Reluctant Warriors

First, a word upfront: As the introduction says, the specific characters, actions and battles described in this book are fictional but they relate to real campaigns and are designed as a series of examples, not to be taken as historical accounts.

The four characters are from various branches of the military: one is an Army Air Force pilot, one a submariner, one a surface Naval commander and one an Army scout. Through their eyes we see sheer terror combined with raw courage, the drain of survivor's guilt, guilt about the deaths of those serving with or under them, and guilt over their own responses, as well as the strong attachment the Naval and Air Force servicemen had to their aircraft or boats.

We see the habits, personalities and strengths - both personal and command - that created men of such character that others would sacrifice themselves to keep them alive, and the importance of innovative men who trusted each other to make the right decision at the right time. The picture of them is clear, their fears, regrets, mannerisms, stubbornness and loyalties, and it wasn't just the commanders or the main characters who were this well-drawn.

We also see how they were with their families both before and after the war, families who suffered the hardship of separation for long, lonely years while trying to raise children, run a farm and stay true to themselves as well as their husbands.

There are enough details to fully flesh out the stories and the characters, but not so many that the reader becomes bogged down with those of relative insignificance; a hard balance to make, and one which was done well here.

I felt that this also acted as a brief introduction to US Naval history in WWII, something with which I have only a passing familiarity, because now I can see the complexities the destroyers and cruisers had to deal with and picture the battles. I can see how strategy developed and changed. I can feel the report as the guns fire, see the colored shells in the water and the impact of debris, and hear the various noises around ship while I picture the dedicated gun crews working in 140 degree heat until they passed out and then returning to the turrets as soon as they recovered.

Although not dwelling upon the horror, the raw truth about deaths caused in wartime is shown by all of them, as is the unconscionable and unthinkable callousness the Japanese showed toward their own people, let alone their captured enemy. There's the growing realization of war, and the burden on the heart and soul for killing innocents and increased by seeing their faces. War is not glorious, and these were reluctant warriors. Their trials should be remembered, and they should rightfully be honored.

A look at different types of "heros". Always has an audience.

The men who fought in Second World War were people off the street, ordinary men who found themselves in difficult and in situations that took them out of ordinary into the extraordinary.

They felt a huge obligation to fight for their country, to make sure the world was a safer place for everyone, not just at home but throughout the world.

The rewards were limited and most never asked for any thing, they finished the war and tried to go back their lives and what they had before, but they had changed as had the lives of their families and everyone around them.

Joseph "Chip" Wiley, Jimmy DeValery, Harry Conners, and Theodore Rodgers, please read their stories and reflect.

We salute you