Forever a Soldier: Unforgettable Stories of Wartime Service

Description

This second volume (following VOICES OF WAR) culled from more than 35,000 stories in the ongoing Library of Congress Veterans History Project is a dense collection of reminiscences - oral histories, letters and diaries - from WWI to the Persian Gulf War, with emphasis on WWII. The most compelling stories are eyewitness accounts- a sailor recounts the attack on Pearl Harbor, a survivor of the Indianapolis sinking in 1945 describes five days in shark-infested Pacific waters, a doctor relates the horrors of trench warfare in 1917, a soldier endures murderous combat during the 1968 Tet offense in Vietnam. Contributors survive long, terrible experiences as prisoners in Germany, Japan, North Korea and Vietnam - and a short, unpleasant confinement in Iraq. Military buffs will happily add this to their shelves.

Tom Wiener is the chief historian of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and the editor of Voices of War- Stories of Service From the Home Front and the Frontlines. His articles and reviews have appeared in numerous publications. He lives in Washington, D.C.