The Young Draftee [Paperback]

Monte Howell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2002

Of all of the stories to come out about World War II few are written about the young 18 year old inexperienced soldiers who were thrust into a brutal part of the war. None were professional soldiers, most were draftees or civilians who were allowed to play soldier for the duration of the war. This true story identifies those everyday occurrences which a "young soldier" experiences as he goes through Army basic training, being sent overseas to an infantry replacement depot in New Guinea, never quite knowing where he was or where he was going. Finally experiencing the horrors of combat in Leyte and Luzon, Philippines and wondering if his luck was going to see him through these ordeals. The war in the South Pacific was beyond being called a brutal, savage war or some other words, which can explain what these men went through. The terrain, climate and disease those men had to fight besides the enemy was unbearable. The war in the South Pacific was a war without mercy. This is a descriptive march through history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Monte Howell born and raised in Southern California happily married for the past 50 years with two grown children. The memories of WWII will always remain for Veterans of this War. The task of writing this book started when he discovered a box of approximately one hundred old yellow faded pictures he had taken and obtained during the War. So he decided to write some narrative for each picture and place them into an album for his grandchildren. He tried to recall not only what each picture was about, but also where it was taken and why he took it. It is difficult to recall events of sixty years ago. He had to admit that his memory was not only is older but is not what it used to be. Over a period of years he struggled to put these pictures in sequence and describe the story that goes with each of these events.Now retired and in his golden years it is nice to look back on an interesting period in American History. I think this story will appeal to a large audience of readers, both young and old and provides us with an insight into history like no other.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (June 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595226140
• ISBN-13: 978-0595226146
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,758,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Young Draftee, September 13, 2003

By 

Albert Breland, Jr M.D. (Los Angeles, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Young Draftee (Paperback)

The Young Draftee by Monte Howell is an unusual and fascinating book. It is written from the standpoint of an 18 year old who goes off to war after being inducted into the Army immediately following graduation from high school. Trained as a combat engineer, he was selected for this specialty on the basis of his mechanical drawing and machine shop high school courses. He served his entire combat tour with the 114th Combat Engineers attached to the 32nd Inf Div and saw action in New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon. His unit was also part of the occupation force on Kyushu after the war.

The basis for the narrative was an effort to produce an explanatory record for the hundred wartime photographs that Howell took during his tour and which he later rediscovered. In the book only forty-six are utilized with the addition of four more showing post-wartime activities. The quality of the photos (in the copy of the book I had) is generally good, but the printed captions, although readable, are too light. Errors of punctuation, spelling, and grammar are found in many places, but do not really detract from an understanding of the content.

The description of combat engagements from a private's standpoint is absolutely classic. Using a wry humor ("...the biggest change from basic training is they are shooting back at us...That sure takes the fun out of it." p. 33) and descriptions of assorted non-combat incidents, he gives an outstanding picture, which though personal seems clearly to represent the attitudes and behaviors of men who served in that era. The book also provides an enchanting picture of the information gap in the lower ranks. "They loaded all of us on LSTs and set sail for some place" (p. 60) is the description given for his unit's move from Leyte to Luzon.

Throughout the book Howell intersperses descriptions of campaigns, casualty figures, and provides absolutely fascinating details of the way some weapons were utilized such as the Japanese knee mortars, and 60 mm trigger fired mortars mounted on machine gun tripods and fired pointblank at enemy positions. His dislike of Gen. Douglas MacArthur is apparent at several points, and probably mirrors the feelings of many men who served in the South Pacific Theatre during WWII.

In the last chapter Howell gives a brief description of his post-war activities. While these are interesting, his comments about societal attitudes are probably more significant. The policy he adopted after the war of looking to the future rather than dwelling on the past, his concerns for the present day blatant criticism of our government and for the attitude of "let someone else do it" (p. 134) all strike a resonant cord.

Overall, this is a marvelously interesting and descriptive book. It provides information from a unique standpoint of a little known and inadequately discussed segment of WWII. I would recommend it highly as a picture of the war in the South Pacific from a private's viewpoint, and as a source for information on the Leyte and Luzon campaigns.

Albert E. Breland, Jr. M.D.

5.0 out of 5 stars An 18 Year Old Soldier's View of WWII as told by a now 77 Year Old Man, September 29, 2006

By 

W. H. McDonald Jr. "The American Author Assoc... (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Young Draftee (Paperback)

There are many stories about WWII written by generals and officers and all sorts of professional soldiers and writers. That is why it is always refreshing to read a book from one of those "Buck Privates" who got drafted and fought the war the hard way--without any special treatment or privileges accorded officers or those of higher rank. This book grew from what started off as just a discovery of an old box of some 100 yellowing and aging photos of his war experience. Author Monte Howell decided to label them so he could share them with his grandchildren. That small task ended up becoming a full scale effort to record his personal story from the time of the draft onward. In his humble memoir "The Young Draftee" he takes us along as he recalls his life journey.

There is just something very special about his story and the photos that accompany it. His fighting experiences in the Pacific and the eventual occupation of Japan are rich in history. These stories told from his personal experiences and view point makes it rich and interesting. Howell takes the reader along through the islands and the battles and we see the war as it must have looked for this 18 year old man--but being told through the wisdom and body of a now 77 year old man.

I found that the last part of the book was just as interesting as the war stories because it shows more of the personality of the author. We find out that he was and is a body builder and judging by the photos, we can see why he so competitive. He and his wife also dance and sail boats all competitively; and successfully! I enjoyed his book and found it educational as well being very entertaining. You can read it in one sitting (less than 150 pages) and there are many good old black and white photos of interest. Recommended reading for those seeking a more personalized look at WWII.

5.0 out of 5 stars A vividly told, gripping narrative, December 7, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Young Draftee (Paperback)

The Young Draftee is the autobiographical story of Monte Howell, an inexperienced young adult, who at age 18 was thrust into the horrors of World War II in the South Pacific. Howell faithfully and candidly relates what life on the frontline was like in the Pacific Theatre with its ruthless and deadly battles, unbearable climate, treacherous terrain, and exotic diseases, as well as the terrible blood toll which surround his life and the lives of his fellow combatants in a vividly told, gripping narrative. Howell also covers the end of the war in terms of his army discharge and what it is like looking back down the years at those earlier times. Enhanced with his own charts, maps and photographs, Monte Howell's The Young Draftee is an invaluable, eye-witness account and a welcome, much appreciated contribution to the growing library of World War II memoirs and autobiographies from a generation swiftly passing from amongst us.