When America's most decorated soldier went to war he had to shed the idea that human life is sacred. When he shed his first blood in Tunis he felt "no qualms; no pride; no remorse. The was only a weary indifference that would follow him throughout the war." He recounts the horrors of war and the unbelievable courage of the American soldiers, many of whom were still boys. He himself is in awe of his fallen comrades who "went to hell and back to preserve what our country thinks is right and decent." He vows that he will face life after the war through uncynical eyes, to have faith, to know love. He will learn to work in peace as in war and be a true hero to the American people. Unfortunately, this hero's life was tragically cut short when he died in a plane crash in 1971 at the very young age of forty-six.
"Nobody ultimately wins. Force used tyrannically is our common enemy."
This book was published in 1949, the year of my birth.
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