book reviews and summaries, comments, analysis
What to make of this book? There is so much that I like. The chapters are nice, sound bites of a few pages, so if you are reading this book in bed at night (as I sometimes do), you'll never get stuck in the middle of a big battle. There is so much that I do not like: Russ seems comfortable commenting on the cowardice or shortcomings of some combatants, which is likely to grate on the reader. Overall this is a nice book, but Appleman's Escaping the Trap does a better job describing the whole environment and the military decisions that lead to the Chosin disaster. Sure, Russ has snippets here and there--about Task Force Faith, or Smith's insistence on the runway at Hagaru-- which provide some context. But Appleman is better.
At the other end of the military literature spectrum, Joseph Owen's Colder Than Hell is better. Owen gives you a better idea of the ethos (or pathos) of what it means to be a Marine. Russ's portrayals of men are often shallow and stereotypical. Chew En Lee comes off as an arrogant bastard more hung up on being called 'sir' than with the safety of Bifulk. Yancey plucks slugs out of the roof of his mouth, hawks bloody clams thru most of the text, and has a few teeth shaved off to boot. At least Maggie Higgins was shuttled out of Koto-ri. So what if Lt. Col. Murray felt it would have been 'good public relations' had she been allowed to march out. If I were general Smith, I would have told her I had the lives of thousands of Marines to save, not the career of one journalist to create.
So what is this book? Picture yourself at a Chosin Few reunion with these veterans, now dwindling in number with easch passing year. WAlk around from table to table. Here several discuss the valiant stand at Fox Hill. There, another group shares their experiences in Hell Fire Valley, perhaps with a few British accents mixed in. A somber collective recalls the agony and abandonment of Task Force Faith. Pilots recall support missions. Chaplains recall souls saved and others consigned to God. Corpsman and Medics remember frozen syrettes and filthy bandages.
Perhaps in this corner, some officers speak contemptuously of Almond and scowl at his confusing howitzers with anti-aircraft batteries. Over there, praise for the engineers whose treadle bridge enabled the wounded to escape. In hushed tones privates and corporals trade stories of bravery and folly among their fellow marines amidst the terror of combat.
If you really are walking amongst this elite group of Chosin few, it is best to keep your heart and mind open, and your mouth closed. Their stories are vibrant and real even now, 52 years later. Let no idle civilian or political chatter interfere with the story these men, often in vain, still try to tell. This book certainly accomplishes that.