Battle for Pusan: The Korean War Memoir of a Field Artilleryman

Addiston Terry served with the 27th Infantry in the Korean conflict. I served in the 27th Infantry in World War II. The knowledge that we were both "Wolfhounds" led me to read the book despite the fact that my previous experiences with war reminisces even by other "Wolfhounds" had been disappointments. I was happy to find that Terry had done a great job of reporting the essencs of war. His reports of a group of poorly trained, poorly equiped and under strength Companies and Batallions is brutaly true and should be (although history says it won't) a lesson to every American Citizen that maintaining strong military ground force is a must. Terry depliction of military life with its hours of boredum and moments of sheer terror, as well as the continuning hunger and always present need for sleep are excelent. I would recomend this book to every veteran and in particula to other Wolfhounds regardless of the war in which they served.

TERRY'S BOOK IS SO good I'm at a loss to give it all the praise it deserves in the framework of a brief review. He has an engaging style of writing--cuddle up with this book in an easy chair. The description of the battles is crisp; of the lulls, languid. His honesty is touching and much like Tom Sawyer ("I cried a little bit when I covered up his face") he doesn't smother you with descriptions of casualties. You respect Terry's dignity (and that of the wounded or dying) for this brevity. He only asks that you never forget. On those few occasions where he is tempted to write a bit of an epitaph ("Able had lost a good platoon leader, I had lost....") his words get in the way. Everybody loves Terry for his stories of battles and combat. Why? Again, he lets the story tell the story. The effect is fantastic. If you are wondering why everything suddenly falls apart at Sachon Pass [earlier that morning his men were "red hot-- an untouchable force"], well you can keep wondering because Terry doesn't know, either. As you get the sense the whole situation is slipping out of control with an NKPA roadblock behind them and the flanks crackling with encircling fire, you get just as angry as the author does when he finds an artillery battery that doesn't even have a defensive perimeter in place. So the whole book goes. The fog of war becomes fog in the text. The words become Terry's eyes and ears, through which the soul of the drama enters the soul of the reader. The truth is the only way we can learn from the mistakes made in the Korean War. His Haman chapter handles the issue of the 24th ID's dereliction of duty with honesty and candidness. His disgust of 'civilian bureaucrats' in Washington is justified and palpable. I might point out the swollen military brass in Japan prior to the Korean War were just as pathetic. Some things will never change. Overall the book is an excellent read. Korean War buff's might want to brush up on Norman Allen's ITEM company saga in Knox's book PUSAN TO CHOSIN. Both Allen and Terry were near Taegu when the NKPA pushed hard in mid August. Both love artillery ("100 yards left! Drop 200! Battery 3 rounds HE, 3 rounds WP, fire for effect.") and probably would have a great tablepounding evening if they could get together and share memories.

The reader of this book is immediately gripped with a sense of authenticity. The author holistically describes the bonding of himself (and other forward observers) with the grunts of the 2nd platoon A/27 Infantry "Wolfhounds". Their foxhole camaraderie was created with the author's skills that neutralize overwhelming enemy odds with artillery fire missions, culinary skills with c-rations, and faith in the Battalion CO's (Col. Check) leadership that successfully led to plugging Pusan Perimeter.

This was a facinating account of Addison Terry's first-hand experiences while fighting in the Korean War. While I normally do not pursue books based on factual accounts concerning war, this one was different. I could not stop turning the pages, because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Addison Terry has a real message for the American people - about a war all but forgotten by this generation. It's not only about the technicalities of war, but the book also possesses deep moral insights. I came away feeling I'd learned something they'd skipped over in the history books at school. This book tells how war really is - no Hollywood glamour! I felt like I was there right along side the other soldiers in the hole, scared to death the next round was going to finish me. If you like fast-moving, edge-of-your seat action, this book will blow you away!

I have just finished reading "The Battle for Pusan". I found it to be a very intense and sometimes tender story of American "kids" ,ill prepared and ill equipped, fighting a war in a country they knew little about. Inspite of the struggle to save their own lives and the lives of their friends, they were able to find humor and small pleasures in the strangest places. I think this is the story of the American spirit and should be read by all.