Home.

Upon reading Unsung valor I discovered that Cleveland Harrison and I had been inducted into the army the same day at Little Rock, Arkansas,we went through the same sweltering day of probings,punchings,bendings,spreadings, and at last were sworn into the Army of the United States.our serial numbers were just a few numbers apart,yet I never met Professor Harrison. Upon reading Unsung valor this fall I was immediately taken back in time to 1943, and to the years following throughout WWII of which our president Franklin Roosevelt said" This is the generation which has a rendezvous with destiny"I relived that traumatic,hectic day of gathering together the eighteen year olds of our state predominately ,recent high school graduates ,to perform the miracle of making us into soldiers and sailors to free a world in chains. That group of newly inducted soldiers went to all parts of the globe.Prof. Harrison went as a rifleman;I went into the Army Air Corp as an aerial gunner with the Eighth Air force and was shot down over Germany and spent the last months of the war as a P.O.W..Our generation kept that rendezvous and fully met the responsibility placed upon our young shoulders to the satisfaction of a grateful nation and world. Professor Harrison's book tells about all this through the eyes and heart of a young Arkansas lad who as we said in those day "took up arms as a boy,became a man overnight,and a hero in a twinkling of an eye,some to come home,some to remain. Since reading Unsung Valor I have met Cleveland Harrison via E-mail and have discovered that we have much in common. it took took 63 years and one most touching,moving literary epic to do this.For Professor Harrison's time,effort,and no doubt many shed tears,I am truly thankful to him. Hand Salute <><