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Medal of Honor: Profiles of America's Military Heroes from the Civil War to the Present

Medal of Honor: Profiles of America's Military Heroes from the Civil War to the Present

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A major disappointment
Review: I couldn't wait to read this book. Any book which honors the actions of our veterans is a "must read" for me. But I was greatly disappointed by this work. While I enjoyed Mr. Wallace's introductory essays, I was confused by the politically correct agenda he presented in the selection of some those who earned the Medal of Honor. Also, Mr. Mikaelian's prose is awkward and laborious: I didn't think it possible to take such incredible acts of bravery and make them almost tedious, but this is exactly what happens here. Spend your valuable time reading well-written books like "Flags of Our Fathers" or "Ghost Soldiers," which give proper homage to the legacy of American heroes. Mikaelian's book does not do them justice.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A good book but on only a few
Review: I orginally purchased this book thinking it covered all medal of honors winners. To my disappointment, it details only a very few. This book covers only a select few of the medal of honor winners who's life story could be told. Of the men mentioned in the book, it is interesting. It talks about their childhood, what they did in the service, and what they did once out of the service. If you are looking for a little different angle on a few medal of honor winners, then this is your book. If you desire information on all of the medal of honor winners then look elsewhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Was almost as good as expected.
Review: I read this book when it was first released two years ago. Of the 3,000 + Medal of Honor recipients, the authors did have to cut it down to about two for each war. It is a very informative book. I have read it several times over. I am surprised that only one woman was a recipient though. I figured there would be more. And, just one Coast Guard officer recieved this Medal. It is very informative, but to those who want more out of it, such as the entire biographies of all recipients, that book would be about 8,000 pages. There are some recipients who recieved the Medal of Honor two times. Do they get a second biography?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Political motivated
Review: I've spent the last 20+ years in the military and I really enjoy reading about our military heroes. But, it bothers me when someone uses the military to espouse their political ideology. I don't know anything about Allen Mikaelian, but I'd guess he was very unhappy with the presidential election in 2000 and felt he needed to do something. The author selectively picks recipients that provide a positive image of the left wing and a negative image of the right wing. There is nothing wrong with highlighting minority or women recipients. I think that is great and much needed, but the author should have been up front with the title and foreword and should have left out the political propaganda. Instead he covertly gives the impression that these 11 individuals represent your typical CMH recipient, both historically and politically. This book definitely has some value, but unless your polical views are a little far to the left, you may get a bit irritated at the political rhetoric.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Provides a history of the medal and its recipients
Review: In 1863 President Lincoln first awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor: here reporter Mike Wallace provides a history of the medal and its recipients, including his own personal experiences as a reporter covering war and blending history with military biography to spice an intriguing memoir. Harry Chase, Jason Culp and Ron McLarty narrate and Wallace provides special audio commentary in this intriguing history.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A MIRROR OF LIFE FOR THE FEW
Review: Like everything else in life, this book tells about sad times and happy times due to the fact that a military man was awarded the highest honor for valor this nation offers. This book gives descriptions of the battle event that was reponsible for the medal for a number of veterans from the Civil War through Viet Nam. The writing is interesting and points out what some men are capable of when their back is against the wall. If you like war stories, this is a winner.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Portraits of Medal of Honor winners.
Review: Short biographies of 10 men and 1 woman who won this famous award and the lives they lived. Mikaelian selected only people who lived through their ordeal, and then reviewed their life stories after their heroic actions. For the most part, these men went back to living undistinguished lives. The author also details other MOH winners, along with these 11 individuals.
The best story is about a Medal of Honor winner in the Eighth Air Force during WWII. Snuffy was an interesting character to say the list. His advocacy of a medicinal cream called Firmo was a real laugh.
This was an OK read, and I got some insight into the military award process. I am not sure why Mike Wallace needed to contribute anything to this book. I guess the Publishers wanted a high name person attached to this book to boost sales. Wallace's contribution was little, and his writing should not have appeared in the book.


Rating: 1 stars
Summary: More politics.
Review: The book is not bad if you can get over the liberal agenda. What would be expected from Mike Wallace? I hate to admit this, I would like to have seen historical pictures of the CMH and its recipients.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Human Side of the Medal
Review: There have been many books written on the Medal of Honor, and this effort was an enjoyable read. The most important aspect managed to show a human side of the recipient. Each chapter covered a person who earned (not "won") the medal; the author did a very good job in tying in other stories of recipients pertaining to a campaign or battle to carry on the story.

While some of the stories are well known, others were not, and this is what is needed. I have seen several of the deceased recipients' graves at Arlington National Cemetery that are covered in this book; Edouard Izac's story is amazing in his continuous efforts to gain secrets of submarine warfare while as a prisoner of war in WWI, along with his escape attempts.

The book manages to show that while these men (as well as the sole female receipeint, Mary Walker) were indeed brave in their actions, they are mere humans that have lived in wealth or poverty, and encountered success as well as failure.

I would have given the review five stars if the book was illustrated; as I believe that it would have assisted the reader to put a face with the name of the recipient. While reading the book, one may want to visualize the person they are reading about. If you enjoyed this book on a more human aspect, I would also recommend "Beyond the Medal" by another Medal of Honer recipient, Peter Lemon

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A good book but on only a few
Review: Way to go, if you are going to honor Americas Medal of Honor soldiers next time HONOR THEM ALL!!!!

Seems the authors missed the U.S. Coast Guard Medal of Honor awarded.......all he did was give his life saving Marines, thankfully Marines remember.


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