The 50 Greatest Letters from America's Wars

How one chooses THE 50 GREATEST LETTERS FROM AMERICA'S WARS must be a difficult task, but David H.Lowenherz (the book's editor) has done it well . . . he hasselected a range of letters from the Revolution to the operationsin Afghanistan and presented them with fascinating commentaryabout both the combat and the writer.Presidents, ranging from George Washington to Dwight Eisenhower,are included . . . but so are frontline soliders, nurses, prisoners ofwar, generals, and even spies who I would have never heard ofuntil I read this short work that is actually hearbreaking in parts.It is one thing to study history in the abstract . . . it is another to hear stories--told in the first person--that haveactually been written to families, friends and sweethearts.I recommend this book highly.There were so many memorable passages in these letters thatit has made my job difficult; i.e., to present just a few foryour consideration . . . but I'll try, nevertheless . . . so pleaseconsider, if you will:(Captain Rodney R. Chastant to his parents from the Vietnam War)Mom, I appreciate all the letters. I appreciate your concern that someof the things you write about are trivial, but they aren't trivial to me.I'm eager to read anything about what you are doing or the family isdoing. You can't understand the importance these "trivial" events takeon out here. It helps me keep civilized. For a while, as I read yourletters, I am a normal person. I'm not killing people, or worried aboutbeing killed. While I read your letters, I'm not carrying guns and grenades. Instead I am going ice skating with David or walking through a depart-ment store to exchange a lamp shade. It is great to know your family'ssafe, living in a secure country; a country made secure by thousandsupon thousands of men who have dies for that country.(Fireman 1st class Keith Lynch to his family in World War II)To think that a thirty-pound bomb the size of a basketball, exploding athousand feet in the air, could cause such a holocaust was simplyunbelievable. I shudder to think what these people underwent whenthe blast occurred. A blast that literally dissolved their homes, family,friends and any other material thing in the vicinity. A blast that pushedover huge steel structures a mile and a half away as if they were madeof blocks. Now I can see what they mean when they say Dead City. A city with no buildings, no trees, no facilities, and no people. All you seefrom the top of the hill is a ground covered with bricks, burned wood,twisted and pushed over steel frames of buildings for several miles ineach direction. There is nothing for the people of this Dead City to dobut walk around and think, "What manner of people would do such a thing to us, who are a peaceful, courteous and civilized people?" Iwondered what they thought when they looked at us as we weredriving along. "Are these the barbarians who did such a thing to us?What can we expect now that we are at their mercy?" I only wish theycould be made to