Customer Reviews (3)

Home of the Infantry
It aptly describes the symbiotic realtionship between the business community, local politicians and the army in establishing and retaining military bases. It is doubtful the army wouldhave picked this location if the local commercial interests had not aggressively sought the base.At first I was overwhelmed by the many persons named in this book, but it reflects the fact that the military is constantly in transition because of continuing changes in missions, tactics, equipment and personnel.Generally, theinfantry lacks glamor (how many newrecruits aspirefor a career in the infantry?)--thisbook makes one appreciatethe importance ofhaving boots on the ground.Benning alumni include a "whose-who" of the most prominent military personnel in recenthistory.However, itwas sad to read aboutthedegradations Colin Powell (and other black soldiers) endured in the South in his early years atBenning but encouraging to see how he managed to rise above it all.

Outstanding
This is a very large book but it needs to be to convey so much information.It is written in an even steady tone that allowed me to sit and read 140+ pages at a time over several hours and not get tired of it.

If you have any connection with Fort Benning and surrounding areas you should read this.

I especially like the footnotes at the bottom that provide endless additional reading on Fort Benning/ other military history topics.

Home Of The Infantry- The History of Fort Benning
This book is an amazingly detailed account of the history of Fort Benning, Georgia, Home of The Infantry School.It is not only a history of the post since it's inception in 1918, but blends that history in with the local history of Columbus, Georgia and the civilian relationship with the Post over the years.Along the way there are literary portraits of the many bit players such as Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, and a host of other famous military leaders, who left their mark on the Post and which, the Post, in turn, left it's mark on them.For every Infantry Officer Candidate, every Paratrooper who dropped from the 250 foot towers, and for every Infantryman who ever served there, this book is a must read. ... Read more

Product Description
Come, walk with me on a journey back to the dark and threatening days of World War II as I lived it. Those will be back in the days of Churchill, Eisenhower, Roosevelt and Stalin. They're back in the days of conscription, of induction into the military, of basic training and yes, back when soldiers, civilians, children and our entire civilization began to die. This will take you back also to the miracle of Officer's Training School where a young bewildered Corporal could be turned into a 2nd Lieutenant in ninety days from a clerk typist in the Payroll Section, Regimental Headquarters, Camp Robinson, Arkansas, and would then, in a very short time, command a company of 200 combat infantry soldiers. He would eventually be decorated with three Bronze Star medal citations, a Presidential Unit citation and the Croix de Guerre with Palm from the Republic of France in appreciation of his activities while there during the war. Come with me as we explore the shores of Utah Beach where so many G. I. bodies washed up amid the carnage and litter of war. Those were the bodies of our young soldiers who last wrote home with, "Mom, don't worry".

Jim Thome tells it as he experienced it. He tell of the dead bodies on the beaches, the hedgerows, C rations, calvaldos, combat fatigue, trench foot and self inflicted wounds. He tells of the Battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine River and the untold stories of desertion and cowardice and the disappearance of a private who later reappeared as an officer in the rear, far removed from the front lines. He includes stories of flame throwing German tanks, the plundering and looting by our troops and yet, it also includes the unbelievable heroics of our Government Issued and in many instances, our young teen aged soldiers. So come along with me. The journey of your life which you'll never forget.

"And so, dear friends and comrades from Company C, 253rd Regiment and from Company L, 315 Regiment, to you I devote my story. To you who are resting where you fell or perhaps resting in the fields where poppies still grow. My prayers are forever for you and for what you sacrificed for our little band of soldiers and especially for the honor and freedom of our great country." - James Thome ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

With the 79th Division
Thome was drafted at age 22. He did quite well in training and was offered the chance to become an officer, which he did. Following this he was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division but with expectations of high casualties in Normandy he is sent to England as a replacement officer. Between postings he does a variety of jobs, including a short stint as Prison Warden. His trip overseas is quite comfortable compared to that experienced by the ordinary soldiers. England is interesting, he noted with surprise the large number of willing ladies and picks up on a few amusing contradictions in their thinking. In late June 1944 he is posted to L/315th Regt of the 79th Infantry Division.

Normandy is a fairly intense experience. He is virtually company commander from the start and he makes some fascinating observations from this perspective. Like it seemed that men he saw reading the Bible featured more often on the casualty role. He also felt that most of the time only 30% of his men were committed to engaging the enemy, with the remainder being in various states of reluctance. He also recognized the vital importance of quickly promoting from the ranks to replace NCO casualties. When he realized his 2nd Lt casualties were always high he investigated to find that his senior Sgts had been telling them they had to lead from the front.He set the Sgts `straight' and things improved for everyone.

Thome is not above ignoring or reinterpreting foolish orders, especially as his CO never seemed to leave his bunker (at times he wouldn't even leave his bunker to urinate, designating an orderly to venture out and dispose of it for him!).He served through until VE Day, including against Von Luck's 125th Regt at Rittershoffen (where I think Von Luck played the church organ when the Americans finally fell back?). He is never wounded but has his clothing cut and ripped by bullets and shrapnel at times. Unfortunately he rarely gives any detail on these occasions. He also never writes about firing his own weapon but he won 4 Bronze Stars, so he was very much someone who got involved. He certainly saw the tragedy of war and includes some very sad stories. In the end he is one of the lucky few to be repatriated promptly (well, in order to invade Japan) and he is able to return to civilian life quicker than most.

Thome's memoir is more the details of his army experiences rather than of combat. On that level it is quite readable. There are quite a few interesting stories of the process, including experiences with Negro soldiers. For instance, there were several black officer candidates on his course but in the peer marking stages they always seemed to be marked last, so none managed to graduate. So there is new material in that sense. It is also a quick read, the text amounts to 144 pages (with various documents in the appendices) and the chapters are all quite short. It appears given his length of service and his decorations that he did more than his share of fighting but he has included only the bare details of it here. My recommendation therefore - Of some interest.2 ½ stars
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Product Description
When nineteen-year-old Harriett Gold, from a prominent white family in Cornwall, Connecticut, announced in 1825 her intention to marry a Cherokee man, her shocked family initiated a spirited correspondence debating her decision to marry an Indian. Eventually, Gold's family members reconciled themselves to her wishes, and she married Elias Boudinot in 1826. After the marriage, she returned with Boudinot to the Cherokee Nation, where he went on to become a controversial political figure who was editor of the first Native American newspaper.

Providing rare firsthand documentation of race relations in the early nineteenth-century United States, this volume collects the Gold family correspondence during the engagement period as well as letters the young couple sent to the family describing their experiences in New Echota (capital of the Cherokee Nation) during the years prior to the Cherokee Removal. In an introduction providing historical and social contexts, Theresa Strouth Gaul offers a literary reading of the correspondence, highlighting the value of the epistolary form and the gender and racial dynamics of the exchange. As Gaul demonstrates, the correspondence provides a factual accompaniment to the many fictionalized accounts of contacts between Native Americans and Euroamericans and supports an increasing recognition that letters form an important category of literature. ... Read more