Synopses & Reviews
There is the mythology of the Green Berets, of their clandestine, special operations as celebrated in story and song. And then there is the reality of one soldiers experience, the day-to-day loss and drudgery of a Green Beret such as H. Lee Barnes, whose story conveys the daily grind and quiet desperation behind polished-for-public-consumption accounts of military heroics. In
When We Walked Above the Clouds, Barnes tells what it was like to be a Green Beret, first in the Dominican Republic during the civil war of 1965, and then at A-107, Tra Bong, Vietnam. There, he eventually came to serve as the advisor to a Combat Recon Platoon, which consisted chiefly of Montagnard irregulars. Though “nothing extraordinary,” as Barnes saw it, his months of simply doing what the mission demanded make for sobering reading: the mundane business of killing rats, cleaning guns, and building bunkers renders the intensity of patrols and attacks all the more harrowing.
More than anything, Barness story is one of loss—of morale lost to alcoholism, teammates lost to friendly fire, missions aborted, and missions endlessly and futilely repeated. As the story advances, so does the attrition—teammates transferred, innocence cast off, confidence in leadership whittled away. And yet, against this dark background, Barnes still manages to honor the quiet professionals whose service, overshadowed by the outsized story of Vietnam, nonetheless carried the day.
Review
and#8220;A raw, heartfelt account of how a man of valor lost his bearings and eventually found the courage to share his story.and#8221;and#8212;Bing West
Review
and#8220;Searing. . . . In its depiction of combat, Shadow of the Sword ranks with Marcus Luttrelland#8217;s Lone Survivor.and#8221;and#8212;Wall Street Journal
Review
and#8220;This superior addition to the literature on the Iraq War is an exceptionally vivid account of combat and its aftermath. . . . Workmanand#8217;s testimony gives hope that those suffering the nightmare of PTSD can free themselves sufficiently to avoid becoming additional casualties of the current war.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
Review
and#8220;An important book about a debilitating injury that thousands of warriors struggle with each day. It is only fair that Americans understand the true costs of war. Be informed. Be inspired. Read this book.and#8221;and#8212;Wesley R. Gray, U.S. Naval Instituteand#8217;s Proceedings magazine
Review
and#8220;A brutally honest account of Workmanand#8217;s daily struggleand#8230;, which, as the author reveals, has destroyed or crippled the lives of hundreds of thousands of combat veterans of America's wars.and#8221;and#8212;James C. Roberts, Washington Times
Review
and#8220;In writing this moving and incredibly honest book, Jeremiah Workman shows as much courage as he did in Fallujah. His story gives hope to everyone who struggles that they, too, can overcome if they just keep fightingand#8212;one day at a time, one battle at a time, one victory at a time.and#8221;and#8212;Donovan Campbell, author of the New York Times bestseller Joker One
Review
"[A] classic."—Philip Caputo, Washington Post
Review
“When We Walked Above the Clouds was written for those who want to know what it was like to dig trenches in 110 degree heat, rip off leeches, zip a buddy inside a body bag, or pull the trigger on a complete stranger. This is what the war in Vietnam was like as told from a grunts level. Barnes pulls no punches in his gritty account of the teammates he served with, and of those he lost, at a mountain jungle village called Tra Bong.”—Lt. Col. (Ret.) Raymond C. Morris, U.S. Army Special Forces, author of The Ether Zone: U.S. Army Special Forces Detachment B-52, Project Delta
Review
“As beautifully written as it is heartbreaking, Lee Barness memoir probes through the conventional views of the Vietnam War and finds, amid the squalor, the banal, and the absurd in the Tra Bong action of 1966, the truly heroic.”—Mary Clearman Blew, author of All but the Waltz
Review
“Lee Barnes growls his profane hymn not just to this war but to all wars. In the process, he justly scuttles Hollywood hyperbole, REMF embroidery, and self-serving short-rounds. The writing is stark. Hard. Honest. Do you and yours a favor. Own this book. You will be left with the scent of blood and cinnamon and something more: the need to shake the hand of a returning warrior.”—Bill Branon, Captain (DC) USN (Ret.), author of Let Us Prey, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Review
"In the grand scheme of things, not much happened at Tra Bong; "the life of a trooper out here meant little, except to those who were out here." But with sharp and unsentimental prose, Barnes makes it matter a great deal. A war remembrance of beauty and unadorned brutality."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
"This rare look into life as a Green Beret makes a compelling read."—Joint Forces Journal
Review
"Perhaps the best aspect of the book . . . is the attention Barnes pays to the words he puts on the page. Each one carries with it a meaning and a weight that makes his story far more than a war memoir or even a coming of age story."—Caleb S. Cage, Nevada Review
Synopsis
Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Workman is one of the Marine Corpsand#8217;s best-known contemporary combat veterans. In this searing and inspiring memoir, he tells an unforgettable story of his service overseasand#8212;and of the emotional wars that continue long after fighting soldiers come home.
In the Iraqi city of Fallujah in December 2004, Workman faced the challenge that would change his life. He and his platoon came upon a building in which insurgents had trapped their fellow Marines. Leading repeated assaults on that building, Workman killed more than twenty of the enemy in a firefight that left three of his own men dead.
But Workmanand#8217;s most difficult fight lay ahead, in the battlefield of his mind. He returned stateside, was awarded the Navy Cross for gallantry under fire, and was then assigned to the Marine base at Parris Island as a drill instructor. Haunted by the thought that he had failed his men overseas, Workman suffered a psychological breakdown in front of the soldiers he was charged with preparing for war.
In Shadow of the Sword, a memoir that brilliantly captures both wartime courage and its lifelong consequences, Workman candidly reveals the ordeal of post-traumatic stress.
Synopsis
J. Glenn Gray entered the army as a private in May 1941, having been drafted on the same day he was informed of his doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University. He was discharged as a second lieutenant in October 1945, having been awarded a battlefield commission during fighting in France. Gray saw service in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany in a counter-espionage unit.
Fourteen years after his discharge, Gray began to reread his war journals and letters in an attempt to find some meaning in his wartime experiences. The result is The Warriors, a philosophical meditation on what warfare does to us and an examination of the reasons soldiers act as they do. Gray explains the attractions of battle—the adrenaline rush, the esprit de corps—and analyzes the many rationalizations made by combat troops to justify their actions. In the end, Gray notes, “War reveals dimensions of human nature both above and below the acceptable standards for humanity.”
About the Author
Jeremiah Workman is a military service coordinator with the Department of Veteran Affairs. John R. Bruning is the author or coauthor of ten books, including How to Break a Terrorist and Bombs Away!: The World War II Bombing Campaigns over Europe. Carlton W. Kent served as the sixteenth Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.