Some good books to read

[Nomad]

Ranger Matador275 I seem to have offended you in some in some way and I apologize for whatever i said. In the book that i read that was written by a Special Forces Solider, that was only one man's point of veiw. He called himself and his buddies Green Berets throughout the whole book and i dont recall him saying anything about people getting offened about it but im going to take your advice and not refer to Special Forces Soliders to Green Berets anymore. I never said I or anyone else will know what it is like to go through training or combat by reading a book, I simply stated get a better idea. Much like people would get a better idea of what they are getting into with all of the Ranger's story's and tips they post on this site.

You didn't offend me. I could care less. If you want to read something up to date, read something that has to do with OEF or OIF.

[Rugger]

Another excellent read is Gates of Fire.

I have heard that argument about The Forgotten Soldier for a while, but I have not had 100% evidence in either direction. Fact or fiction it is a good book.

[Ndog275]

Just read the Jenna Jameson book. It was more about her miserable up bringing then anything else The fucking pictures rocked though :D

[RBL_M1A2Tanker]

He suggested these, said they're spot on when it comes to what's going on over in Iraq, or with the intelligence service.

The first three are by the same author.

Militant Tricks
Tactics of the Crescent Moon
Phantom Soldier

All three by H. John Poole. Has a lot of information. I'm reading the first one now, and it hits pretty hard, just because of all the information that he hits you with. Takes a bit to get through, not because it's a hard read, but you have to process all that he tells you first.

The other book he suggested was this one by James Bamford

The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization.

Haven't started reading that one yet, but I shall.

[rum_snuggles]

Another to READ and not watch the movie....is Starship Troopers By Heinlien.

It is sold in every clothing and sales in the Army.

Ranger Puck,

Allow me to second this suggestion. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

I've also enjoyed a few books by Oliver North, especially Mission Compromised. His writing style is pleasant.

Something more entertaining might be A Celebration of Sex. It's definitely an...interesting perspective on intimacy, and not bad, either. I think the only reason it gets so many stars on Amazon, though, is because of the targeted demographic. How many other Christian sex books are out there, anyway? It was the oddest gift I think I've ever gotten.

[CHCB]

Here's a book you should read if you're considering joining the army in any capacity:

The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer

Although it provided an excellent read, I have heard that his "memories" were being challenged by more than one person, due to the amount of detail he includes. Apparently, according to quite a few who rejected most of his accounts as fictional at best, there is no way any man in the situations he was in, could remember as much as he later on wrote down.

This debate has been raging among historians for some time. This link has the prominent arguments for and against accepting it as a true account. I, for one, am firmly convinced that Sajer was depicting his own experiences.


http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/sajer.htm

I have excerpted some comments from Douglas Nash's excellent criticism of the assertion that Sajer was a phony:

To my surprise I finally received a response from Guy Sajer directly. In his letter Sajer echoed the same sentiments that he had expressed in his letter to Klaus Schulz several months prior. Asked to explain inconsistencies in his book Sajer replied:

"Apart from the emotions I brought out I confess my numerous mistakes.That is why I would like that this book may not be used under no circumstances as a strategic or chronological reference. Except for some clear landmarks we didn't know exactly where we were (I am speaking about Russia). We had only code numbers for mail which meant nothing to us .... In the black Russia of winter I would not have been surprised if someone had told me that we were in China."

At this point is there still room to argue that this man is a fraud? That his book is a clever concoction? That it does not as thousands of readers attest bare the soul of a single human tossed into the pitiless cauldron of war? In the words of M. LeBreton "A serious criticism of Sajer's feats of arms coming from a genuine veteran of the Grossdeutschland Division could in a pinch be taken seriously but coming from an American and especially a young one (who did not take part in that war) ..does not seem to merit being taken into account."

What do German veterans think of Sajer's book? One German veteran of the war Herr Hans Wegener who fought in Russia from 1941 to 1943 as a noncommissioned officer in the 39th Infantry Division had this to say:

"I read Sajer's book in the early '70s...[it] depicted deeds and events ...corresponding even with the minute tactical and great strategic events of the period described in the book. The language is of overpowering simplicity yet extremely smooth and impressive. The train of thought and reflections correspond to those of a young soldier who is tossed into the maelstrom of the hard suffering and hopeless retreat battles of the Eastern Front. I can verify that the Landsers thought this way acted this way and suffered and died in the pitiless retreat actions on the gigantic expanses of Russia which in itself gave you a feeling of loneliness and loss if faced ... as an individual human being. Even small inconsistencies cannot change my belief because the overall impact of the manuscript the inherent balance and truthfulness are for me the determining criteria [as to its authenticity]. I am quite sure that Guy Sajer did not tell a fictitious story. I look at this book as a tremendous monument for the great and singular achievements of the German soldier during a hopeless situation."

This is a powerful endorsement indeed. By the way Wegener has never met Sajer yet still feels strongly about the book more than twenty years later. Perhaps even more persuasive testimony comes from a member of the vaunted Grossdeutschland Division itself Herr Helmuth Spaeter a former major who commanded the division's reconnaissance Abteilung during the war and served for a period as the head of the division's veterans' association. Quoted by Kennedy as one of Sajer's most vociferous critics Spaeter was absolutely convinced until recently that The Forgotten Soldier was fiction. However when I provided him a copy of Sajer's letter to examine he was evidently moved enough to completely reexamine his earlier position.

"I was deeply impressed by his statements in his letter " he told me. "I have underestimated Herr Sajer and my respect for him has greatly increased. I am myself more of a writer who deals with facts and specifics-much less like one who writes in a literary way. For this reason I was very skeptical towards the content of his book. I now have greater regard for Herr Sajer and I will read his book once again. Thank God I still have a copy of it here."28

Apparently here is one skeptic who is willing to abandon his preconceptions and look at Sajer's book from a new perspective and a well-known member of the Grossdeutschland Division who fought in the same battles as Sajer did no less. Spaeter's reversal suggests a course of action that might wisely be taken by other skeptics far less personally engaged in these matters.




To date no existing service record for Guy Sajer that substantiates his service in the Grossdeutschland Division has been found but that is not unusual. Hundreds of thousands of Wehrmacht soldiers' personnel files perhaps millions were destroyed either during or after the war. Only incomplete personnel rosters exist from the Grossdeutschland Division. Trying to track down the identity of one man in an organization that with its offshoots had over 100 000 men pass through its ranks from 1939 to 1945 is a nearly impossible task.29 But one doesn't need this kind of proof to reach a conclusion about Sajer's identity. Both his personal testimony and the overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence point to the inescapable conclusion that his book is genuine.Until solid evidence that shows otherwise emerges an unlikely event in any case the words of Guy Sajer himself as well as numerous other witnesses all point to the conclusion that Guy Sajer is genuine and The Forgotten Soldier is autobiography: fact not fiction.

[Jim]

I read The Forgotten Soldier and enjoyed it. I thought it had the "feel" of an accurate depiction of war on the Eastern Front. I agree with CHCB -- it is non-fiction.

[23LRS]

How about: A Ranger Born?

[Invictus]

[quote]“A Ranger Bornâ€

[FireFinder]

I just read Roughneck Nine-One by Frank Antenori and Hans Halberstadt. I really enjoyed it, finished it the same day I started reading it.

I also read Masters of Chaos by Linda Robinson, which I also liked, but not as much as Roughneck Nine-One.

I highly recommend Roughneck Nine-One. Masters of Chaos had some good chapters on things I had not heard or read about OIF which were pretty interesting.

[Ranger175csar]

Fuck you all.... I currently dont have any time to read at all... Fuckers.


Oh and yes i can read Cams... you get a personal fuck you..

[Gordo173]

Probably the best book I have ever read and one that gives great insight into the warrior mind is "Bondage Fairies" This is an illustrated true account of two tiny woodland nymphs and the trials and tribulations they must go through on a daily basis (sometimes even hourly) and how they always manage to overcome the odds and drive on to the Ranger(ette) objective!

Also Pfil is one hot tomato!