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Military Quotes

I feel that retired generals should never miss an opportunity to remain silent concerning matters for which they are no longer responsible.

-- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Ghost Soldiers

Hampton Sides presents a gripping well-researched
WWII work about the POWs of Cabanatuan and their rescue by the 6th Rangers in Feb '45. Survivors of the
Bataan Death March in '42 the POWs were exposed to
unspeakable treatment by their Japanese captors. Sides
forgoes a chronological approach. Instead, he alternates
back and forth from a description of the March and
life in Cabanatuan to the preparation of the Rangers raid on the prison camp.

Dozens of exPOWs and/or their families were interviewed as were several of members of the liberating force. Sides
did his homework, and well. The only area that I might
have a slight problem with is his mild treatment of General
Homma, the Japanese officer who commanded forces
on Luzon. During his research Sides spent some time with
Homma's family in Japan and became friends. He
explains that Homma was out of touch, not aware of
the extremely harsh treatment of prisoners by his forces.
This does not square with other information I have
encountered. All in all, however, Ghost Soldiers is a
fantastic read. I highly recommend it.


Added:  Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Reviewer:  Craig Davis
Score:
hits: 1972
Language: eng

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This Day in History
1862: Confederates broke through the Union lines at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill on the third day of the Seven Days Battle in Virginia.

1864: Union General William T. Sherman launches a major attack on Confederate General Joseph Johnstons army at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia.

1916: The 4th Marine Regiment defeated Dominican rebels in a stand-up bayonet attack.

1927: The U.S. Marines adopted the English bulldog as their mascot.

1940: The Germans set up two-way radio communication in their newly occupied French territory, employing their most sophisticated coding machine, Enigma, to transmit information.

1944: American forces of 7th Corps (part of US 1st Army) complete the capture of Cherbourg.

1945: On Luzon, units of the US 37th Division, part of US 1st Corps, reach Aparri, on the north coast.

1945: The American carrier USS Bunker Hill is struck by a Kamikaze plane, killing 373 men.

1950: President Harry S. Truman announces that he is ordering U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea to aid the democratic nation in repulsing an invasion by communist North Korea.

1950: Just two days after communist North Korean forces invaded South Korea, the United Nations Security Council approves a resolution put forward by the United States calling for armed force to repel the North Korean invaders.