THE FIRST MEMOIR BY A USS ARIZONA SURVIVOR: Donald Stratton; one of the battleship's five living heroes; delivers an "epic;"* "powerful;"** and "intimate"** eyewitness account of Pearl Harbor and his unforgettable return to the fight. A TOP-TEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!At 8:06 a.m. on December 7; 1941; Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona; barely fifteen minutes into Japan’s surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body; Don; a nineteen-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl; summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below; the harbor’s flaming; oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart. In this extraordinary never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack—the only memoir ever written by a survivor of the USS Arizona—ninety-four-year-old veteran Donald Stratton finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival on December 7; 1941; his harrowing recovery; and his inspiring determination to return to the fight. Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning; a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1;177 of their Arizona shipmates—approximately half the American fatalaties at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year; Don refused doctors’ advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge; believing he would never again be fit for service; but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944; he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer; destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf; Luzon; and Okinawa; thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of America’s Second World War.As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches; Don; a great-grandfather of five and one of five living survivors of the Arizona; offers an unprecedentedly intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history. All the Gallant Men is a book for the ages; one of the most remarkable—and remarkably inspiring—memoirs of any kind to appear in recent years.*New York Post**Library Journal
#1350340 in Books 1996-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x 5.75 x .75l; #File Name: 0062513613160 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Three StarsBy CustomerPresentation pales in comparison to excellent translations of Sun Tzu's Art of War.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. The Other Sun TzuBy wiredweirdSun Wu wrote "The Art of War" with which so many people are familiar. His descendant; Sun Bin (the Sun family family name comes first) was also a military theorist; and wrote his own treatise. Sun Bin's text was lost for centuries; a fragmentary version was only recently discovered. This "Art of War" is a new classic - not a contradiction in terms.Even with Cleary's extensive commentary; it's a very short book. The advice is clear and applicable: "Be trustworthy as an ordinary matter of course;" "Courtesy and harshness must be intermixed;" "Experts at warfare see the strengths of opponents; and thereby know their weaknesses." Cleary's commentary pushes this into the modern corporate world; likening RD to the elite advanced troops - well; analogies can be pushed too far. The specifics of military strategy are here; too; as well as the philosophical generalities. In particular; Sun Bin addresses the personal failings that make military losses inevitable. That includes commanders who are arrogant; impulsive; lax; vicious; or have other faults. Likewise; he addresses the right and wrong ways to use soldiers of different kinds; terrain and swamps; rivers; and subterfuge. Despite philosophical moments; its concrete style generally complements Sun Wu's tendency towards generalities.There's a lot here for students of Asian classics and for military theorists. It won't be the centerpiece of a collection; but it's a worthwhile addition to either kind. Whatever your interest; Cleary's modern and readable style makes the reading a pleasure.//wiredweird8 of 24 people found the following review helpful. I thought that this was a very good book.By A CustomerI liked it for its Strategic value; I didnt care much for the translators Comontery takeing up more of the book than what Sun Tsu wrote.But other than that I thought it was a very good book.
