What Are You Currently Reading?

I just finished "Helmet For My Pillow" by Robert Leckie, which has easily been the most poetic first person account of battle I've ever read, although I must sadly admit his grasp of vocabulary had me grabbing the Webster a couple of times. Currently about halfway into "Hunters & Shooters" with stories from 13 original members of SEAL Teams One and Two. It's amazing to hear these gents talk about inventing modern NSW as they go along. Also the general consensus seems to be that Bob Gallagher was the ultimate SEAL of the Vietnam War.
 
I just finished "Helmet For My Pillow" by Robert Leckie, which has easily been the most poetic first person account of battle I've ever read, although I must sadly admit his grasp of vocabulary had me grabbing the Webster a couple of times.

You should try "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge. I thought it was a much, much better book than Leckie's. I really liked that Leckie's covered campaigns you rarely hear about (Bougainville), but his moralizing and philosophizing ruined the book for me.
 
You should try "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge. I thought it was a much, much better book than Leckie's. I really liked that Leckie's covered campaigns you rarely hear about (Bougainville), but his moralizing and philosophizing ruined the book for me.
Certainly something to be said for that. The unique novelty does tend to wear off before they land on Peleliu. It's easy at times to forget a Marine wrote the story, although I still greatly enjoyed it. Considering I got a decent portion of Sledges' story from "The Pacific", I figured I would seek out Leckie's first. However, I'll definitely take the recommendation and put "With the Old Breed" at the top of the list.
 
The Winds of Winter

...looking at watch...
...picking up copy of People Magazine and putting it right back down again...
...staring at generic artwork on wall...
...tapping foot...
...examining fingernails...
...looking at watch again....
 
Last edited:
I will definitely read it next. I found it surprising the difference in "athletic" ability between today's Elite and back in WW2. "How he managed to do 30 push-ups I do not know" In reference to Lieutenant Sobel.

Sometimes what counts is what's inside a man. Those old Paratroopers BITD were some tough MFers. Dick Winters was unusual for his time because he was an athlete. Didn't drink, didn't smoke, did hard PT runs off duty, worked out.
 
Last edited:
Got through "Relentless Strike" by Naylor while on CQ the other night. Overall, a decent read. I bought it via iTunes and I would recommend others buying the E-Version, as it allows you to skip around easier than the paperback. I say this because there is a lot of planning/policy/procedure talk throughout. It gets dull fast. Unless you are into learning all about F3EAD and the bureaucracy of how JSOC developed. For those like me who picked it up to read about close target reconnaissance, low-vis missions, freefall operations and all the door kicking raids, anything to do with the actual guys on the ground, get the E-Book.
 
I just finished reading "Black Hearts," amazing book. It should be titled "This is how NOT to lead your soldiers in combat" and should be mandatory reading for Army officers.

Currently, I'm about a third of the way through "Ashley's War." Centered on CSTs that supported SF and Rangers, there's a lot of stuff in here I didn't know before.
 
I just started reading Where Men Win Glory, by Jon Krakauer. I honestly don't know what to think of it yet.

I thought is was a good book but written on behalf of the family. Even if the book is 100% correct it reads like the family's beliefs and not unbiased facts.
 
Reading quite a few books this quarter for Political Theory(more philosophy than theory) and Comparative Economics. Interesting classic authors on the political subject such as Plato, Locke, Rousseau, and the Federalist Papers. I wish we could reach more entire books instead of articles but quarters are much shorter than semesters. However, I have come to realize early on in this class that philosophers sure think damn high of themselves.

The Republic by Plato- Dense, attempts to define justice and create a theoretical perfect state, but could be argued as a radical communist how-to with some "philosophers are great and should rule the world" mixed in.

I have yet to reach the rest of the books, but I expect/hope they are better.
 
If you're trying to understand the world as it is today, read more Hobbes and less Locke. Until it comes to that whole "rebellion against the sovereign" part, then read the hell out of Locke. :)
 
I started The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth by Mark Mazzetti this week. The author is almost obsessed with reminding the reader that the CIA didn't always do assassinations. Other than that annoying factor, it's been a pretty good read.
 
I helped a neighbor move some furniture a couple weekends ago and refused to accept a cash award. I returned to my parents house this weekend and had Navy SEAL Dogs by Mike Ritland waiting for me from my neighbors. I will begin this when I finish Band of Brothers.
 
Back
Top