Beyond Valor

Previous books have promised to describe the combat experience of the World War II GI, but there has never been a book like Patrick O'Donnell's Beyond Valor. Here is the first combat history of the war in Europe in the words of the men themselves, and perhaps the most honest and brutal account of combat possible on the printed page. For more than fifty years the individual stories that make up this narrative -- shockingly frank reflections of sacrifice and courage -- have been bottled up, buried, or circulated privately. Now, nearing the ends of their lives, our WWII soldiers have at last unburdened themselves. Beyond Valor recaptures their hidden history. A pioneering oral historian, Patrick O'Donnell used his award-winning website, The Drop Zone, to solicit oral- and "e-histories" from individual soldiers. Gradually, working from within the community, O'Donnell convinced some of the war's most battle-hardened soldiers to tell their stories. The result is WWII seen through the eyes of the men who saw the most intense of its action. O'Donnell focuses on the elite units of the war -- the Rangers, Airborne, and 1st Special Service Force -- troops that spearheaded the most dangerous operations and often made the difference between victory and defeat. From more than 650 interviews O'Donnell has chosen oral- and e-histories that form a seamless story line, a pointillistic history of the war in Europe from the first parachute drops in North Africa through the final battles in Germany and the long trip home. It is the story of the war not discussed in polite company. O'Donnell presents the wreckage of entire battalions nearly annihilated, invisible personal scars, and haunting revelations of wartime atrocities. But more important are the men who recount lives risked without hesitation for comrades and cause, and those who did not return: the friends who died in their arms. Their stories remind all of us that victory came only at the highest price. Remembering the infamous cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc, bloody Omaha Beach, the bitter fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, and Hill 400 in the Hurtgen Forest, the soldiers reveal war as seen, heard, and smelled by the GIs on the front line. Also included is the unique story of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, and the trailblazing African-American "Experimental" Test Platoon that had to fight its own battle behind the lines. Beyond Valor captures the truths that exist among soldiers. It is one of the most inspiring accounts of the war ever produced.

Review :
Douglas Brinkley director of the Eisenhower Center and Professor of History at the University of New Orleans The pioneering oral historian Patrick K. O'Donnell has done a wonderful job of making the experiences of America's elite troops come alive again in "Beyond Valor." These riveting oral and e-mail accounts by glidermen and rangers and paratroopers are reminiscent of such books by Stephen E. Ambrose as D-Day and "Citizen Soldiers." Carlo D'Este author of "Patton: A Genius for War" Patrick O'Donnell's "Beyond Valor" is a dramatic and poignant oral history account of combat as seen from the sharp end by those who fought it. More than yet another tribute to the World War II generation of American soldiers, "Beyond Valor" captures war as it was fought: in all its ugliness, heroism, pathos, and incompetence. What Steven Spielberg accomplished visually for the cinema in "Saving Private Ryan, " Patrick O'Donnell has accomplished through the printed word. W. E. B. Griffin author of "The Corps" and the "Men at War" Series Told by the GIs of WWII in their own words, the extraordinary personal histories collected here prove that real war ultimately can only be explained by those who fought it, and that the true heroes too often go uncelebrated. "Beyond Valor" is a fitting memorial to these men. John S. D. Eisenhower author of "Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott""Beyond Valor" is a great war book. It has pathos, excitement, and sometimes suspense. Above all it reminds us that wars are fought by men on the ground, not in the war rooms of higher headquarters. Larry K. Bond author of "The Enemy Within" and "Day of Wrath" My own father served in WWII, and I always wanted him to share his experiences, but we only got bits and pieces. The memories were just too painful. Time is running out for this "vanishing generation," and unless someone like Mr. O'Donnell takes the time to gather these stories, a part of the Second World War will be lost forever. No simple narrative of a battle can give you the viewpoint of these now-aged warriors. Gerald F. Linderman author of "The World Within War: America's Combat Experience in World War II" These paratroopers and Rangers speak for themselves in phrases simple, forceful, and extraordinarily poignant. What is so striking and saddening is the persistency of pain fifty-five years later. "Beyond Valor" teaches realities of World War II combat that I have encountered in no other book. Stanley Weintraub author of "MacArthur's War: Korea and the Undoing of an American Hero" These narratives are highly charged, emotional, dramatic, intense. The horrific underside of war has seldom been exposed so graphically. What is shown here, often very powerfully, is the "Bad War," which we prefer not to know too much about. Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) As one of the many soldiers who participated in D-Day, I can attest to the importance of documenting the personal accounts of those who fought in the Second World War."Beyond Valor" offers a realistic portrayal of life at war told by the men who know what really happened -- those who were there.